| Greetings! |
 The average American reads one - yes, one - book a year. That astounds me, and not in a positive way. So, inspired by Dee Robinson's goal for 2010, I am also challenging myself to read 100 books in 2010. Thanks for the inspiration, Dee. How about you? Are you ready to accept the challenge to read 100 books this year?
Let's do the math: I need to read 2 books a week to reach my goal. That's easy. The average American watches four hours of television per day, which adds up to two photo by Douglas Healy NYT
months each year glued to the tube. This reading project is looking better all the time. So then I went online to search out other readers and bloggers who love to read, and discovered a whole world of bibliophiles out there. I've posted a few of their blog sites at the bottom of this newsletter for those of you who want to check it out for yourselves.
The most inspirational, and awesome, website of all was posted by Nina Sankovitch, whose pictures you see in this article. Nina dedicated one year of her life to reading one book every day, which is 365 books in one year! I had to know more about this voracious reading woman. Nina called it her 365 PROJECT and she read a book a day and wrote a review of each one on her website. She is currently writing a book about the comfort, pleasure, joy and knowledge available to anyone who picks up a book. Great good comes from reading great books. She also writes a book blog for the Huffington Post. With Nina's permission, here's a few of the things she had to say:
Nina Sankovitch
"From October 28, 2008 to October 28, 2009, I read one book a day. I wrote about what I felt while reading each book, what I responded to and what I gained. My reviews are not typical reviews. I embarked on this 365 books project for a number of reasons. Both personally and in the world at large, I feel a little lost; what is my purpose in life, what is my place in the community, where is our country, the world, heading? Can I make a difference in how I live my own life? This year should be both intense and wonderful."
"First and foremost, the motive is pleasure: I love to read."
"I am also seeking to assuage the sorrow I have felt since my sister died four years ago after a brief illness, at age 46. She was too young to die, she loved to read, I am fulfilling maybe a fraction of the reading she should have had left to her. I am reading to endure. Books - especially novels - offer a window into how other people deal with life, its sorrows and joys. I am not looking for relief: I am looking for resilience."
Nina read inside, outside, here and there every day!
"To read a great book is a gift. I hope to inspire the passion and the joy of reading in all those who visit the 365 Project. The traits of great writing are: genuineness, truth and fearlessness.Say it out loud, no fear. No safety net! I know the hard, hard work that goes into making a novel or a memoir or a short story or a poem. Seeing things in a new way changes you; there is a rewiring of the brain. I found that I am not alone in feeling such horrors of sorrow...great books offer me company...I am not alone. And yes, I do feel better."
How to find the time to read every day? Ignore the internet and the TV...invite your friends over to read with you...read on the subway, train, toilet...read at lunch...read while waiting to pick up the kids...READ! |
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The Common Book: Whatcom Reads OLD SCHOOL by Tobias Wolff - a great success |
The Big Reads Event with Tobias Wolff last Monday night was delightful. The Syre Auditorium was filled to capacity and a good evening was had by all. Thank you, Tobias, for your words of wisdom and humor.
Next year's local author for The Big Read / Whatcom Reads will be Jim Lynch. The common book will be Border Songs.
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Reading in a Down Economy
Our sluggish economy may also be a bookish economy, according to a recent online poll that discovered three-quarters of respondents "said they would sacrifice holidays, dining out, going to the movies and even shopping sprees but they could not resist buying books," Reuters reported.
"The recession highlighted the financial downside of greed, indulgence and giving in to temptation, but we noticed a shift back to life's simplest pleasures," said Michelle Renaud of Harlequin Enterprises Limited, which conducted the poll. Simple pleasure: reading.
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| VB Reads
Open Book Groups
******************************* and LIT LIVE Events
Brenda Peterson
Thurs., Feb 18th at 7:00
Fundamentalism meets deep ecology in this unusual memoir.
Heidi Durrow
Durrow's award-winning debut novel tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I. who becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy.
Gina Ochsner
In post-Soviet Russia, Tanya carries a notebook wherever she goes, recording her observations and her dreams of finding love.
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The Anthologist, by Nicholson Baker. 
