Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Let's Read


Coming off Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend I've been reflecting on actions I can take to move towards becoming the American citizen I want to be as President Obama challenged us in his recent farewell address. One of these areas I want to improve upon is reading, and today I revisited the talk that Lisa Bloom, the author of Think, gave at S.H.E. Summit in 2014 about the importance of women being informed in our currently dumbed-down world. Sure quick snippet articles here and there help to keep one informed, but what about deep dives into a particular topic or learning from someone's life story? I'm a self-help junkie who reads 99.9% non-fiction, and I recently reconnected with someone who laid down a list of recommended books for me to read. Some of them I had read years ago, but it's been good to revisit them

Here's a collage of the books currently sitting on my nightstand including a few books from the recommended list:


One issue though: I'm often torn between the convenience of digital books and my attraction to holding an actual book in my hand. As much as I've tried to embrace them, digital books take 2nd place for me. I often fall asleep when I'm reading on a device, plus I like flipping back and forth in my books, revisiting passages. I *do* like the ease that downloads are available via Hoopla and the Boston Public Library's app makes it so easy for me to place holds. I like the vintage feel of our current library but really to miss the polished brightness that was Portsmouth's library - it was a gem that my family frequented often. I'm sure I'll warm up to ours though. 

What are you reading this month? Do you prefer digital or traditional books?


   

P.S. I recently read this one too - so good!