Books – Page 17 – Finding My Wings

Readers, guilty pleasures need a PR makeover

I admit, when I have no book in hand I’ve been known to read anything from all the ads in a subway car to the back (and sides) of a cereal box. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Don’t knock it. As I recall, there was a time when there were short stories on the back of a specially constructed Cap’n Crunch box that had an extra flap for more story. I could take or leave the cereal, but to have something to read at the table – that was something special.

“So, what are you reading?” is a question I ask of a new acquaintance or someone I haven’t seen for a while. Continue reading Readers, guilty pleasures need a PR makeover

I’ve moved! Virtually, that is

The combination of unceasingly cold weather and the common cold have kept me close to my computer. With a bit of help, you are now seeing this blog and my website in their new home. The look is much the same for now but the address is streamlined. And if you find me from somewhere other than your phone, the subscribe option is readily visible.

The great news about virtual moves is that there are no packing boxes to unload or shelves to build so I am squeezing in some other activities. I’m a bit behind but I am watching the BET miniseries, The Book of Negroes, that I discussed a few weeks ago. The first 2 hours were what I imagined while reading the book, a very pleasant surprise.

My front-burner reading right now is a grand mix. A discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland is rescheduled for next week. Lahiri grabbed me from the first sentence and sent me off in search of info on the Naxalite movement in India that is the catalyst for the story. I’m also tasting some upcoming titles on my iPad. Having the chance to find a great story before it has been promoted and dissected to death is such fun. Of course, many of these advance reads are also good candidates for the remainder section of the bookstore. I just abandoned an upcoming novel about George Sand by a writer I usually enjoy. Her writing of semi-fictional accounts of real people is less appealing to me than the characters she creates on her own. An upcoming debut novel by Rebecca Dinerstein landed on my iPad. It is due out in April and I hope to have a review to share. She’s created two parallel threads, each with a distinct narrator. So far it is worth the read and I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes it.

Before I leave this space, I’d like to share the promise of spring. Back in 2010 the DC area was gripped by Snowmaggedon. It took a while, but the season changed and the cherry blossoms bloomed. I spent a glorious day with a camera watching nature reborn and people from all corners of the earth walking the Tidal Basin in celebration of Washington and spring.

Library = Community; Amazon, not so much

Almost 60 years ago, Charles Tiebout put forth a theory of political economy that individuals select where live by the mix of services provided and costs associated with them. People may move, vote with their feet, when their requirements are no longer met. Through the 20th century, “regular” folk often included in that mix good local schools, libraries and houses of worship, nearby transportation (either roadways or public), and ready access to groceries, drugstores, hardware stores and clothing stores. Jobs were sought, houses purchased and families raised based on these choices, the localities that provided the governmental services and the costs to attain the whole package.

As our wireless connectivity has increased, many of these interpersonal and neighborhood connections have loosened considerably. Continue reading Library = Community; Amazon, not so much

Not Closing the Book on 2014, Just Turning the Page

There’s no escaping that one year is ending and another beginning. My personal philosophy is to embrace all new years as they occur since a reboot, not a do over, is often needed. So many aspects of my life are tied to books and readers that I’ve decided look at this transition as turning the page. Continue reading Not Closing the Book on 2014, Just Turning the Page

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