> The Things You Can Read

The Things You Can Read welcomes you and thanks you for your readership. We, here at The Things You Can Read, ask your help, if you visit our site regularly, please follow us either via email or Google Friend Connect.  Launched on June 7, 2012, our site has already attracted a great deal of attention.  One of the goals of the site is to feature reviews of Children's Picture Books, Young Adult novels and Adult Literary Fiction/Nonfiction.  A second goal for the blog is to be a resource for teachers of English and writing--with examples of student created writing, writing tips, resource links, and the opportunity to pick the brain of a seasoned English teacher.  To spice things up...every now and then, we'll also include random quotes and thoughts on education and life in general, but our ultimate goal is to reach out into the blogosphere and be a "Book Whisperer" and "Writing Whisperer" to children and adults of all ages.   Thank you for your readership.  Here is to a lifetime filled with reading and writing.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Book Blogger Hop: Question of the Week July 12-18, 2013

 
How long have you been blogging?
 
The Things You Can Read was born on June 7, 2012, so I've been blogging regularly a smidge over a year, thirteen months to be exact.  I started the blog for many reason, but in the process, I've learned a great deal about myself.  Blogging has also made my reading more meaningful to me personally, and I hope more powerful because I can advocate for some of the great books I read to a much larger audience.  Neither of these two things were why I started blogging originally, but were both side-effects, if you will, of starting The Things You Can Read.  I have become a bit obsessive over my blog and treat it very, very seriously.  Now, if I could only make blogging  my real money-making job, I'd be a very happy person.

If you blog, how long have you been blogging?  If you don't blog, why not?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read

Happy Hopping and Reading!
The Things You Can Read
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 5

 
Day 5:  Recommend a tear jerker.


I respond emotionally to books all the time, but rarely do I cry. More often then naught, I laugh out loud. However, with that said, there is one book I read back in the 90s, which did make me cry buckets. I cried because issues in the book related to me on a very personal level. I cried many, many times reading this book. At the time, I cried most for the Love that is shared by the couple in the book because it is a love, I knew, I did not have in my own life. I read the book in one night, after finishing, I continued to cry. The next day, I woke up with a big old swollen face and puffy eyes. What book made me react so emotionally? The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. It is the only Nicholas Spark book I have ever read. The book simultaneously struck many emotional cords, I still can see myself, in my minds-eye, laying on the sofa downstairs reading and crying, not just crying, but heaving big old snot sobs is more like it. I know if I read the book today it would not cause the same reaction. My life is so different now, and I did find the love I longed for, but at the time, all the stars aligned in just the right way to create this once in a lifetime reaction.

Additional Resources:
Over at the Nerdy Book Club the post today is entitled Top 10 Crying Books.  Check it out!

Day 1 and 2 of Challenge

Day 3 of Challenge

Day 4 of Challenge
 
How would you answer this one?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

To Kill a Mockingbird Read-Along

 
If you'd like to join in on a Read-Along of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee sponsored by Roofbeamreader.com click on over and sign-up.  Still not sure, then checkout the description below!
 
One book that appears on almost every “Best of” or “Must read” list, but which I did not particularly enjoy when I first read it, is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Now, because it is such an important work, and because I’ve recognized this pattern in myself, I have decided to give it a second chance. But I’m hoping I’ll have some company!

This will be a simple read-along. If you want to join me in reading (or re-reading) this very important piece of American literature, I’ll be glad to have you! I’m planning to read it from July 15th – August 1st. Nothing insanely special planned (it’s jammed between my Beats of Summer and Austen in August events); I think conversing with others about the book will be eventful and interesting enough, but if anyone does want to provide a guest post, giveaway, or what not, please feel free to get in touch!

Let us know if you decide to join us!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!





Thursday, July 11, 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 4

 
Day 4: What's the last book you flung across the room?

If I am going to read a book it is going to be a good one.  Honestly, I don't have time to read a bad one with three children under three running around, my reading time is precious.  Here is what I do, I will give a book between 50 to 100 pages, and if I'm not "feel'in the love," I don't continue.  There has to be something I feel really needs to be shared for me to spend the time to even write a less than positive review.  My feeling is, if I spend the time writing a review it is because I am giving it my seal of approval, and want to help build an audience for the book. 
 
