"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through
but rather how many can get through to you."
Mortimer J. Adler
Here I sit, 2:30 A.M., feeling like my night's sleep (all broken two hours of it) is done. Why is it that every problem you have (or think that you have is magnified between midnight and dawn. Even though I know, in the sane part of my mind, that most of my night time unsolvable problems will be easily solved with the new day, I can't seem to make that night time mind believe it.
Of course this is where books come in. When my world becomes too difficult to deal with, I can slip into another world altogether. A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. Your mind is so busy concentrating on what is going on in your literary world, the stressors in your real world seem to fade away. I often wonder how the President or other world leaders sleep at night. I remember loving the fact that Bill Clinton was an avid reader all through his two terms in office. In fact, he seemed to favor all of the authors that I loved to read.
Speaking of the Clintons, I hope Hillary is a big reader, because I foresee a stressful few years ahead for her. I enjoyed reading and reviewing (this week) her book, Hard Choices. She talks about her involvement in many of the stories we read about, and even though I understand they are reported through her eyes, I wanted to believe what she had to say. I find politics upsetting. Once someone declares (or even insinuates) that he/she is running for office, all dirty laundry is fair game. We all have a past, and most of it has nothing to do with how we will perform a future job. Unfortunately, the water gets so muddied that we can't really make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.
Once again I vote to read. I figure if I read enough books from both sides of the political fence, somehow a truth will show itself. Am I being too optimistic? Probably, but look at all of the entertainment I will have along the way.
Enjoy this month's reading everyone. Summer is a great time to explore new authors. Let me know if there are any lesser known authors who are "must reads" for you.
but rather how many can get through to you."
Mortimer J. Adler
Here I sit, 2:30 A.M., feeling like my night's sleep (all broken two hours of it) is done. Why is it that every problem you have (or think that you have is magnified between midnight and dawn. Even though I know, in the sane part of my mind, that most of my night time unsolvable problems will be easily solved with the new day, I can't seem to make that night time mind believe it.
Of course this is where books come in. When my world becomes too difficult to deal with, I can slip into another world altogether. A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. Your mind is so busy concentrating on what is going on in your literary world, the stressors in your real world seem to fade away. I often wonder how the President or other world leaders sleep at night. I remember loving the fact that Bill Clinton was an avid reader all through his two terms in office. In fact, he seemed to favor all of the authors that I loved to read.
Speaking of the Clintons, I hope Hillary is a big reader, because I foresee a stressful few years ahead for her. I enjoyed reading and reviewing (this week) her book, Hard Choices. She talks about her involvement in many of the stories we read about, and even though I understand they are reported through her eyes, I wanted to believe what she had to say. I find politics upsetting. Once someone declares (or even insinuates) that he/she is running for office, all dirty laundry is fair game. We all have a past, and most of it has nothing to do with how we will perform a future job. Unfortunately, the water gets so muddied that we can't really make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.
Once again I vote to read. I figure if I read enough books from both sides of the political fence, somehow a truth will show itself. Am I being too optimistic? Probably, but look at all of the entertainment I will have along the way.
Enjoy this month's reading everyone. Summer is a great time to explore new authors. Let me know if there are any lesser known authors who are "must reads" for you.
Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog:
