Bookish Pursuit: Let's Read Aloud

When I first began to read aloud to my eldest child, I needed a book that gives pointers on, and emphasises the importance of reading aloud. Luckily, I found two books – Jim Trealese’s The Read-Aloud Handbook and Mem Fox’s Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. In the former, Jim Trealese explains why it is important for children to grow up as readers, and how we as parents can help to accomplish this. Every chapter of the book – even the introduction – is very edifying. I still remember one of the arguments on whether reading should be the responsibility of parents or teachers. Since children spend more time outside the school, it should be the parents’ responsibility. And we, as parents, can play a huge role not only by reading to our kids, but also making sure that they have access to books at home, and being a model to them by being readers ourselves. In Reading Magic, Mem Fox guides us on how to get the most value and joy out of a read-aloud session. With passion and humour, she explains when and where to read aloud, and demonstrates with examples that are easy to follow. She also discusses the secrets of reading and offers guidance on defining and choosing good books. As a parent, I want my children to love books, and I want them to become an avid reader. These two books help me discover the pleasures of reading aloud, and helped me start my children on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. I hope they would help you, too!

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Bookish Pursuits: Bookish Pursuits 2013

In a blink of an eye, we’re into a spanking brand new year. January has a way of making people feel like they can either take on the world afresh, or let the lethargic coat of same-old, same-old fall on their shoulders. I’m torn between both sometimes – in the mornings, I’m ready to go … but evenings make me feel unfulfilled. Perhaps it’s because of my alternating optimism-pessimism - self help books have never made a dent in my reading consciousness.

Looking back to last year (already!), one of the major changes at work in this business of bookselling was an addition to my portfolio. I find myself now the buyer of all books self-enrichment. But what is self-enrichment? How do we or in particular this poor inadequate reader of such books, actually choose books for this section? Hence, the past 6 months have been an interesting exercise in research and development – learning each book, each author that will sell (or not!) , what it is all about and also if we can give this whole section something different to present to readers.

Well, I must say, I have found some nice books on the way. One of them, a memoir called The End of the Life Bookclub, was one of the best books I read in 2012 (which I wrote about last month) It was but one of the small seclection of biographies/memoirs that have found a home in self-enrichment. These books are of personal experiences through grief or change that will ultimately inspire the reader (the likesof A Second Wind, Mum’s List, Signs of Life.)

So, they’d gotten me to read a book… and this means I’m more open to such books - however, I essentially I hold by the thought that self help books are really any book that can help you with something, although self-enrichment is very much about the self, and how to improve the insides and outsides of it.

The next book I want to pick up is A Calm Brain. This is a must-read, addressing the issues of stress – a part of our current lifestyles but also a condition that will weaken our bodies and our immune system.

I’ve also been thoroughly entertained and intrigued Timothy Ferriss’ new book, The 4 Hour Chef. He’s already made millions with his two earlier blockbusters (The 4 Hour Work Week andThe 4 Hour Body) – so what else can he do? He breaks down cookery and builds it up again – taking you through various stages of disgust, disbelief but ultimately impressed with the lengths he had gone through. But this self-help guru claims that this book isn’t just about learning how to cook – it’s about how to learn an entire new skill. (In that case, since I want to learn more crafty stuff – I’m all for Material World– a superb compilation of how to do different crafts.)

What got my eye recently is Seth Godin’s The Icarus Deception. And I think there will be many who will be too – Godin’s book is about how we can take the opportunity to choose a more creative life, and make money as well!

What I’m looking forward to is Whole, which releases (hopefully) in April. Authored by T. Colin Campbell (who co-authored The China Study), it picks up where The China Study left off – why should we eat a plant-based diet. Seeing as how much The China Study has had people talking about it – I would like to know if Whole will be telling me new, good things as well.

