How to encourage reading

Four Great Gift Ideas for Readers and Word Nerds

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 22 Comments

Are you wondering what to give to that wonderful word nerd in your life this holiday season?  

You could browse at Barnes & Noble and find some beautiful journals, bookmarks, or book lights.  If you love bookstores like I do, you can already smell the coffee and feel the crisp pages of new books under your fingers.

As tempting as it sounds to indulge your senses at the store, I urge you to also consider these distinctive gift ideas I found on-line.

Some Cool Gift Ideas

 

  1. An Invisible Floating Bookshelf – barnesandnoble.com  The shelf attaches with hardware to your wall and grips the cover of a single book.  You can then stack other books on top of it, up to 20 pounds.  Wouldn’t this look so cool in your family room- books as art.  Warning- don’t make it too heavy; one reviewer complained that hers fell out of the wall!

 

 

2.  Book Lover Design Kit– barnesandnoble.com  This kit comes with book themed stamp designs, as well as a stamp pad and stationary.  You can use it to personalize book marks, book plates, and cards, all with a book lover’s theme.

(Honey, are you reading?  I want this.  Maybe for my birthday.  Hint, hint.)

3.  Personal Library Kit – amazon.com  My friend Caroline gave me one of these for my birthday several years ago, and I love it.  (See picture at the top of the post.)  I use it to keep track of my most cherished books- I can stamp or put a book plate with my name inside, and keep track of who I’ve loaned my books too.  Because, as I word nerd, I love sharing my books, and this is a benefit to buying printed books instead of ebooks.  But, I want those books back!  This is the perfect gift for the word nerd who craves organization. (Ok, fine, I’m anal.  I admit it.)

4.  Little Librarian–  amazon.com  Same idea as number three, but for a child in your life who also loves books and organization.

I hope that helps!  If you have any other great gift suggestions, please leave them in the replies below!

A Gift For You!

As the year ends, I’d like to thank my readers with the My Favorite Things Giveaway!   Readers leaving a reply will enter into a drawing to win one my favorite books of 2012.  

The details:

  • You may enter by commenting on the blog between December 7 and December 19.
  • Your comment must include your favorite book from 2012 and a short explanation of why you  recommend it.
  •  Available anywhere Amazon ships.
  • I will announce the winner on December 21.
The winner will choose his or her prize from my favorite two reads of 2012:

If you don’t want either of these two, I’ll send you a B&N gift card and let you choose your own.  I’m hoping that this giveaway will help us all find great books to read in 2013!  Thanks for sharing your favorites!

 

How to encourage reading

A Cautionary Word for the Holidays: Surfeit

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 14 Comments

Drum roll, please!

First, thanks to everyone who tried November’s Word Nerd Challenge.  I had two winners!  Applause now for:

  • Khara House of Our Lost Jungle.  Khara is a writer, poet, and educator who shares writing tips, encouragement, and inspiration at her blog.  Go visit her!
  • Kelly of The Well Read Redhead.  Kelly shares book reviews, cute pictures, and, hey, she’s a red head.  Gotta love her.  *Congrats to Kelly on her second win.*

New Word Nerd Word

This week, I’m joining Bermuda Onion’s Wondrous Words Wednesday meme, so you and I can learn even more word nerdy words.  I’m going to step away from Jane Eyre to share a word fitting for the season.

My son and I looked it up after reading a warning from the Gospel of Luke last Sunday.

 

surfeit \’sər-fət\ from Middle French, via Middle English, to “overdo”

noun- an overabundant supply; excess; an immoderate indulgence in something (food or drink)

verb- to feed, supply, indulge

This word is so cool; you can legitimately use it as a noun or a verb.  (Note: at this point, Websters doesn’t recognize “friend” as a verb!)

Let me tell you, to surfeit, or to indulge in a surfeit, won’t make you feel good.  So think twice before reaching for that third piece of fudge.  Go for a walk/run instead!

