The Reading Post

We spent this weekend in Austin to attend (watch) the Capitol 10K.
FUN RUN? That may be one of the more obvious oxymorons in  my life.
I "fun run" to the coffee pot each morning, and that is the extent of running in my life, but our middle daughter and her husband have much more healthy outlooks on running.
Amy and Eric have been training for the Capitol 10K for several months, and have been looking forward to it. (Go figure.) So, when Amy twisted an ankle two days before the race, she was distraught --distraught, but determined.
Sunday dawned overcast, warm, very humid, but with the prospect of rain. Sure enough, just as the Red Tags (runners, not walkers, but not elite runners) took off from the starting line, the rain showers began. Good for the runners, not so good for the watchers.
We repaired to the Hyatt for breakfast, and re-emerged some 45 minutes later to cheer on the finishers. Eric turned in a very respectable time under an hour, and Amy persevered to finish in a bit over an hour.
So. . .what could I read that would prepare ME to participate in this event next year? Nutrition? Exercise? Sports? Running? All these topics are available at the Victoria Public Library. Come check us out!

I'm a Boomer. I guess my reading tastes reflect those of other Boomers as well, I don't know.
I was listening to Tom Brokaw on C-Span earlier this week discussing his new book Boom: Voices of the Sixties. I suspect that this new book will place a spotlight on the Boomer Generation in much the same way that his earlier book The Greatest Generation did for the preceding one.
As one of the early Boomers, I am one of those who remembers the 1960's with great fondness. The '60's were a time of excitement, of cultural change, of political unrest; and as a high-school and college student in Austin, Texas, I embraced the excitement and change whole-heartedly. I cheered, I marched, I picketed and I got to be a part of social progress. Those times made us what we are today, I believe. Brokaw mentioned that this election coming up may very well be the most significant one since the election of 1968.
Brokaw was asked by someone attending his presentation on C-Span, "Who is the most interesting person you have ever interviewed?" To paraphrase his reply, he said that all of the very important persons he has interviewed pale in comparison to "the little people" with whom he has talked. He considers among the very best of our society, those who labored day by day, making their lives count in some way to make all our lives better today.
So. . .what am I reading - anything Tom Brokaw writes.

I’ve been thinking about predators this morning, and I’ve decided the two-legged sort give those in the animal world an undeserved bad name.

We have a hawk in our neighborhood, probably the red-shouldered variety, and it is a magnificent creature. It likely helps to keep the rodent and even feral feline population down in our Victoria Heights neighborhood. A few months ago, I watched this same hawk scare the daylights out of some chickens down the block when it swooped down, attacking and carrying for maybe 40 feet into the air, either a small cat or dog. Since a hawk can carry up to ½ its weight, the prey was very fortunate to escape this particular attack.

Our hawk often just assumes a stately pose in our walnut tree. Yesterday morning I watched a couple of mockingbirds dive-bomb and otherwise pester our hawk until it finally just found some other place to go for awhile.  But, it was back this morning. We hope this hawk continues to make its home in our trees, even though the mockingbirds don’t seem to be very happy about its presence.

As to the human type of predator, this seems to be a pretty effective tactic in dealing with them as well; show courage and determination in all that we do, and they either change their behavior or find other prey. I’m a believer in the adage, ‘What goes around, comes around.’

So, what has all this predatory talk made me want to read today? Maybe Ro Wauer’s book on Texas birds, or maybe Behaving Badly: Ethical Lessons from Enron. Ro's book is a great thumb-through read, and Collins' book depicts 'what goes around, comes around' in excruciating detail.

Happy reading.

