Reading Update

At work they don't have time to pay us to read on the job and can't ask us to read in our spare time, so there's absolutely no requirement that I read children's and young adult books. But I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't, because half of what I do is recommend good books to kids. I also try to read reviews and listen to others' recommendations and know bibliography sources, so I'm certainly not limited to just what I've read, but it helps to know the literature first-hand. So I choose to read these books because it makes me better at my job.

Yet it goes beyond that. When I began my stint as a manager I was released from this obligation and free to read anything I wanted. Granted I had other issues to deal with and wasn't in a proper frame of mind to read anything, but I never got excited about that freedom. I found adult books didn't really interest me. So the job thing may be my excuse, but I guess kid's and YA books are my preference because they're the ones I really get excited about. Maybe my job has ruined me for more adult fare, but that's what I like to read.

On a side note, my job seems to have also ruined me for bookstores. I used to love browsing in stores and always had to restrain myself from spending (too much) money. The last few times I've been to bookstores, though, I haven't found them interesting. I always have a pile of books on my desk that I'm trying to get to, so it's not like I'm lacking in things to read. And there are always new things coming in and lots of things to browse at work. I have the world of literature at my fingertips. The library meets all of my reading needs, so I guess I have little use for bookstores.

Anyway, it’s currently the annual reading challenge in which area library systems compete to see who’s employees can read the most children’s and young adult books during January and February. Which really doesn’t effect my reading choices, but it’s nice to have company. So far this month I’ve read the new Newbery and Printz winners and found them to be worthy selections. The Printz winner was sandwiched between the two volumes written so far in the series The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy (thanks to CDL for pointing those out to me). I wasn’t that impressed with the first one, The Hero Revealed, but it was good enough that I read the second one. I thought The Return of Meteor Boy? had a stronger, more interesting plot and enjoyed it quite a bit. Ordinary Boy lives in Superopolis, a city where everyone is born with a super power. Well, everyone but him. But since most of the super powers are fairly worthless and most of the citizens are fairly dense, Ordinary Boy holds his own quite well and makes for a good protagonist. He deals with his issues around trying to fit in as the different kid while getting into some pretty good adventures and even saving the day, all while learning more than he wanted to know about the hero he idolizes and the nature of corporate capitalism. I recommend giving them a try (as well as the Horace Splattly, The Cupcaked Crusader series.)

Tony DiTerlizzi used to illustrate D&D books, so I took notice when he got into kids books. I’ve been wanting to read The Spiderwick Chronicles since they first came out (illustrated by DiTerlizzi, written by Holly Black, who also has some good YA urban fairy books), just have never gotten around to it. Well the movie’s coming out soon, so they’re next on my list. I hope to be able to give a good report soon.

And, finally, a fun little read about reading:

Area Eccentric Reads Entire Book

. . . According to behavioral psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Schulz, Meyer's reading of entire books is abnormal and may be indicative of a more serious obsession with reading.

"Instead of just zoning out during a bus ride or spending hour after hour watching YouTube videos at night, Mr. Meyer, unlike most healthy males, looks to books for gratification," Schulz said. "Really, it's a classic case of deviant behavior. . . . "