Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Five Reasons I Like to Read

Five Reasons I Like to Read

1. Learning - Below is a short list of things I recently came across.

  • I like history! Who knew? (Not me!) I just read Weird History 101, first-person accounts of historic events, ex: Wyatt Earp’s testimony, The Red Baron’s story of a WWI battle, etc. History from the perspective of participants or witnesses. Way cool.
  • How to photograph good quality digital photos (digital-photography-school.com – tutorial). Just started on this, but liking it so far.
  • Scotland is very dark and damp. So are Scots (Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton).
  • Albert Einstein, in addition to being a certified genius, is a very funny/witty/playful/perceptive guy, (web site: quotes4all.net).

2. A well-made book is a pleasure

  • In this fast-paced world of mass market paperbacks made with cheap quality paper it’s a rare treat to be able to hold in your hands a good quality book with thick, creamy paper and color graphics. There are a few (very few) books like that on my “keeper” shelves. I’ll never let them go.

3. Inspiration

  • Besides being entertained and/or lifted up through other peoples’ stories of struggles and triumphs (or not), I’ve also found inspiration to change my diet, apply financial strategies and various other ways of managing my life better.

4. Other people have more interesting lives

  • Reading about peoples lives – either fictional or real – gives me glimpses into worlds I’d otherwise never visit. Whether tracking down a murderer (packing heat) or following someone’s life journey through a series of dysfunctions reading takes the focus away from me and jump starts my imagination. I can lose myself for hours.

5. I like to read

  • I just do

Notes and News

Malice Domestic, an annual convention honoring traditional mysteries, was held this past weekend (April 25-27, 2008) in Arlington, Virginia . If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries (defined by the Malice Domestic web site as follows) you would have been in cozy heaven.

The genre is loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence; and usually (but are not limited to) featuring an amateur detective, a confined setting, and characters who know one another. (for a more detailed explanation click here)

The Agatha Award Winners for 2007 were announced amid a full program of author interviews, signings and silent auctions. And the winners are…

No comments: