Banned Books Week

Kind of good timing, given Sarah Palin's interest in banning books as mayor of Wasilla.

Read a good book this week (banned or not)!

My Kindle

During my business trip last week, I was seated next to a woman on the plane who was reading on a Kindle. This was the first time I'd actually seen the e-book reader in person, so I asked her what she thought. By the time we walked off the plane, I was sold...and I bought one over the weekend. It arrived today! I'll let you know if I love it as much as my fellow traveler does!

"One dude with a computer" - KG

It's that time of year again...time for the small group of Christofascists to try to tell parents not to let their kids think about big issues. Veiled as a warning to parents that "The Golden Compass" will lead their little kids into atheism and demonic influences, the Catholic League ("one dude with a computer," according to Kathy Griffin) is set for a new round of publicity seeking.

So, while I'd like to just ignore the guy, I do like that it gives thoughtful people (particularly thoughtful religious people) a chance to express why they want their kids to experience challenging books, movies and conversations. Mary Elizabeth Williams is one such Catholic, writing on Salon:

I want my children to understand that human beings and institutions are fallible. That sometimes those who claim moral authority can traffic in corruption and abuse. I want them to be angry at every wrong perpetuated in the name of God. To question authority. To be feisty troublemakers for positive change. I've told my daughters that no one knows for certain that there's a God or a heaven. I always thought that was the beauty of faith -- that it rests on our willingness to believe in the things we can't prove, to consider, when we look up at the stars or contemplate the elegance of a DNA sequence, the possibility of a higher architecture. I hope that my daughters will find contentment and community in their religion. But I would rather they grow up to be kind, generous unbelievers than sanctimonious, blindly dogmatic Christians.

What I'm reading...

It's been a very relaxing day at home...nothing to do (yeah!) but read and watch a little TV (and some housework, but that's not interesting).

So, between catching up - and freeing up some space on my Tivo - on Grey's Anatomy and The Hills, I've been reading. Here's today's reading list:

Radar Magazine
Real Simple Magazine
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

And, I am about to start the long-awaited (for me, anyway) new novel from Richard Russo, The Bridge of Sighs.

I haven't had a weekend at home in more than a month...I'm enjoying it!

(We did also watch the movie, The TV Set - two thumbs up)

Books, books and more books

According to the new AP/Ipsos poll, 27% of Americans didn't read one book last year. Wow.

I'm lucky I grew up in a house full of books with a mom would have three books "going" at once. She'd come home with a new tome and Dad would say, "We'll see you in a couple of days." She would get lost in all sorts of stories...and she still does. Thankfully, she passed that love of reading on to me.

Oh, and I should definitely also credit a grandmother who reads a lot, as well as two aunts who were librarians and have stacks of books in their houses.

Any recommendations for what I should add to my reading list?

This is what I'm reading now:

Power of Negative Thinking...

Okay, I am all for the age-old wisdom of the "power of positive thinking," but this The Secret book definitely seems to take things too far, especially for people who may feel desperate and are searching for answers. As reported in today's Washington Post, the author Rhonda Byrne not only thinks good things happen to you when you have a positive attitude, but bad things are also your fault:

"Imperfect thoughts are the cause of humanity's ills," Byrne asserts, in a stunning sentence that had me pondering how to perfect my thoughts, pronto.

Poverty? "The only reason any person does not have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts."

Illness? "You cannot 'catch' anything unless you think you can. . . . You are also inviting illness if you are listening to people talking about their illness."

Puuleeease!