Word Nerd Workout

Use surfeit in a holiday themed sentence.  For example:

If I allowed it, my children would gorge on a surfeit of frosting and cookie dough while we bake for Christmas.

Now it’s your turn.  Leave your reply below, and thanks for stopping by!

P.S.  Don’t surfeit on too many sweets this week.  🙂

Other Word Nerdy Words

salacious

confabulation

How to encourage reading

Another Reason Why Reading is Good For Your Brain

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 12 Comments

Even though my friend Caroline is an avid reader and enjoys classics (she suggested our book club read Great Expectations last year), she avoids Jane Austen novels.  They feel like work to her.

Do you struggle with Jane Austen as well?  I came across an interesting story last month that might persuade you to pick up Pride and Prejudice.

The New World of Literary Neuroscience

NPR featured a story on the work of Natalie Phillips, a professor of 18th  century English literature at Michigan State University.  Ms. Phillips studies cognitive approaches to narrative; more specifically, she’s looking at how Enlightenment ideas shaped 18th century literature, and if literature in turn influenced theories about cognition.

Sounds deep, doesn’t it?  Basically, Phillips wants to know more about how our brains work while we concentrate, and if 18th century authors, like Jane Austen, incorporated scientific theory about cognition into their writing.  For example, Phillips has hypothesized that Austen made Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, bright, but also very distractable, based on theories about cognition at the time.

To further explore the link between cognition and literature, Phillips ran a study to see how people’s brains behaved while reading Austen.  She asked her participants to read while lying in an MRI machine.  Sometimes subjects were directed to skim, and at other times they were asked to read analytically.  Researchers monitored several things during the trials, including:

  • brain activity
  • eye movement across the page
  • breathing
  • heart rate  
Phillips  expected to see changes in the attention centers of the brain when comparing close versus casual reading.  However, results showed activity throughout the brain when readers altered their concentration on the narrative.  Most surprisingly, the centers of the brain involved in motion and touch were activated during close reading, as if participants had actually placed themselves into the story!  
Does that ever happen to you?  Do you sometimes get so totally absorbed in a book that you feel like you’re living in the world with the characters?  Ms. Phillips only tested brain activity while subjects read Austen, but I wonder if we would find the same results with other authors.  A new field is emerging, called “Literary Neuroscience,” and it’s exploring things like the effect of metaphors on the sensory areas of the brain.

The Good News for Word Nerds

Why did I share this?  Because it gives word nerds everywhere more ammo for defending our bookish habits.  Not only does reading improve our vocabulary, but it also may be stimulating our minds in unexpected ways.  I can’t wait to learn more about how reading affects our cognitive abilities!

I also won’t feel guilty anymore about getting lost in a story when I should be doing a comparatively menial chore.  I’m generating important brain waves!  (Of course, I need to remember this when my children tune me out to pour over the pages of their latest book.)

And finally, for readers like Caroline who struggle with Austen, perhaps now you’ll think that the effort might be worth it and give P & P another try.

How do you feel about Jane Austen’s work?  Can you share any other research about how reading affects the brain?

 

How to encourage reading

November’s Word Nerd Workout

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 10 Comments
The road outside my farm. All the leaves are gone now.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!  Since it’s the end of the month, it’s time again to review the word nerdy words I have shared with you over the past few weeks from the novel Jane Eyre.  Anyone who answers all three questions correctly will earn link love from me here and on Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.

Are you ready?

Word Nerd Workout

  1. What does vapid mean?
    1. stimulating
    2. insipid
    3. empty
  2. Which word is the best ANTONYM for torpid?
    1. inspiring
    2. fluid
    3. energetic
  3. Complete the analogy
    1. acumen:inability::perspicacious: ___________
Good luck, and leave your answers in the reply box below.  Thank you so much Charlotte Bronte for all of these awesome words!
Note: Next month, I will join in on Bermuda Onion’s Wonderful Words Wednesday meme.  Same great word nerdy words, just posted on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.

