Reading: Radvent journal Dec. 14

Posted on 14. Dec, 2010 by Princess Lasertron in the radvent series

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while doing your christmas shopping, buy a few copies of your favorite childrens book: One for you to re-read, and the others to gift to your loved ones.

Did you like to read as a child? Do you read more or less now?

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As a child, I loved reading. I would hide under the covers at night and hold my red plastic flashlight under my chin reading late into the night–midnight, 1am, 2am, and then my parents would come in and tell me to turn the light off. I was buddies with my school and public librarians, and I had so many book orders every month in class that I carried them home in a big cardboard box. Now I am lucky to read a magazine article, or half the e-mail in my inbox, let alone commit to a book. I do a lot of skimming–magazine articles, blogs, chapters in non-fiction books. But I don’t think I’ve read a story, anything fictional, since required reading in college.

My favorite books:
Charlotte’s Web, Boxcar Children, The Handmaid’s Tale, A Wrinkle in Time, Peter Rabbit, The Golden Compass, The Castle, McCall’s Make-It Book, The Anti-Coloring Book, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw?, The Road to Serfdom, The Big Hungry Bear and the Red Ripe Strawberry, Olivia Saves the Circus, The Creative Family, Siddhartha

Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul. -Pope John XXIII

I was a bright kid, and it’s all because of the books I read when I was growing up. I learned how to spell words, I learned about grammar rules, I learned about new geographic places, I learned how to decoupage! I learned how to make a pom pom! I learned what Pangea is! I learned how spiders make silk! I learned the proportions of the eyes, nose, and mouth on a face and how to draw a figure! I learned the Russian alphabet. I learned that lemurs only live in Madagascar. I learned how to set a formal place setting. I learned how people migrated to North America on the Bering Land Bridge and how Vikings and ancient Egyptians floated their dead out to sea. I learned so much as a little kid, all the time, because I read so much.

When I had Alice, I committed to reading to her every day, and now I’m falling in love with board book characters–especially Olivia and all of the Richard Scarry characters. I want her to love reading and love learning. I want to ride bikes with her to the library and peek into her room to see her under her covers with a flashlight. Maybe it’s just because I was that way–like I am another parent wanting their kid to turn out just like them. But whatever.

I don’t think there’s a best way to read. Some people like grown-up novels on Oprah’s book list, some people like newspapers, some people like to read blurbs in magazines, some people like to scroll through blogs full of pretty pictures. I like to read magazines. I like how they are a combination of everything great–pretty pictures, quotes and lists that can be skimmed and read quickly, shopping guides, and sources of information. I love holding them in my hands, being able to rip the pages out without guilt, and throwing them away after I’ve exhausted them of inspiration and received a fresh stack of new ones on my porch.

“A day can shift into a profound place by the reading of a single perfect sentence, at the perfect time.” -SARK

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Make a place to read in your home. A place that welcomes calm and reflection and invites you to transport your mind.

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Cozy chair, cozy blanket, natural light, beautiful fake light, candle, chalkboard table, flowers.

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Click on the thumbnail below to download a printable .pdf of today’s radvent journaling prompt! Or check out the graphic on Flickr.

Are you writing your own radvent responses in your journal or blog? Feel free to share the link–they are awesome sources of inspiration for everyone!

Tags: radvent 2010, the radvent series