Reading is Fun...

RIF (Reading Is Fundamental), the children’s literacy organization ran PSAs during the cartoons I watched growing up. Their commercials always ended with a bunch of overly gleeful kids shouting “Reading is Fundamental!”. The kids in the neighborhood loved to make fun of the ad. They changed “fundamental” to “fun for the mental”. Terrible, I know.

There was a boy a few houses down from me named David. Not Dave, never Dave, always David. He was an awkward kid, which made him the kid that everyone picked on regularly.

The older kids used to come up with these new “Clubs” every few days. If you wanted to join the new Club, you’d have to be initiated. The funny thing was that all of the kids were grandfathered in from the previous Club, except David. In order to get into one of the Clubs, David once had to go up to every house on the block and ring the doorbell. He then had to tell whoever answered the door the neighbor kids’ version of RIF’s slogan with the same enthusiasm as the kids in the ad.

Speaking of reading, I haven’t really read anything since September. For Christmas, my step sister Julie and her husband, Adam bought me a Barnes and Noble gift card. I stopped by the bookstore after work last night. They had all of the 2005 “Best American” series marked 50% off. I picked up the Best American Nonrequired Reading collection.

Posted by chuck at January 20, 2006 11:12 AM

Comments

The Punch By John Feinstein

Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper By Mark Vaz

Those were great 05 reads I tell ya.

Posted by: Andy at January 20, 2006 12:54 PM

Oh!!! And, I ‘m reading this fascinating, one of the most fascinating things ever in my hands book by Jeff Benedict called “Out of Bounds” it’s about the culture of violence, sexual assault, and groupies in the NBA. It’s jaw dropping, in every sense. Really really good. I know you’re not a big pro hoops junkie, but this is very thought provoking and will alter pro sports forever for you. I’m floored with each page turn. I will never look at people the same.

Posted by: Andy at January 20, 2006 12:57 PM

Right now, I’m reading this book called, “Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism,” by Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster. I’m really enjoying it.

McGivney is this guy, judging from the introduction, who some people think deserves sainthood. I haven’t gotten to the “miracles” portion of the book yet, but it’s a page turner. The guy lived in the mid- to late-1800s, but the authors did some outstanding research. (It’s all footnotes and such.)

I’m about as lapsed a Catholic as there is, but it’s an interesting read examining the rigors of what goes into the priestly life. Uh, that’s priestly life, not Priestly life, which I’m guessing would also make for a helluva page-turning adventure.

Posted by: Jim at January 20, 2006 5:07 PM