Book Worms

Finally Sonny Boy has gotten to the age where reading a good book is entertainment.  Last night we sat happily in the living room with our nose in books for several hours.  Sonny Boy comes by it naturally.  My grandmother always had her nose in a book and the family joke was that you couldn't let her go into the bookstore on a shopping trip or she'd never come back out.  Mom was always stealing my library books in high school (there wasn't a library in our little town) and currently reads a lot of fluff, but reads.  Hubby reports he was quite a book worm in elementary school and he still reads a bit when he has time.  FIL read a lot as well, evidenced by boxes and boxes of Louis Lamour we removed from his house.  We come from a long line of book worms.

Igor still isn't a strong enough reader to move onto chapter books.  He's exactly on target for his reading skills, but still not quite advanced enough for it not to be hard work.  One of the miseries joys of being a first grade parent is reading homework and practice.  I was graced with Sonny Boy who was actually reading some before kindergarten.  By the time he reached actual reading instruction he was a fluent reader and really needed little help progressing.  Igor on the other hand needs some help and it's a torture like no other to listen to beginner books stumbled through on a regular basis.  I know I should be more proactive in this sphere as I think being a strong reader sets one up academically to succeed long into life.  Honestly though I'd just rather shove an ice pick into my ear drum.  Generally we pass the torch around so we are not all tortured daily with even Sonny Boy getting in on the act.  I hope Igor gets the Book Worm gene as his reading skills improve, because in a family of readers (and a librarian mother) life will be a little difficult.

My job at the library basically entails processing the new books and DVD's that are received.  I do all the stamping, stickering and enter them into the catalog for circulation.   Lots of piddley details but not the most taxing job.  What amazes me are the popularity of some writers over others.  James Patterson books inevitably have hold list of 50 or 60 people, as well as several other popular writers.  The most popular books - the ones we purchase 7 or more copies of - are by writers I find so formulaic that if you've read two of their books you can pretty much figure out the plot in their other books.  I get that sometimes one just read fluff for entertainment, but the books that hit me as modern literature have pretty low circulation.  I also wonder if people realize that these overly prolific writers are not really writing their own books.  James Patterson seems to release a new book every month with a co-writer no one has ever heard of.  ( I pick on him because he is very obvious - there are other writers just as guilty)  I think I have an ethical problem with this.   To put one's name on a book you obviously could not have written - because you have written 22 other books this year - just seems so wrong and smells of plagiarism.  The authors that "co-write" must get a lot out this, money or at least publishing deals under their own pen to make it worth it.  I'd be damned it I wrote a novel and then let James Patterson or any other author put his/her name on it. 

Off of my soapbox now.