To Kindle or not to Kindle? That is the question.

E-books are becoming very popular. In fact, I myself have gone so far as to download the Kindle App for my iPhone. Sure, I have read a few pages on it...but cannot seem to grasp the idea of reading a book, where I don't have to actually flip the pages. Yes, and I know that these Apps and apparatuses have the function to make the flippy page sounds, like an actual book. But it is not the same.

I cannot do it. I cannot give up the wonderfulness of books. I cannot give up the smell, or the creases in the corners of the pages, where I have dog-eared them. I cannot give up the tattered covers, wrinkled spines, or any of the wonderful things that you can't get with the Kindle or Nook. My husband would truly disagree. He would love a Kindle. My best friend has the Nook. No matter how articles and friends and other tech savvy people rave about these new devices, I will not succumb.

I will not go down without a fight! Print on publishing companies. Print your millions of copies for those of us out there that will read and love those paper pages.

The Help: Book Review

The nature of my job allows me to read lots of books. I teach 8th grade English, so I am always looking for good books to recommend to my class. As a rule of thumb, I generally try to stay away from "tween" books. You know...The Clique Series, Dear Dumb Diary, Diary of a Wimpy Kid....etc. Not that those books aren't good, but I like books with a little more meat to them.

During a conference last summer, The Help by Kathryn Stockett was recommended by a fellow avid reader. I bought it, and it sat...until Winter Break. One cold, snowy day I picked it up, and decided to get started. It has been, so far...one of the best books I have read all year.

Set in early 1960's, we follow a group of four white, female friends. All growing up in Jackson, MS. Skeeter, the main character, has just graduated from Ole Miss, and is determined to become a journalist. After receiving advice from a New York editor, Skeeter sets out to write a story that could change her town, her relationships with men, family, friends, and could change her life all together.

She decides to write the stories of local black female domestic servants, and their relationships with the white women who employ them. Because of Jim Crow Laws and the general idea that whites shouldn't talk to blacks, Skeeter has to find a way to tell the story, without risking her life and the life of her new found friends.

It is a candid/eye-opening look at how all women were portrayed in the South, and how even the smallest details do not go unnoticed. It is well written, and will keep you turning the pages to discover how Skeeter finds the guts to write the story, and the courage to become something different than the expected life of a 1960's housewife.

Reader: A must have quality in a man

There are many qualities in men that are considered must haves: Humor, Charm, Intellect, Attractivness, Good Teeth, etc. But one that is of vital importance is that he has to be a reader. When my bedside table is full of at least twenty book, of all varities, it is only fair and balanced for my husband to also have a table full of books. Every night when I go to bed, I like to stay up and read for about 30 minutes. I find comfort in the fact that my husband and I read in silence together.
My husband came into our marriage as a reader of non-fiction...only. He never dabbled in fiction or things that would take his imagination to far away lands. Fortunately, he is open-minded. After seeing a few Harry Potter movies, I finally convinced him to take the plunge and read his first fiction...Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Once he finished that series, it became easier to convince him to read others....Twilight, Da Vinci Code, and next...The Hunger Games.

So ladies...Remember, looks are great, but when they are old and wrinkly...there is nothing better than sharing the love of books with someone you love.

Books Smell

I have heard people, myself including, talk about the way books smell. For me there is something about a never before read book that smells soo...inviting. Some people like the smell of library books, or at least I heard that in a movie once..which of course makes it true. I can see that, although they have a funky, musty smell that I am not quite as attracted to.

Its really not any different than the smell of new leather, or new shoes. Smells are said to envoke memories...mine are of book fairs in school, the Scholastic book order forms, and places far away. The promise of new, never touched books. Its exciting!