Reading & the Other Rs

When my first child came into the world, thankfully my mother was present to help me. In no time, she corrected a major deficiency in my parenting skills.

“Talk to your baby. Don’t be silent. The baby needs to hear your voice.”

From then on, I talked to my baby about everything from bathing and dressing, feeding and what happened in the world. My husband and I soon established a routine at bedtime — another of my mother’s wise suggestions. Regardless of where we were in the world, we stuck to a routine: bath, bedtime, read a book, down for the “night.”

By the time our third baby arrived, bedtime had become an assembly line marathon. No matter how old the child, each had a turn in Daddy’s lap reading a book of their choice while Mommy prepared the next in line for their turn or nursed the newborn.

This summer, my business group promoted the opportunity to participate in an ongoing reading program for children of all ages. “Reading Rocks” is held in the city’s parks, every day over a six-week period.  I volunteered to read with or to a child one day each week in the park closest to my workplace. Literacy is one of the necessary fundamental skills. Reading with my children proved to be essential to their education and future employment.

Today, July 25^th, is my last reading session. Most of the children participating in “Reading Rocks” are enrolled in summer daycare programs while their parents are at work. Some of the children have no experience of hearing a story or reading with their parents or other adult.

I gained as much from the program as the children, from encouraging a group of middle school boys to make up their own story based on a title one of the boys had misread, reading to a little girl who was as interested in telling me her story, making the acquaintance of an armadillo from the local zoo and a border collie trained to assist PTSD sufferers.

I was reminded of the many hours I had spent with my children and how rewarding those hours were, especially in terms of the gift of time. 

Thanks to my experienced mother, reading and routine were regularities that established reliability in their young years. There’s more to raising children than reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.

Perhaps one or two of these young readers will become writers. Story-telling certainly came into my life at a very young age from hearing my mother and father read aloud and tell their own tales.

OWNING AND LOVING BOOKS

Owning and Loving Books

I’m the oldest person in my family and as such, have participated in cleaning out my grandmother’s, my parents’ and my in-laws’ houses.  When my father died, a number of years after his and my mother’s house had been emptied and sold, he left a suitcase of clothes, a small bookcase full of books and a bundle of papers neatly organized.  That’s my goal, to own just a few possessions and not be overwhelmed by stuff.  I’m not there yet, but I envision a time when I know where everything is and use everything I own.

That’s my goal, but it should not come as a surprise to fellow writers, book lovers and anyone who knows me that my biggest indulgence is books and it’s books that are overtaking my house. I drop by bookstores wherever I am and rarely leave without buying several.  I read book reviews, get recommendations about new authors from friends, and attend conferences where I listen and meet new authors.  I pick up or order those books too.  When I go to the library I come home with a stack to read.  Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read all of them, I may never, but I anticipate a time when I will and having those books and knowing they’re there to read when I’m ready brings me joy.  I recognize that not everyone feels this way, but for me books are a window into other worlds and an opportunity to meet people who I’d otherwise never know.

But I do have too many books. I live in a big farmhouse in upstate New York where every room except the dining room has several bookcases and each of them is filled to the brim.  I have a small apartment in New York City with two big bookshelves and those and my bedside tables are also overflowing.

In my quest to simplify my life and environment, I’ve started getting rid of some. It has not been easy.  It’s one thing to get rid of books that I didn’t like or duplicates, another to get rid of books that I love.  I started by telling myself that I would only keep the books that I haven’t read or if I had read, intended to read again.  It meant I gave away some of my very favorite books from college and my younger days as well as classics I knew I wouldn’t reread.  Although painful at times, I’ve managed to get rid of a lot, donating them to our local library’s annual book sale or leaving them in the lobby of my apartment building in the city. I plan to keep at it and consider every book that I own to determine what to keep and what can go.  In the course of this divesting, I’ve come face to face with the realization that there is a finite time for everything including reading books.  But it’s also meant I’ve revisited old friends and been reminded of books that I’ve loved and now can share with others.

Believe me, I still have all those bookcases overflowing, but at least now not all of them are double shelved and of course, there will always be room for new books.

SELF-e For Authors

by Victoria M. Johnson

I first heard about SELF-e at a literary festival I recently participated in.  Our town's librarian was handing out SELF-e flyers to everyone and I was intrigued about this new platform.

SELF-e 

According to the Library Journal website, "SELF-e is an innovative collaboration between Library Journal and BiblioBoard that enables authors and libraries to work together to expose notable self-published ebooks to voracious readers looking to discover something new."

Many people already know that Library Journal is a highly respected periodical used by librarians across the country.  You may not know that BiblioBoard is a platform for libraries to license and deliver digital content for unlimited multi-user access.  So upon hearing of this collaboration, I was eager to learn more about it and how it can benefit authors and readers.