I will say, I did stop reading a recently published "high profile" book.  It came to the top of my TBR pile with some major hype, but the story and the characters were not for me.  The main characters were three grown siblings who are brought together by a family tragedy.  I not only did I try reading this one, but listening to it, as well.  I dreaded doing either.  You know if you dread reading, STOP, like I said earlier, "So many good books, so little time." 

I recently read a classic where the writing was stunning, but the subject matter was revolting: pedophilia dressed up in a pretty package.  I desperately wanted to like the book, but because of the subject matter, it, instead, revolted me; yes, I could have easily thrown it across the room were it not for the fact it was an ebook.    
 
I will refrain from naming any specific books because how one feels about a book can be very subjective, and  honestly, I don't want to taint someone's opinion, and thereby prevent them from reading a book they may really like.  I will say, I do research a book before I start reading it.  I don't just randomly start a novel, which I also think can prevent any flinging!  
 
How would you answer this one?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

 
Day 3: Who are your blogging BFFs.

The Things You Can Read was born on June 7, 2012, and for the first year of its life, I have been very busy building my blog.  I believed in the Field of Dreams philosophy, "If you build it, he [they] will come."  My goal was to have at least five posts a week, and I did it, but in my zest to achieve this goal, I have failed to establish personal relationships like I should, so I guess my blogging goal for the second year of The Things You Can Read's life is to build relationships and find some BFFs out there in the blogosphere.  Anyone need a BFF?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Review: The Rosie Project

 
 
In one sentence, I can sum up The Rosie Project it is a story about how opposites attract.  Now, for some specifics on this age old adage...We have two people Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman whose first meeting is filled with misunderstandings.  Don, the protagonist, is a Melbourne college professor, think Raymond Babbit, Rain Man, but with more social graces, and you have a pretty good idea of what Don Tillman is like.  Rosie is the opposite of Don, in pop culture terms she's a real hipster, i.e. an individual with a bohemian lifestyle and mentality.  Their first encounter leads to a riotous first date,  which includes Akikido fighting in a five star restaurant.  With a start like that, can these two people become a couple?  Well, read The Rosie Project to find out.
 
Simsion has created an extremely entertaining, and well written comedy.  The plot unfolds like a movie. The novel starts with Don's decision to begin the Wife Project, a scientific based project to find him the prefect mate, which leads to Don inadvertently meeting Rosie.  Once Don meets Rosie the Wife Project gets turned on its ear, so to speak.  Don's social faux pas just seem to snowball, and will leave you laughing out loud.  Learn how Don's Wife Project and Rosie's Father Project converge into The Rosie Project . 

If you are looking for a hilarious summer read or just an enjoyable quirky romantic comedy pickup a copy of The Rosie Project.

I would like to thank Penguin Publishers and Edelweiss for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Rosie Project .

Simon & Schuster: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

To find out if you are a Rosie or a Don take The Rosie Project Quiz:  I'm a Rosie


 
Summary Courtesy of Goodreads:
 
The Rosie Project  by
  
Don Tillman, 39, a successful but odd genetics prof, designs a questionnaire for his Wife Project: punctual, non-drinker, non-smoker. Rosie, a spontaneous, outspoken barmaid, smokes, curses, and adjusts his clock when he complains about his schedule. Yet an unlikely partnership blooms when Don agrees to help Rosie find her biological father.

Simon & Schuster: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 
Does this sound like a book for you?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

What Creates the Smell of Old Books?


What creates the smell of old books?

DNews, which is associated with Huffington Post, has created a video to explain this phenomenon  as well as that of cut grass, gasoline and new cars. Check it out here on The Things You Can Read!


Do you have a memory that you associate with that "old book" smell?  Share it with us here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 1 and 2

 
I found this Book Blogging Challenge on DAY 2 of the challenge, so I'm jumping in with a catch-up post with my answers for DAY 1 and DAY 2 posted together.  Here goes...
 
 
Day 1: Make 15 book-related confessions.

1.  I'm sorry to say, I can no longer stay up all night reading a book like I did before I had children.  I'm still hurting from having tried on Sunday night.

2.  I do, rightly or wrongly, judge a book by its cover.

3.  I used to be more open about my book selection process, now I'm a researcher.  I have to have evidence that the book is worth reading because my actual reading time is precious with three children under three needing my attention.  Evidence can be something as simple as blurbs by writers I respect, or my judgment based on the summary and/or publisher.

