Let's play tag

10 Reading Secrets

I received the following message in my e-mail box this afternoon. It came to me from Mary E. Tyler. I had fun contemplating this subject. I hope you will, too. At the bottom you will see the three people I meme'd. Please see their blogs for their responses, as well as Mary's (aka "dej") by clicking on the link to her blog.
I'd love to hear your comments here on what you consider important in your own reading practices. Now, it's lousy weather in most of the country, so it's a perfect time to put your feet up, cuddle up in your favorite afghan, sip on a cup of hot chocolate and read a good book.

Meme Tag is apparently when one blogs on a certain topic and then tags, via email, another blogger to write on the same subject. The topic is "10 reading secrets." I bet you have interesting reading secrets. Read more about it at my blog, http://www.figure-skating-blog.com/ dej



1. Read with two things in mind: entertainment and education.
2. Don't throw a book out just because something isn't "right." A long time ago I started to read a book called "The Irishman." It was set on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, and the two states were divided by a river, which the author identified as the Red River. My mother was raised there; that river was the Mighty Mississippi. Hard to miss that on a map! I almost didn't read the book because of that, and I would have missed a terrific book.
3. Don't be afraid to try something new. I am an author, as well as a reader, and a woman wrote to me and asked, "Why should I read your new book? I have never read a timetravel. The whole idea seems stupid to me." I wrote back to her and told her if she would try it and didn't like it, I would buy it back from her. She read it, and wrote to me asking when my next timetravel would be out.
4. Don't get so high-and-mighty that you overlook some of the "good stuff." Both in research and in reading, I enjoy kids' books. I had great fun writing "My Dear Phebe," a young adult book. My next Christmas book, which will be out in Oct. 2006, will be a young adult. You won't want to miss sharing the exciting adventures of Carmen and Molly Mouse.
5. You can't always judge a book by its cover. However, most people do. If you see a book that intrigues you, because of its author, the title, whatever, give it a chance, even if you think it's the ugliest cover you've ever seen. Many authors have no say in what goes on their covers, so don't blame them!
6. Don't always opt for the library for your reading material. Granted, most of us don't have unlimited cash that we can spend on books, and reading library copies is better than not reading them at all. However, remember that the authors are trying to make at least a little bit of money, so your purchases mean a lot to them.
7. Don't be intimidated by an author, even if it is a very famous one. Authors love to hear from their readers. Check on google to see if the author has a website with a "Contact me" spot. If so, email them. If not, contact their publisher and ask them to forward your comments to the author.
8. If you read a book that you really like, make it your first choice of gift-giving. If you liked it, chances are somebody else will, too.
9. Encourage our kids to read. Whether or not you like the Harry Potter books (and I admit that I haven't read them), they have accomplished one thing: they have gotten our kids reading again. For that, I say "Brava, J.K. Rowling!" My parents instilled a love of books in me from the time I can remember. For this, I owe them a great big "thank you."
10. If you know an author, or if you meet one, don't be afraid to declare the next time you meet them "Hug your favorite author day." As an author, I love the recognition by my "fans." When I hoped and prayed daily for one of my books to be published, the idea of actually having a "fan" never entered my head! I thought it was only people like Dear Abby and Ann Landers who had fans. Now I have fans of my own, and one of the famous advice column twins is dead. I figure I'm winning this game--little by little.

I have meme'd the following three people:
Joyce Anthony - http://kaleidosouls.info/Blog.html
Dorothy Thompson - http://www.overthehill.blogspot.com
Myriam Maytorena - http://www.myriamsmuse.blogspot.com