First of all thank you for your smart and fun comments. I read them all and, as before, I’m going to respond to some this month:

Jocelyn rightly points out that one doesn’t need to spend lavishly on books to enjoy them, and reminds us that we can find some pretty good books for free at the library. I fear she was worrying that I was equating not spending on books with some sort of personal failure, but I think the article was merely noticing the fact that Americans are spending less and less on books, and taking that as a symptom of how books are becoming less and less popular. Clearly she’s not part of that distressing trend, nor are June, Lee Ann, and Renee.

On the more controversial end of the spectrum, Gabriel suggests that, “Reading a book is alright as a distraction from studies or while waiting for a bus, but overall it serves little purpose and can even be detrimental.” And I applaud him for being so articulate on the subject—maybe it was partly through the books he read in school that he learned to get his ideas across as well as he does? At any rate, I’d very much like to see any research that shows reading books to be a bad thing. Personally, I expect it will be hard to find any.

I also suspect Gabriel’s school-based reading experience may have been limited—as my own was—to books that didn’t really work for him. I happen to like Moby Dick these days, but it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, especially among young readers who may not be ready for that 700-page whale of a book.

And thank you, Terrie, for your own very articulate response to Gabriel’s post.

Shawna, like Gabriel, is also clearly not gobbling up everything I’ve written and goes further to suggest she doesn’t like my books. I happen to like popcorn myself (and confess I’m not quite so sure what “popcorn trash” is) but I am glad she’s at least reading my blog entries. Maybe she would care, as did Sarah, to suggest some other books she does enjoy?

Finally, I’d like to just point out some of my favorite 1-liners from that batch of postings:

“Turn off the tv and read a good book!” –Mary

“When the world outside is crazy and stressful, a good book is like a mini-vacation. A step away from the world and a chance to breath and relax. LONG LIVE THE WRITTEN WORD!” –June

“Reading is important and can be a way to escape the hum drums.” –Debbie

“There is no substitute for reading. It's far better than movie or TV version. It has a world of its own...in our minds.” –Baklita

“The principal complaint among employers is the poor writing/spelling/general communication skills among young applicants...” –Debra

And my personal favorite:

“I wish parents would hand children a book once and a while instead of a new video game.” –Rachel

I hope our words have a chance to cross paths again next week,

JP

I’m mindful that last week’s entry wasn’t the cheeriest I’ve ever written. Here’s something a little lighter:

During the summers, my grandfather would take me on his frozen food and ice cream delivery route once a week.

These trips were a great treat for me. We’d be up at four in the morning packing his truck, and before five we’d be on our way.

Now, most of us know that driving a delivery truck isn’t the most romantic job in the world.

But every morning, my grandfather would drive over the storm king mountain toward west point, and he’d be singing at the top of his voice.

His big, clumsy truck would be jouncing all over the road—and in a loud, terrible voice he’d sing “Oh, Susanna,” or “Put Another Nickel in the Nickelodeon,” or “She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain.”

And my grandfather told me this: “Jim,” he said, “When you grow up, I don’t care if you’re a truck driver or a famous surgeon—just remember that when you go over the mountain to work in the morning, you’ve got to be singing.”

And, at least since I discovered books and eventually decided to become a writer, I do.

JP

A friend in the publishing industry brought a recent article in The New Yorker to my attention. It’s called “The Twilight of the Books: What Will Life Be Like If People Stop Reading?”, and it begins with some scary statistics about how, as a nation, we’re turning into a bunch of non-readers. . .and what that means.

I won’t repeat it all, but here’s a fact that stood out for me:

• In 1995, the average family spent an average $163 dollars on reading (including newspapers, magazines, books, e-books).
• In 2005, that amount had fallen by almost a quarter, to just $126 a year.

I’m not arguing that money’s the best measure here, but I do think it gives an indication of how reading ranks among those things upon which we spend our money. (What’s a cup of coffee cost these days? Seems to me $126 is about what it costs to take a family the movies two or three times. Or indulge a parent’s Starbucks habit for a couple months.)

And then it goes into a history of reading and the science behind the claims people have always made—and that some of us know or have suspected from our own experience and common sense—things like how readers are more likely than non-readers to:

1. play sports
2. exercise
3. visit art museums, theater, concerts
4. make art or take pictures
5. volunteer
6. vote

I believe the author was making the point that some of these things are kind of important to our society.

Anyhow, it’s a pretty long article, but it was definitely a thought-stirrer for little old me.

JP

Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been becoming a progressively better resolution-keeper as I get older.

The trick, as with many things you wish to accomplish in life, comes down to being realistic with yourself.

For instance, if you are trying to start a really noble habit, you should make sure it’s actually do-able and at least somewhat in line with your character. Like, say, you tell yourself that this year you’re going to start running five miles a day, but you’ve never been much of a runner, and you’re pretty out of shape, and you really don’t like running (except when playing basketball, I don’t like it much, I will confess), well, maybe you should pick another resolution. Like walking a couple miles a day.

It’s great to have ambitions, but they don’t tend to flourish unless you know what you’re working with.

And I don’t mean to presume to know you that well, but I think I’ve stumbled on a great resolution, in case the one you picked isn’t shaping up so well.

If you think your kid(s) should read more, if you have Internet access or are able-bodied, and if you have fifteen minutes or more of free time a month, here’s the idea.

Hold up your right hand and read this next bit aloud—

“I, [your name, and don’t be a wiseacre and say 'yourname’] do hereby resolve for 2008 to help get one great book a month for into the hands of a child in my life.”

That wasn’t so painful, was it? And you can do that, can’t you? If you can’t afford a brand new book each month—either from a store or from an online retailer—get a used one, or borrow from your local library (here’s a handy list of local libraries and links for how to set yourself, and your kid, up with a library card) or even a friend who has the book you think your child will like.

And if you need recommendations for books—bookstores and libraries, with all the thousands of books they have, can be a pain to find your way around, I know—then come here and check out recommendations that I—and your fellow blog-readers—have made. Or go ahead and ask somebody here at the message boards, or your child’s teacher, or a bookseller, or a librarian.

It really shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes from start to finish.

JP