4.  Sometimes hype does make a book jump to the top of my TBR pile, but it doesn't mean I will like it or finish it.

5.  I am a bookaholic, and I did have to do something about my problem.  I don't buy as many physical books anymore, I know that this is a controversial subject for "Book Purist", but I don't have the space.  I simply have too many books; especially now with the addition of our three precious darlings who are all under three.

6.  I love my Kindle more than I thought I would (I am a former Book Purist).  I had a Nook Color first, and found it not to be as user friendly (I know this also is a controversial subject for the Nook vs. Kindle crowd, but I did use both.  In my opinion, the Amazon Cloud is an amazing piece of technology).

7.  I wish I could write as well as my favorite authors, I know this holds me back in my own writing, because I can hear my mom saying, "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all."

8.   I often use the "What is your favorite book?" question as a "short hand" to reveal a great deal of information about a person.  Try it!  It really works.  I'm always a bit weary if they answer, "I don't read."

9.  I am a believer in, "So many books, so little time" philosophy.

10.  I also am a believer in "There are too many good books to waste your time on a bad one."  The concept of BAD being very subjective, in my opinion, it is up to the individual reader to determine.

11.  Of the physical books I do buy, they tend to be picture books for my children.  Holding a real book is important, and the pictures on the page, in my opinion, are different from pictures on a screen.

12.  One of the pluses with using an Ereader is the sampling feature on Amazon or B&N.  I have sampled many a book and then gone on to purchase it because of this feature.  I have also decided the book was not for me by using this feature. 

13.  I have found that the older I get the harder it is for me to read books about certain subjects.  I'll just say the subjects themselves that I shy away from are personal.

14.  I truly believe books allow me to live vicariously through the characters of the book, ergo you can live the lives of many, many different types of folks through reading.  This experience allows one to develop empathy for folks who are different from you, and this is a good thing.  As a teacher, I try to share this belief with my students.

15.  I am always looking for that nonfiction author who can make me feel as excited about nonfiction as I have always been about fiction.  I have found some and treasure those reads.

This was so much easier than I thought it would be.  Thanks to the folks over at Good Books and Good Wine. How would you answer this question?  If you would like participate in this blogging adventure click on over to Good Books and Good Wine.  I'd also like to thank Lizzy at Dark Fiction who brought this challenge to my attention.

My first 15 for the challenge are listed above.  Here are my additional thoughts:
16.  I prefer borrowing Ebooks from the library to borrowing physical books.  I love the fact the Ebook returns itself. 

Day 2:  What is your bedtime reading ritual?

Simply put, I read for a long as I can before I go to bed.  It helps that now I use an Ereader for most of my reading because I no longer find my book in tattered pieces all over the room when I come home from school and the light from the Ereader doesn't bother anyone.  Reading before I go to bed has been something I've always done.  The length of time varies depending on how tired I am.  Now, I've added reading first to my daughter before I start my reading.  It is a rare night I don't read.

How would you answer these questions?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 


 
 


Review: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession By Allison Hoover Bartlett

 The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession


Genre: Nonfiction
Sub-Category: Books About Books, Crime
Publisher/Publication Date: Published September 17th 2009 by Riverhead Books
Audio Publisher:  Tantor Media

Did I finish the Book?:  Yes, this was my swimming book.  I usually have three books going at a time.  One, I read/listen to while swimming laps for an hour each day; another, I listen to in the car; and a third or fourth, I am reading as an ebook and/or physical book.

Two Sentence Summary:  I love books.  I love new books, old books, inscribed books, antiquarian books, ebooks and audiobooks.  I can't imagine my life without books, however, I don't love books enough to steal them, which is what The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession is about a man, John Charles Gilkey, who loved rare books so very much he became a thief in order to obtain them.


Why did I get this book?:  It has been on my TBR Shelf for about two years.  I first heard about the book in the magazine Book Marks and on Books on the Nightstand's podcast.

First Line: I listened to this one, but here is the first line..."At one end of my desk sits a nearly 400 year-old book cloaked in a tan linen sack and a good deal of mystery."

Buy, Borrow, Listen, or Avoid?:  I'd recommend either buy/borrow or listen.  I don't know if I'd have finished the book quite so quickly if I had not been listening.

Does this sound like a book for you?  Let us know here at The Things You Can.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 




Monday, July 8, 2013

Publisher's Weekly: Live YA Webcast July 9, 2013



Check it out: HERE  Let us know if you plan to attend!