Today is Pi Day. 3.14
In a previous life, I was a school librarian, and it seemed that every teacher wanted to use the library's materials except the Math Department.
Why was that?
Math people aren't drawn to words as much as numbers? Math is much more a hands-on learning experience than a literary one? Numbers trump words?
Probably all of the above is a bit of truth.
Today is Pi Day.  3.14
Maybe I'll begin reading a biography of Albert Einstein, or Thorstein Veblen. Economics is mostly math. Maybe I'll re-read Al Gore's book; there is a great deal  of math in the global warming "debate." VPL has a book titled "Probability 1: Why There Must be Intelligent Life in the Universe." I continue to search for it - the intelligent life, not the book.
Today is Pi Day.  3.14
The only Pi humor I know. . . 

π( r )² -- No. . .that's not right.   Pie are Round.

From the mathematics area of the Dewey Decimal System - What are you reading?

I've been poring over Publishers Weekly, a periodical devoted to books, reviews, and the publishing industry. My eye was caught by the title, "Szechuan and the City." "What a great book title," I thought. Reading a line farther I realized that was the title of the magazine article about a book, not the book title itself. However, the book title was no less intriguing--The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.

As befits one who reads a great deal I suppose, I began to muse about other "interesting" book titles. One that came to mind was an autobiography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Happy Trails. One of several Rogers/Evans autobiographies, it isn't much of a leap to figure out where that title originated. At least for boomers of a certain age, it isn't a leap.

I recently came across another great book title. This mystery book features Humphrey Bogart as the protagonist, and is entitled We'll Always have Murder. A very clever twist on a very familiar phrase.

The website howstuffworks.com has an entire page devoted to book titles that are funny, cute or definitely bizarre. I won't quote any, because now you can find them yourself.

The title of a 398-page book that may be more than you ever wanted to know: How to Read a Book. Is that one on my list to read? Maybe at some future time. In the meantime. . .

What are you reading?

 

I'm sitting here reading the last Houston Chronicle delivered to our home here in Victoria.

We've all heard the reasoning behind the decision by the Chronicle to cease delivery out of town, but it is still a bitter (well, perhaps a semi-bitter) pill to swallow.

Now, I will be truly tied to the Internet for world, national and state news. I'm not a real fan of "news by concensus," so accessing information via the online New York Times, Austin Statesman, and Houston Chronicle might seem to be the only real way to keep up with news.

I also lament the loss of features available only through the out-of-town newspapers - extended sports features from other areas of the state, op-ed pages with thought-provoking articles, and of course, the comics - Doonesbury, Crankshaft, Funky Winkerbean, and Opus.

So, what am I reading? The last issue of a delivered Chronicle, and wondering if and how I can get some electronic delivery of some of these features I enjoy.

What are you reading?

I've just been thinking about reading tastes.
Public libraries (disclaimer - of which I am an employee) provide material for all reading tastes.
What brings us to love the books we read when were children, and young adults? Why are there books that we want to read and read again?
How do we decide to expand our reading tastes, explore new authors and new genre?
Do we really need to seek to expand what we read, or is reading such a personal, singular activity that we should feel very comfortable reading only one author, or one genre, or one sub-genre.
I have occasionally been approached by a friend, acquaintance or colleague who says something like,"You'll love this book; it's the best book I've read this year, " yada, yada. I may look at the title, author, and have no interest whatever in reading that particular book. Am I denying myself the opportunity to grow in some literary capacity because I sometimes stubbornly refuse to read a recommended tome?
Does one really grow by reading something/anything, even if it isn't what one us used to, or wants to read?
Or, because I know myself, should I remain cocooned in my own acquired reading niche?
Just pondering on a rainy afternoon.

If you are looking for some help in finding good, entertaining books to read, look no farther than VPL's own Janet Kent.
Janet hosts our monthly Brown Bag Book Group the first Wednesday of each month at noon in the VPL Bronte Room. I've already blogged about this group, but let me remind you that this is a lively discussion group. They will be selecting their books to read from July, 2008- June, 2009, very shortly. Come visit, and be a part of this rewarding discussion group.
Janet also keeps us informed of new books thru our BookLetters email notices. You can subscribe to those on the VPL page.
One of the best ways to keep up with good books, though, is to just drop into the library and talk to Janet (or any of our Information staff). All will have good info for you.