Follow Obama

Okay, I'll admit it, I have a curious interest in Barak Obama. I don't know much about US politics - but I've been intrigued by the leadership style. Today I read a post on MotherReader where Obama answered a question about books.

There was one question in particular of interest to us book lovers, and that came from a woman who asked what Obama would say to young writers. He was surprised by the question, which he admitted was one he hadn’t heard before, but didn’t hesitate to answer. He referenced his two books, and specifically mentioned how he wrote them himself, along with many of his speeches. With a light inflection, he said, “In terms of getting a job, knowing how to write is a good thing.” He talked about how he kept a journal, and how it was important for teaching him not only how to write, but also how to think. But my favorite part was when he said, “Over the course of four years I made time to read all of the Harry Potter books to my daughters. If I can do that and run for president, then you can find time to read to your kids. That’s some of the most special time you have with your children.”

I thought that was beautiful!! Now I really like that man! :0)

I'm often mystified when I hear people comment about how they never read. I remember (an unnamed) acquaintance clearly full of pride over the fact that her husband had read 8 books the past year (he took the bus to work and read while on the bus). She felt quite comfortable bragging about what a reader her husband is. Thank goodness for buses!! I am sad that people get their lives so full of TV shows and work and family and who knows what else that they don't have time to read. I read an interesting study on the amount of time people spend reading. In that study it said that you had to get to the 85th percentile before you found someone that read more than 15 minutes a day. The numbers still remained pretty constant until you got the the 95th percentile and at that point those people read for more than 45 minutes a day. It's a dying pasttime I guess!

This summer really seems to be turning into a reading summer....which I'm loving. My kids spend a lot of time each day reading. Peirce doesn't really read on his own yet so I read aloud to him....and there are days where I figure I spend at least 3 hours reading to Peirce and with Jill. And you know, I think that's about right.

J&P and I were talking the other day about jobs. P often wonders what he should be when he grows up. I was telling them that the best job is one where you can do something you love. P figured he'd like to be a video game tester. Jill figured she'd like to make figurines and things with chocolate. They asked me what I would love to do for a job. I figure the best job would to be a book reviewer! I should look into that.....