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Book Blogger Hop: Question of the Week July 5-11, 2013


 
Do you like or dislike Rafflecopter and why?
 
I have never used the Rafflecopter, and don't plan to in the foreseeable future.  I don't have a Facebook account or a Twitter account, so all the options Rafflecopter has for entries don't really apply.  I keep it simple by using randomgenerator.org for any type of selection.

How would you answer this one?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read

Happy Hopping and Reading!
The Things You Can Read
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Penguin's Summer Reads

 
Looking for something to take to the beach...checkout these great reading suggestions from Penguin.  Let us know if any of these suggestions work for your summer reading pleasure.
 
Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 


Saturday, July 6, 2013

If You Could Be Anyone: Dead or Alive

 
In one of my Goodreads groups the weekly question grabbed my attention.  Normally, I don't answer them, but this one really intrigued me.  I haven't decided what my answer is, yet, but I'd love to hear what you have to say.  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.
 
 If you could be anyone alive or dead who would you be?? And WHY?? (Can be someone who is famous, someone you've known personally, someone from The past famous or not).  Looking forward to see who you pick!!

How would you answer this one?
 
Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Review: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry By Jon Ronson




"This is a story about madness.  It begins with a curious encounter at a Costa Coffee in Bloomsbury, Central London," and from this meeting the crazy journey takes-off for Jon Ronson, and for us.  Ronson takes us with him as he tackles some serious topics with just the right mixture of seriousness and "Monty Python-like" British humor .  The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson is a real page turner, and extremely well researched.  I loved every minute of it.  I hated for the adventure to end. 

When I read nonfiction, I am always looking for the takeaway!  I ask myself, what did I learn from having spent hours reading this book?  Well, there are so many takeaways to be found within the pages of The Psychopath Test.  From Ronson's encounter with the Scientologists, where we learn their views on psychiatry, to his interviews with Tony (not his real name); an inmate classified as a psychopath at Broadmoor Wellness Centre, a prison for the criminally insane in England, to his travels abroad where the plot thickens, and more and more is revealed about the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, and of course, psychopaths.  Probably the biggest takeaway was that a psychopath's brains are actually wired differently from normal folks brains, and this scientific fact makes them unable to feel empathy. It also directly leads to the most terrifying fact which is a psychopathy is incurable. In other words, my ultimate takeaway was that psychopathy, in its violent and sexual strands, an outright alarming, awful, ghastly, hideous horrible scary, terrifying thing.
 
Alarmed yet, well read on...Did you know, out of every hundred people, one is a psychopath?  Did you know that there is a real psychopath test or checklist called the PCL-R Checklist?  The checklist has twenty items to tick-off, but not all necessarily have to apply for one to be a psychopath.  Interestingly enough, the checklist is employed by such agencies as the FBI.  What type of items are on this test?  Well, checkout the first eight:

Item 1: Glibness/Superficial Charm
Item 2: Grandiose sense of self-worth
Item 3: Ned for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Item 4: Pathological lying
Item 5: Conning/manipulative
Item 6: Lack of remorse or guilt
Item 7: Shallow affect
Item 8: Callous/Lack of empathy

Does this sound like anyone you know?  Not sure what some of these mean?  Not to worry, Ronson doesn't just present the list, he goes on to share real case studies where the checklist was applied.  These were each fascinating reads, in and of themselves, but after reading them, I began to think about the folks that have walked through my life, some of which I've known well, others who were just on the periphery, and then some others who were walk-ons, important for only a brief amount of time.   Two immediately came to mind that scored off the charts on this test.  Each individual was practically a twenty out of twenty.  Why do I share this?  Well, I guess as a warning, because after reading The Psychopath Test , you too will be unable to help going on "Psychopath Patrol".

