My high school English teacher let her students know that any time you were without a book was a wasted moment in your life. I am her best disciple. I will not walk to work, wait for a bus, be in line at the post office (you get the idea) without my i-Pod and the 60-hour Dickens opus. My current world is “Our Mutual Friend,” downloaded from Audible.com, and being read by one actor who has at least fifty distinctive character voices.
If you see someone almost walking into a car, but laughing, it’s because you’ve seen me cross the street while Mr. Micawber is sharing his financial wisdom, or Pip’s sister is explaining her child-rearing philosophy to her more lenient husband Joe.Some things are just great read-alouds – and usually those things are written by Charles Dickens. The great Indian writer, Rohinton Mistry (he also of the 60 hour opuses) also produces great read alouds. It could be age that makes me want to hear a character’s voice so that I can remember them when the cast of characters goes beyond 3.
I do use my Kindle. (Who ever knew there would be a book goddess that would get me a book I wanted in under 2 minutes without leaving my house?) But it’s not all technology. I have started a public library copy of The Three Weissman’s of Westport; and it’s not all fiction – I just finished my Amazon used copy of The Lost (holocaust family story).
My great goal in life is to stay home, read books, and eat chocolates. I still work, however, and it cuts into my fun reading time as I read a great deal for my job, which is, if you can believe it, helping teachers do a better job teaching reading. My recent favorite favorite is Linda Darling-Hammond’s The Flat World and Education. If I could, I would engrave her book on the brain of every educator, politician, and policy maven, and hope I’m not too late.
So, if you see someone this summer at the beach, standing in the ocean, with a wave coming, and a book in her hands – looking totally absorbed, but not in the real world, maybe you’ll know who it is.
By Linda Katz (Executive Director, Children’s Literacy Initiative, Philadelphia)
ElderChicks 
Isn’t it great to read whatever you want to..nothing that you HAVE to? That’s real freedom.
I think I first realized how grown up I was when I didn’t finish a book I didn’t like! Before that, I always thought I had to slog through to the bitter end, like it or not.
One of my problems with book discussion groups (and I’ve been doing it for over 40 years!) is that I’m so busy with the book group book list that I don’t always have time to read what I want to. Now what’s wrong with that picture???