 

 

Book reviews

My Favorite Banned Book: Fahrenheit 451

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 5 Comments
Banned Books Week graphic

Please welcome my guest Emily McGee as she helps me continue my series on dystopian literature.  Emily blogs about her traveling adventures over at One Trailing Spouse; take a peak at her informative, humorous stories and pictures.   I recommend her posts on how she almost got robbed and her review of Kenyan instructions for using a toilet.  Take it away Emily…

When I taught middle and high school English, one of my favorite books to read with students was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Fahrenheit 451 was much more accessible than most of the other books in our curriculum.  Most of my students could read it independently.  It’s also quite short, which motivated some of my more reluctant readers.  But best of all, it had once been banned, which gave it the extra layer of intrigue to captivate my students’ interest.

In my mind, Fahrenheit 451 is such a joy to read because it’s the quintessential banned book.  It’s a banned book about book banning (and book burning).  My students loved the irony.

 The Premise

Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a dystopian world where people no longer read books, have meaningful relationships, or think independently.  It’s immediately clear that no one is happy, but no one seems to realize how truly unhappy they are.

The book follows the story of Guy Montag. Guy is a fireman in a society where firemen don’t put out fires, they start them.  Guy and his team burn books.

But after a chance meeting with a girl who doesn’t fit into this society, Guy starts to rethink his career, his marriage, and his life.  He begins hoarding books and reading them.  He starts to question the society he lives in.

Why It’s Still Relevant Today

Even though Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1953, the book is still so relevant today.  For example, my students were able to make connections about people’s dependence on technology, seen both in the book and today.  I really enjoyed watching discussions where students were able to use the book as a lens to examine how much time they spent listening to an iPod or sitting in front of a screen.  Students were even able to talk about the consequences, both good and bad, of all this technology use.

Students also enjoyed learning about why books are banned and seeing a list of banned and challenged books.  Many of their favorite books from childhood were on the list, including The Harry Potter series, the Captain Underpants series, and the Gossip Girl series.

The book also helped my classes think more critically about power, control, and the government’s role in our lives.  We had great discussions about why the government in Fahrenheit 451 wanted a complacent, non-reading society.  We also talked about what values are at stake when individuals and societies are in conflict.

 Who Should Read It

Fahrenheit 451 is a great book for discussion. I recommend it for book clubs, classrooms, or to read and discuss with your child/teen.  It’s rich with symbolism and I think almost everyone would get more from the book by talking about it with others.  If you’re new to banned books, it’s accessible to read, and in my opinion, not at all scandalous or offensive.  It’s also easy to find at used book stores and online.

Emily has lived in Africa, the South Pacific, and three states in four years. She pays the bills by writing for various educational companies, but she’s happiest when writing fiction. Emily and her husband live life on the go, and they just got back to the U.S. after spending five months in Nairobi, Kenya. Emily writes about travel and life as a trailing spouse at One Trailing Spouse.

Improving vocabulary

More Vocabulary with Jane Eyre: Acumen

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 4 Comments

On to the next great word from Jane Eyre; I’ve seen this one a lot, and I had to finally look it up.

Near the end of the novel, Jane spends time with a very driven young man named St. John.  (And if my instinct, based on a scene from the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, is right, we pronounce that “Sinjun”, right, my British friends?)

At one point, St.John quizzes Jane on a sensitive topic, but she resists his questioning.

But when St. John had mused a few moments, he recommenced, as imperturbably, and with as much acumen as ever.

 

Is it only me, or do you see three word nerdy words in that sentence?  Let’s focus on one right now.

  • acumen \ə-‘kyü-mən, ‘ak-yə-mən\ noun, from Latin acumen, literally, a point; keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination, especially in practical matters

Word Nerd Workout

Think of a person, real or fictional, who demonstrates acumen.  Tell us about him or her in your reply.

My example:  At critical moments in the story, Jane Eyre uses acumen, and not emotional reaction, to make critical decisions about her life.  This gives her great appeal as a character.