Another one of the many fascinating chapters was entitled "Night of the Living Dead."  It was here that the reader learns the history of Sunbeam's demise and the corporate psychopath who brought this company to its knees.  Interestingly enough, psychopathic CEOs, as well as, psychopathic politicians are not uncommon.  In fact, "a disproportionate number of psychopaths can be found in high places,"  which makes them quiet common. According to Robert Hare, PhD, the creator of the PCL-R Checklist, "'Corporate and political and religious psychopaths ruin economies. They ruin societies.'"  To take it a step further Mr. Hare suggested that, "Why is the world so unfair?  Why all that savage economic injustice, those brutal wars, the everyday corporate cruelty?  The answer: psychopaths."  Mr. Hare is not alone in these conclusions Martha Stout, a professor at Harvard Medical School and author of The Sociopath Next Door, stated:
"They are everywhere...They are in the crowded restaurant where you have your lunch.  They are in your open-plan office.  As a group they tend to be more charming than most people...They have no warm emotions of their own but will study the rest of us.  They're the boss or the coworker who likes to make other people jump just for the pleasure of seeing them jump.  They're the spouse who marries to look socially normal but inside the marriage show no love after the initial charm wears off."
Again, I warn you, after reading The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson, you can't help, but be on the  "Psychopath Lookout".  In case you are unfamiliar with Jon Ronson, he is the author who gave us  The Men Who Stare at Goats, and I can't wait to read that one too.  Needless to say, Jon Ronson has a new fan.  

Final Thoughts for those of you out there who don't plan on reading this one:
People who are psychopathic prey ruthlessly on others using charm, deceit, violence or other methods that allow them to get what they want. The symptoms of psychopathy include: lack of a conscience or sense of guilt, lack of empathy, egocentricity, pathological lying, repeated violations of social norms, disregard for the law, shallow emotions, and a history of victimizing others.- Robert Hare, Ph.D
Rating5 of 5 stars
 
Summary Courtesy of GoodReads:

In this madcap journey, a bestselling journalist investigates psychopaths and the industry of doctors, scientists, and everyone else who studies them.

The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey through the minds of madness. Jon Ronson's exploration of a potential hoax being played on the world's top neurologists takes him, unexpectedly, into the heart of the madness industry. An influential psychologist who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are, in fact, psychopaths teaches Ronson how to spot these high-flying individuals by looking out for little telltale verbal and nonverbal clues. And so Ronson, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, enters the corridors of power. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud in Coxsackie, New York; a legendary CEO whose psychopathy has been speculated about in the press; and a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane who insists he's sane and certainly not a psychopath.

Ronson not only solves the mystery of the hoax but also discovers, disturbingly, that sometimes the personalities at the helm of the madness industry are, with their drives and obsessions, as mad in their own way as those they study. And that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their maddest edges.

Does this sound like a book for you?  Let us know here at The Things You Can.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!


Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Fourth of July!

Vintage Uncle Sam Image Patriotic
 
Happy Fourth of July
From:  The Things You Can Read!
 
 
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” ― Abraham Lincoln




“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” ― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
 


Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Random Thought: Question of the Day!


In one of my many Goodreads groups the "Question of the Day" grabbed my attention.  Normally, I don't answer them, but this one intrigued me, and I did respond.  I'd love to hear what you have to say on the subject.  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.


Question of the Day!     
Have you ever found a character or book that shares your name?    


Here is my answer:
Bon Ton Burlesquers, 1898.

Cynthia Steps Out
by
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1931 
  
Summary:
Cynthia certainly does step out -- from an exciting cruise she visits Paris, Brittany, Siena, Venice, among others! But don't think that this will be a dry travel recitation - it's full of fun and mystery.

Additional Thoughts:

Just as my namesake in Cynthia Steps Out, I sure have stepped out since April 19, 2006, to be sure, I've done more than step out, I've accomplished so many things on my "LIFE" TO DO LIST I never thought I'd ever achieve. The biggest accomplishments on my now rather tattered list are my three children. A hugmonous THANK YOU to "YOU WHO CAN NOT/WILL NOT BE NAMED" for allowing me the opportunity to be free, thereby, allowing for my achievement of my biggest desire in life-Motherhood!
 
I thought this questions was particularly appropriate today, since it's my birthday, so Happy Birthday to ME!


Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 

 


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Summer Literacy Challenge!

Summer Literacy Challenge!
 
