The Trouble with Big Kid’s Lit

Garrison Keillor’s weekly column in today’s Chicago Tribune (yes, Virginia, there is still a Chicago Tribune) looks at why more Americans don’t read fiction. A recent report said that an increased number of adults were reading fiction (just over 50%), but of course this is still down from the 1980s when almost 57% of adults read fiction. Why? Garrison explains as only he can. Check it out for a smile.

P.S. I found it odd that I couldn’t find an article covering the study on reading in the Chicago Tribune, hence the link to the NY Times, where I read about it. (Okay, enough talk about the CT. I’ve stopped smiling.)

Gifts That Never Stop Giving

Okay, writers, fess up! People who love us are always trying to give us just the right book or gadget to make our Christmas memorable. What was under your tree this year that lit up your face and made you say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have!”, when you were really, really glad they did?

My total surprise gift was from from my oldest.  I certainly wasn’t expecting a Sony Digital Book Reader! Yikes! You get a free gazillion downloads of the classics, so the first thing I did was download Dickens’ Bleak House. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish the 2,000+ pages, but I have a better chance than trying to carry the book around for a decade. I know folks who have Kindles adore them, but this gift is pretty sweet to me.

Wireless Zpen and Receiver

The other cool gift I got was from my hubby–money to get a digital pen, like LiveScribe or Zpen. These gizmos take your written words and transcribe them to your computer in typed form. Some have the capability to record everything that is being said as you write, beneficial if you’re in a lecture or such. Some of them use special dotted paper but some can write on regular paper. I guess I prefer one that doesn’t use special paper since I just bought a bunch of Levenger paper. (I am such an addict. Some people seek out fine wines, I hunt luxury office supplies.) Does anyone have one of these gadgets? I’d love to hear your feedback.

People also love to give writers books and got some hi-larious books–from Son 2, Steven Colbert’s book, I Am America. From my sister a book not for the politically correct, Stuff White People Like.