Summer Scattershoot

Party for a two year old. Makyla just unwrapped our present and there's a small tug of war over the really cool rubber ball we gave her. You know, there's a lot of drama in life at age two. It's not all goodness and light - deep seeded resentments prevail and motivation for theft. Fortunately, the attention span is short and we had more presents to open.

Ray and I attempt to build Makyla's library. So there's a book flung on the floor and she has one in hand. The general titles and pictures are not enthralling (forget the Stieg Larsson Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,etc series). However, barnyard animals, colors, and opposites are engaging when you are two. Kevin, her father, is pleased to have some new reading material to recite over and over and over. And, you know, he's still working on his colors!

Books in hand, she seemed happy. Other kids were ready to move on. Barbies were a big hit as well as a vanity set. However, I do believe the books have staying power.

Props to Maria (the mother) for a very lovely oreo ice cream cake. The party theme was garden - flowers and butterflies. The decorations were extremely clever and the cake was yummy.

I told you it was yummy. This is the way to eat ice cream cake. Strip to the skivvies and dig in. Just don't open a book to read until you've wiped your hands ... and face ... and ..........

grand finale of support the arts and suggested reads

Abigail is five and shall be starting kindergarten in the fall. Right now she loves to be read to - any Dr.Seuss, any counting book, anything. The sheer joy of attention, pictures, and words - she's absorbing it all and I truly hope to continue to influence her amidst the hubbub of television, computer stuff, phone applications, and God knows what else is ahead in the technology world. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle, but when she comes to our house - books are entertainment. (and swimming!!!)

Jump or dive into the pool of knowledge! Gotta love summer, Father's Day, and pool time. These boys are extended family and total cuties. Cade, Zach, and Zeke. I asked them what they were doing for the summer ( okay, the young one doesn't really talk) and the 7 and 6 year old mentionned Wii, Computer Games, etc. I asked about books and reading............oooooops.

So, I've been talking about suggested reading lists from schools or even required reading lists. Bah humbug. How about just reading????? I grew up in a family of literature - books, magazines, comics, and weekly trips to the library. Nerdish - hell, yeah, but that's what we did. However, my late mother was a bit avant garde -she was a believer in free choice. She allowed MAD magazine, comic books,etc. She believed in reading..........and she knew we'd explore other material. I encouraged Kevin as a teen (he's now 27) to pursue SIM City on the computer - he bought and devoured a book on the game - words, the keys to the kingdom. I didn't care - I was happy that he read something!

That's the key. Whether it's Harry Potter, Twilight series, or Dickens, Austen, and Poe. Try to steer kids/folks to read. It shouldn't be a chore. It should be sheer joy, absolute escape, and magnificent freedom.

Selfishly, I want everybody to someday buy my book. Thus they need to get in the habit of reading.

Cheers!

Joanne

Reading Revelry

Reading begats writing. One of my favorite presents as a kid was receiving my very own library card. My name. My gateway to the North Wales Library (in PA) and a lifetime of books. Now I have a ton of material on writing as you can see - dictionaries, thesaurus, slang word books, writer market books, literary journals. It's important to check out the competition.

In my "pretty room" ( so named because there is NO television and when the boys were young there was NO fighting allowed here), I keep a pile of reading material handy. Daily, I read the Dallas Morning News. Weekly - it's Time and Entertainment Weekly. Then Writer's Digest, plus other assorted periodicals passed on by friends.

Current books in the pile - Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster (hysterically funny). State by State - A Panoramic Portrait of America edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey (50 writers, 50 states. I just finished New Jersey's section written by Anthony Bourdain, in his usual sardonic style). The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser, New and Selected Poems, Volume 2 by Mary Oliver, The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop (all of these poetry books were inspired from the workshop two weeks ago), and Closing Costs by Seth Margolis (haven't started this yet, but he was a keynote speaker at a TWW conference two years ago. This book is a loaner - sorry Seth, no royalties from me).

Am I currently reading anything in my novel genre? No, but I love variety. I can't imagine life without reading. What's in your pile? Anything to recommend.....or lend?!

Joanne

BUSTED! Tom DeLay clearly didn't write or READ his book