Are you a book lover? If so, then today is your day to stand up and be counted, because it’s Book Lover’s Day. You’re doing something counter-cultural, you know, when you read.
Americans are spending less time reading these days, and employers now rank reading and writing as the top deficiencies in new hires. Studies show that the greater the number of books in a family’s home, the more education a child will seek. Sadly, 1 in 3 high school graduates will never read a book after graduation.
Lutheran women are great readers. Many surveys have shown us that. One of our more popular program resources is Page Turners: Building a book club stat suits your style. Maybe this is your year to start a book club in your congregation or among your friends. Page Turners can help.
“Too many books, too little time” best describes me and books: I’d spend most of my day reading, if I could. Back in 2002 I decided to keep a list of everything I read, noting my reactions to the book. I’ve enjoyed revisiting the list, remembering those many books and the adventures and explorations they offered me. Having the list has also made me more aware of my natural inclinations: I prefer women authors, I prefer stories that examine relationships among women and I can find faith issues in nearly any book.
When a book really captures my imagination or my heart, as Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother and Daughter Story by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor currently does, I’m a voracious reader. I’ve never been the slow reader who wants to savor every word. I want to drink it all in with one big gulp.
Books take me places I’ve never been and help me make sense of my life. So, on this Book Lover’s Day, why do you love books?
Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director, got a library card as a kid and that changed her world.
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I belong to a congregation in the Pacific Northwest, in a city that has often been dubbed as ‘most well read cities in America’. Seattle. The women in our congregation started a book reading group titled Spirited Women. The group has been meeting for over sixteen years and have spun off an Evening Spirited Women’s group as well. The women have read many good books during this time and have shared their insights with each other on a weekly basis. Copies of all of the books that have been read, are now part of our church library.
I pitched a story idea to ‘Seeds for the Parish’, this past December (2016). However in the last stages of the parish production the team decided not to use the story and photos. [Feb 2017 Rod Boriack Editor, Seeds for the Parish]. If you are interested I could share more, including photos.
I would love to have your story. We could use it for our Women of the ELCA blog. Send to [email protected]. Pictures appreciated!
I read at least five books a week. Real books. Page turners . I appreciate the lending library at my neighborhood clubhouse and especially the annual book sale at the library . Then I donate my purchases after reading to the clubhouse . As a child my parents always encouraged us to read. I carried that torch to my children .
Books take me to cultures and times I cannot go on my own. They expose me to many ideas that challenge and refine my own thinking. They are entertainment so that I need never be bored.
Every day is book lover’s day in our home. When we downsized my greatest grief was deciding which books to keep and which to donate. We read for growth, inspiration and escape. Our daughter read at age 3 and her daughters are readers as well with weekly visits to the public library.