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Juniper · 08-01-2008, 11:15 PM

Ohmigosh, I am HOME! Do you know how hard I have looked to find an internet community like this one? Intelligent, literate, readers! Who can be allowed to use profanity but not lean upon it like a crutch.

I have kids ages 10 and 12 and if being a parent who reads voraciously were enough to make them readers, believe me, they'd be readers. Alas, they are not. They are intelligent, do well in school and the 12 year old shows the makings of a fab writer one day...but they will not read for fun.

I blame the TV and video games. I never watch TV. Well, rarely, maybe twice a week for about an hour. It bores me and I almost always have to do something else at the same time. But my dear husband is one of those people who always have to have the damn TV on and it drives me batty. Say, I'm sitting on the couch READING a book, he'll come in from mowing the lawn or something, turn it on, then leave. As though he thought he was doing me a favor, resolving my TV deprivation. Ugh.

He has also accused me of "being antisocial" when I am reading. Oh well. Apparently the only time I am allowed to read is just before falling asleep, in bed. Any other time, there's other things I ought to be doing instead.

My parents were readers. My mom, especially. She died in December and I am clearing out her condo. I have counted the number of books to donate - just the ones I am not keeping. It's over 600. and about 400 of them are paperbacks purchased within the past 5 years.

My mom never wanted to give any of them away, but in the last year she finally agreed to start giving them to the library. I said - mom - let the library store your books for you, you can always borrow them again! That's why I don't have that many books, I just get them from the library when I need them. I have cards to six different libraries and I have used them all within the last six months.

But I am biased. I am an English major - facing my midlife crisis by returning to college full time. Good LORD I love school. You cannot imagine how much I ADORE being back in college. I am in heaven!

I am also a freelance copywriter. This gives me some insight into the dumbing-down of the average reader. I write for non-readers. I write to make them read, even though they don't think they want to. Quite a challenge, but I love it.

08-01-2008, 11:15 PM	#80
Juniper I know, right? Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,539	Ohmigosh, I am HOME! Do you know how hard I have looked to find an internet community like this one? Intelligent, literate, readers! Who can be allowed to use profanity but not lean upon it like a crutch. I have kids ages 10 and 12 and if being a parent who reads voraciously were enough to make them readers, believe me, they'd be readers. Alas, they are not. They are intelligent, do well in school and the 12 year old shows the makings of a fab writer one day...but they will not read for fun. I blame the TV and video games. I never watch TV. Well, rarely, maybe twice a week for about an hour. It bores me and I almost always have to do something else at the same time. But my dear husband is one of those people who always have to have the damn TV on and it drives me batty. Say, I'm sitting on the couch READING a book, he'll come in from mowing the lawn or something, turn it on, then leave. As though he thought he was doing me a favor, resolving my TV deprivation. Ugh. He has also accused me of "being antisocial" when I am reading. Oh well. Apparently the only time I am allowed to read is just before falling asleep, in bed. Any other time, there's other things I ought to be doing instead. My parents were readers. My mom, especially. She died in December and I am clearing out her condo. I have counted the number of books to donate - just the ones I am not keeping. It's over 600. and about 400 of them are paperbacks purchased within the past 5 years. My mom never wanted to give any of them away, but in the last year she finally agreed to start giving them to the library. I said - mom - let the library store your books for you, you can always borrow them again! That's why I don't have that many books, I just get them from the library when I need them. I have cards to six different libraries and I have used them all within the last six months. But I am biased. I am an English major - facing my midlife crisis by returning to college full time. Good LORD I love school. You cannot imagine how much I ADORE being back in college. I am in heaven! I am also a freelance copywriter. This gives me some insight into the dumbing-down of the average reader. I write for non-readers. I write to make them read, even though they don't think they want to. Quite a challenge, but I love it.