Happy New Year, everyone!
Have you ever seen those reading lists “52 Categories of Books to Read this Year”? They are populated with categories like “Read a book that takes place in China” and “Read a book published in the 1800s”, and then the idea is to tick one category off each week of the year. They are fun to look at, but maybe a little too restrictive to follow. And a book a week is an ambitious pace. Continue reading
Finding gifts for book lovers is easier than ever. There are a ton of products on the market – clever, beautiful, practical, whimsical – something for everyone. I have tried giving people books as gifts, but that has met with mixed results. For example, when Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was published several years ago, I bought it for my husband for Christmas. My husband has a business degree, used to make a living as a techie and is a voracious nonfiction reader. I thought that gift was a slam dunk! But when he opened it I could tell he didn’t like it. Turns out he hated Steve Jobs. Ugh! Continue reading
“Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe, was on the syllabus for my daughters’ (yes, plural) world literature class. As I like to do sometimes, I read it with them. First published in 1958, it tells the story Okonkwo, a respected warrior, and his village in Nigeria as they both struggle to adapt to colonization. I’m not going to review it because I feel silly reviewing classics. I’ll just say I’m glad I read it and I encourage you to read it, too. It’s a short book and written in simple, but meaningful, language. It doesn’t require a big time investment and you’re likely to learn some interesting things. Continue reading
Dear Readers,
Many of you know that I have been fighting ALS since 2011. The name of my blog, Book Thoughts from Bed, alludes to the fact that I’ve been mostly confined to a hospital bed for the last 4 1/2 years due to the fact that ALS has taken away my ability to move. Yeah, it sucks, but I’m well cared for thanks to family, friends and the Veterans Administration. Unfortunately, not all people with ALS can say the same. That’s where the ALS Association comes in. ALSA provides much needed services, care and research. Their biggest fundraiser is their local walks. The one in my area is coming up and I really need to step up my fundraising.
Please consider donating to the walk. You can do that by clicking on this link: http://web.alsa.org/site/TR?fr_id=13240&pg=personal&px=3278042&s_hasSecureSession=true
Thank you!
Michelle
I was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) six years ago. It’s been a hard road. It started as a little bit of weakness in my foot and within three and a half years I was paralyzed and on a ventilator. I need 24/7 care but private insurance and Medicare don’t cover that. But there are patients in worse situations than me. Thankfully, we have the ALS Association to fill some of that support gap. Continue reading
It’s not breaking news that not enough Americans read books. According to commonly cited statistics, 33% of US high school graduates will never read a book after graduation. Even if everyone was inclined to read, only 50% of US adults can do so at or above an 8th grade level. And 60% of inmates can’t read at all, so read between the lines about the effects of being illiterate. Continue reading
Well, the monthly group read hasn’t been very successful, so I’m going to tweak the process and go to every other month. That will give everyone two months to read the book. Hopefully, more people will be able to participate this way.
February’s book is “A Gentleman in Moscow”, by Amor Towles. Continue reading