All of a sudden, it looks like my to-read list has grown by quite a bit, not counting the various other books I enjoy reading for pleasure. If you’re somehow in the same boat, don’t wait – dig in! (by Kit)

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Bookish Pursuits: To Meet A Good Book

To meet a good book is a happy thing to happen to a book lover. But what would be the happiest thing, other than meeting a good book? The answer is to meet THE book, the one that becomes a part of you. In my case, I met my “one-of-a-kind” title when I was still a student – it was I Ching, or The Book of Change. I Ching is an ancient text that covers everything from philosophy, science, logic, astrology, predictions, and so on. Depending on the person reading it, the understandings and wisdom one could get from I Ching varies. To recognize what is I Ching, we need to know the five basic concepts of I Ching: Logic or Philosophy, Seem or Appearance, Figure, Change and Coherent.

Imagine you went to a place – you see bookshelves, books, stationery, staff in blue uniform, and a dollar sign. This is Appearance. You might think that this is a bookstore, not a library. This is Logic, or the philosophy behind what you have seen. From the range of titles, the perimeter of the place, the customer service provided, and the crowd that enters the place, you can calculate or make a general assumption on whether the bookstore’s performance (Change) is good or bad. Once you are Coherent on the first four concepts, you may be amazed by the wisdom of I Ching. Until today I Ching still surprises me with new thoughts and insight. I met my favourite book; have you?

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Bookish Pursuits: One Book to Another

In February, Jet Yau wrote about the difficulties of finding a good book. This is true, even for the most seasoned reader. Because of this, I always do cherish serendipitous moments when I come across the exact book I need, at exactly the right time I needed it. Often, though, each book I read will eventually lead me to the next fortuitous discovery.

A few weeks ago I had been reading several Young Adult novels with a similar theme. The fifth or sixth book on this particular binge was John Donovan’s I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip, a classic bildungsroman I’ll always prefer to the oft-read Salinger. The copy I read includes an introduction and reflections by contemporary YA authors. In reading more about the book, I discovered that a few readers picked it up after reading letters to Donovan from Ursula Nordstrom, who had been his editor. This led me to Nordstrom’s complete collection of letters, Dear Genius.

Ursula Nordstrom was the director of Harper’s Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973, and in Dear Genius I discovered that she had had a hand in many of my childhood favourites, from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, to E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, to Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy. I ended up re-reading many of these books alongside Dear Genius, and even picked up titles I haven’t read before, such as Meindert DeJong’s The Wheel on the School, the 1955 Newbery Medalist that was illustrated by Sendak. Upon finishing Dear Genius, I had a craving for more books that would give me insight on writers and illustrators’ lives, but couldn’t find anything at hand.

It was then that serendipity occurred; in a magazine, I found a review of Ellen Forney’s Marbles. Illustrator and graphic novelist Forney’s Marbles is a memoir of her struggle with manic depression as well as her worry on how medication might affect her art. It makes for an interesting read that dispenses both scientific and philosophical questions – is the capability of producing great art linked with manic depression, and if it is, is it worth it to risk refusing medication in order to produce such work? A part of me is already itching to read some of the books Forney herself read while looking for her answers. For now, though, I have already chosen the next book to be my companion in long train rides – Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, illustrated by Ellen Forney, of course. I wonder where Alexie's book will take me to, next?

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Bookish Pursuits: February is here

February is here. Have you been reading lately? Perhaps you haven’t found a book to suit your current mood? Have you been leaving bookstores empty handed, or had the urge to read something but don’t know where to look? Many might turn to bestseller titles in such cases, but what if they’re not your cup of tea?

I wonder how many of you have experienced all of the above. I do, from time to time. There are a lot of things that contribute to a person’s enjoyment of a book, and each reader may have different criteria to what makes a good read. Sometimes I stumble upon good books when I wasn't looking. Other times, I would be drawn to the look of their covers, or the rhyme of their titles. Some of these books are purely good recommendations from people I do not know, or from someone who sits next to me at work. There are also moments when the “reader instinct” detects something good. Of course, there are also books that I find from my many “treasure hunts” during trips to bookstores.

If you have not found a good book to read yet, try out some of these, from my bookish pursuits over the years. If you happen to enjoy reading any of the books here as much as I did, I hope that you too will share it with another reader. Happy reading!

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