What is SELF-e?

Currently libraries pay a high fee to publishers for an ebook and only one user can have it checked out at a time.  As you can imagine, it is costly to libraries and readers may have to wait weeks and sometimes months to read a new release.  The SELF-e collaboration will provide vetted self-published ebooks to readers who are hungry for more content.  Also, any number of readers can check out the ebook at the same time.  

Who will do the vetting?

Library Journal will curate the collection; selecting those ebooks they believe represents the best in that book's genre.  If your ebook is selected, your ebook will be part of Library Journal's curated modules for each genre, and you'll have a potential nationwide audience.  If your book is not selected, you have the option of submitting for the statewide modules with other local authors. 

 

How does SELF-e benefit authors?

There is no cost to authors, but authors will not make any money when their books are selected or read.  Authors gain readers and exposure.  They get their ebook in a curated collection promoted by a journal that has national recognition.  It's an opportunity to be discovered.  I asked Los Gatos Town Librarian, Henry Bankhead, his thoughts about SELF-e.  "It's a pathway to get your self-published writing read by professionals in the industry and possibly being included in a curated collection for your entire state or the country," he said.  "If you're in the state modules California readers will have access to California material, while Massachusetts readers can access Massachusetts material, and so on."  (Click the Biblioboard link below to see authors who endorse SELF-e).

How do readers access SELF-e?  

It's not available yet.  When it becomes available readers will access SELF-e through their library, using their library card--the same way you get ebooks from your local library now.  Your library subscribes to it.  (You might ask your local library if they will subscribe or if they are collecting self-published ebooks from local authors for this project).

How do authors submit their ebooks for consideration or find out more? 

Library Journal site: http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/self-e/

Biblioboard site: http://biblioboard.com/authors.html

FAQs for libraries and FAQs for authors: http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/self-e/self-e-faq/

Submission Page: https://library-journal.biblioboard.com/

If, after checking out the websites, you decide this opportunity is right for you, it looks like it will only take a few minutes to submit your ebook for consideration.  Have your metadata handy (keywords).

The only deadline information I found says: Submissions through the Fall

That means if you're unsure if you should submit, don't take too long to decide or the first round submission period may be over.  Who knows when the next period will come?  Also, don't stall if you're not sure if your ebook is among the best in the genre.  The Library Journal website says, "All that is required is an engaging story, and your ebook file."

BiblioBoard's website says, "We believe indie authors, libraries and patrons will work together to play a major role in the future of publishing and the culture of reading."

--> Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

The Classiest, Coziest Place in Town

You can’t get any more classic than a library and lately they’ve become a lot more cozy.

When I first fell in love with libraries, they were hushed, almost reverent, places. That’s okay. I did, after all, fall in love with them, but I wonder if libraries as I first knew them would appeal to today’s kids. There are so many things vying for their attention, it would be easy for books to take second (or lower, much lower) place to more glitzy attractions. I know for some kids that happens, but not all. Not by any means. In fact, I think more children use the library on a regular basis than ever. And that's no accident. Libraries have changed with the times. They (at least the ones I frequent) are a lot livelier than they used to be and much more inviting.  I'm not talking about dumbing them down, but about making them more user-friendly, especially kid-friendly.

 As I walk from the parking lot to the entrance, I’m greeted by this little charmer.

 Inside, there’s still miles of books, but there’s also lots of open space where kids can sprawl on the floor and lose themselves in a story. There’s a puppet stage, a doll house, a train set, all equipped with props to fuel a child’s imagination. There are low round tables where the kids get to do crafts relating to the book they’ve just heard in Story Time or - and I see this a lot - just sit and read a book.

 There are a lot of great programs, but if I had to choose a favorite, I think it would be Kids Reading to Dogs. It’s not unusual to see a small person sprawled on the floor reading to a large and attentive Golden Retriever. Yes, the child is reading to a dog. The idea is that all kids really want to read; they all want to do well in school, but some of them need a little extra help–and a lot of practice. Reading to another person intimidates them, but they feel comfortable with a dog. There’s no need to measure up, no fear of judgment. One day I stopped to eavesdrop on a little boy reading to a dog. I listened to him stumble over words, but he didn't stop reading. He kept going until he reached the end of the page, then very carefully turned the book so the dog could see the pictures. A classic image that will remain with me for a long time.

The real bottom line to this is that kids are excited to be in the library.They’re learning to love books and think of the library as an important part of their life. When they leave they usually have a bagful of books, which they check out on their own cards and insist on carrying themselves. The looks on their faces tells me they'll be back. 

Just thinking about that gives me a cozy feeling.