Friday, May 01, 2015

Reading about the Reading Life: May 1, 2015

Welcome to another edition of "Reading about the reading life" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where I collect stories about reading and the reading life. Basically, these are items related to reading, maybe writing and literacy, that I find interesting and think my four readers might find interesting as well with a little commentary.As with other features I do on this blog, I do it when I have time or feel like it. Comments are always welcome (within reason). 



It has been quite a while since I have done one of these features. Too many bad vibes out there recently. So, let's try to relax, and just look over some lighter things.

  • The New York Review of Books has one of those articles asking if there are too many books being produced. As the article points out, this is not a new a question. The game changer are e-books plus the fact that self-publishing is so easy these days (and no, I am not commenting on the quality of a lot of that self-published stuff. That would be another debate for another time). 
  • I keep a journal, and I do write by hand. By now, I have a few filled notebooks. It is a habit I really got started on when I was student teaching. I never gave thought to transcribing them. But if you keep a journal, maybe you want to consider doing that. Here are then "10 Reasons You'll Want to Transcribe Your Handwritten Journals" via Writing Life Through
  • Journal writing can also be beneficial to graduate students. GradHacker tells you how. 
  • Maybe you do not wish to keep a full-blown journal, but keeping and using a notebook even for little things can be a good idea. Via The Week, here are "8 Ways a Simple Notebook Can Change Your Life."
  • Need ideas of that to read? Thomas Jefferson may have an idea or two. Looking at some of his writings and correspondence, this article compiles a list. Via The Art of Manliness.
  • With another election coming up in the U.S., it is time once again to despair about how clueless and uninformed (or willfully misinformed) a lot of voters are. This article from a while back suggests that some book clubs where books about, well politics and civics, may help with the issue. I remain skeptical (and I will say I do read a good share on politics on as many sides as I can) given how rigid and close-minded the average American can be. Still, if I hear more on this, I am willing to be convinced. Story via IVN. 
  • A nice story about a little library doing a lot of good in Grenada. Story via Global Voices.


No comments: