Nothing Special, Unless You Enjoy Reading…

Came across this short blurb from the Washington Post about last weekend's National Book Festival and thought it deserved some attention, particularly for those who claim they don't have time to read anything.

You'd think Jennifer L. Holm, a successful YA author of books like The Stink Files and Penny From Heaven and a mother of two small children (4 and three months), fits that "don't-have-time-to-read" model perfectly, but you'd be wrong...

These days, Holm is more time- and sleep-starved than ever, but it doesn't put a crimp into her reading. She's merely adjusted her choices. "I read serious literary fiction, comic books, People magazine, newspapers online. I read the back of the cereal box. It doesn't matter as long as you're reading."

Holm's quote took me way back to my childhood of nearly a half-century ago, and my mom's philosophy of throwing newspapers, comics, album liner notes and, even boxes of Gerber Baby Rice Cereal in front of me to nourish my stomach and absorb my attention.

No doubt, it was this exposure to the written word at such a very young age that lit my curiosity and imagination and set me on a life course -- an often bumpy, messy and exhilarating ride -- that eventually brought me to this space. And, I don't regret it for a second either...