For most parents, it's a challenge to keep kids reading and writing all summer. Suddenly 10 weeks of summer can feel like a very long time! We've got a summer literacy challenge for you and your child. It's modest enough to be manageable — pick just one thing a week to kick start your week's literacy adventures. But it's also challenging enough to include a wide range of literacy fun for the whole family.-Reading Rockets

Read the full article at Reading Rockets.  Here are some ideas mentioned that will make for some fun learning over the summer:
  • Investigate your public library's summer reading program
  • Listen up! Audiobooks are a great way to engage readers and can introduce students to books above their reading level-Speakaboos.com, offers free audio books for children.
  • Make your own audio book!
  • Go wordless. Wordless picture books are told entirely through their illustrations.
  • Visit a museum, online! You'll be surprised by how much you can explore without leaving your house. One example is the Smithsonian Institution Kids site.
  • Pack in a whole adventure! Find FREE themed reading adventure packs that encourage hands-on fun and learning, centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. Visit the Reading Rockets Adventure Pack page. 
  • Point, shoot, and write.
  • Explore author interviews from over 100 authors on Reading Rockets Author Interview page.
  • Write it down. Encourage your child to keep a simple journal or summer diary.
Let us know if you try any of these over the next few weeks.  We'd love to know how they worked out for you!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 
 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Classic Club Question for July 2013

 

The Classics Club:  Question of the Month

July 2013-What classic book has changed your view on life, social mores, political views, or religion?






In my classics reading journey the two classics that have changed my views on life, social mores, and political views are Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead both by Ayn Rand .  Well, let me say, you either love or hate Ayn Rand's body of work.  So, the first thing you must do is separate your personal feelings with regard to Ayn Rand and/or her philosophy, and simply look at these novels separate and apart from the person or Objectivism, her philosophical beliefs.

The concept of uniqueness is one that has always intrigued me. The Fountainhead addresses this theme in a big way. In movies, we see memorable characters that are unique and different, and we love them. However, movies are not reality, and even though these unique characters are placed on a pedestal and admired for their unconventional, unexpected, and unorthodox qualities-think the French film, Amelie-this is not the way of the real world. I guess the question I keep asking myself is, does the majority of society really value this type of person?  My answer: NO!  We tell children that everyone is unique and that this is something to be valued, but yet "sameness" and "conformity" is often what is expected, and ultimately more valued, especially at school. I don't want to explore why this is true, but rather state that it is and The Fountainhead made me crystalize this point in my mind, and it showed me, the reader, the damage such views can cause.

Atlas Shrugged
Let me also say, I loved The Fountainhead, but I loved  Atlas Shrugged even more.  Why? Published in 1957, the novel is prophetic.  What is so surprising is it took reading  Atlas Shrugged to open my eyes to really see and understand the consequences of what is happening in our world-REAL TIME.  We are living in Dagny Taggart's world.  The question is...what will become of us?  My biggest takeaway from reading  Atlas Shrugged was that "Dystopian Societies"-Utopias with  fatal flaws-don't have to be fictional.

In a nutshell, both books made me question where our society is headed, and if the common beliefs held by the masses are what I really believe.  I can state unequivocally, I am a different person for having read these two classics by Ayn Rand.

Interesting Note: The renowned economist, Martin Armstrong, stated in a recent blog post:

They [the government] are destroying the productive class just as in Atlas Shrugged and where this leads is not a very pretty place.
 

Quotes by Ayn Rand


Ayn Rand
“Who is John Galt?” 

“She did not know the nature of her loneliness. The only words that named it were: This is not the world I expected.” 

“Do not let the hero in your soul parish, in lonely frustration, for the life you deserved but never have been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.” Ayn RandAtlas Shrugged

“But you see," said Roark quietly, "I have, let’s say, sixty years to live. Most of that time will be spent working. I’ve chosen the work I want to do. If I find no joy in it, then I’m only condemning myself to sixty years of torture. And I can find the joy only if I do my work in the best way possible to me. But the best is a matter of standards—and I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand at the end of no tradition. I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one.”

“There’s nothing as significant as a human face. Nor as eloquent. We can never really know another person, except by our first glance at him. Because, in that glance, we know everything. Even though we’re not always wise enough to unravel the knowledge.”
Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead    

“Listen to what is being preached today. Look at everyone around us. You've wondered why they suffer, why they seek happiness and never find it. If any man stopped and asked himself whether he's ever held a truly personal desire, he'd find the answer. He'd see that all his wishes, his efforts, his dreams, his ambitions are motivated by other men. He's not really struggling even for material wealth, but for the second-hander's delusion - prestige. A stamp of approval, not his own. He can find no joy in the struggle and no joy when he has succeeded. He can't say about a single thing: 'This is what I wanted because I wanted it, not because it made my neighbors gape at me'. Then he wonders why he's unhappy.”
 
“To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That's what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul - would you understand why that's much harder?”

How would you answer this question?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!


Happy Reading!
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