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Can’t find time to read the classics? How ’bout listening to them?

Posted by Dana on 08.19.2010 at 9:25 am

When was the last time you read a classic?  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a list of classics you’ve been meaning to read.  Maybe you read the Cliff Notes in high school or skimmed Proust in college or maybe you’ve just been meaning to get around to WAR AND PEACE one of these days.

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I’ve got a list longer than my arm of books I plan to read… yet somehow I can’t quite get to the classics.  Alas, as it turns out, I have plenty of time in the car.  So I finally decided to tackle a classic audio style – and I’m glad I did!  At the moment I’m about 1/5th of the way through Ayn Rand’s ATLAS SHRUGGED and I’m totally into it.  Kind of don’t want to get out of the car when I get to my destination.

If the idea of listening doesn’t seem as pure to as reading, well, I totally understand that… but if you weren’t going to get around to it for another 10 years anyway, audio is a great alternative.

Here are a couple you may not have realized you could get your hands on: Read more…

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Communities Read: One Book, One Michiana

Posted by admin on 04.09.2010 at 10:15 am

In today’s guest post, Dawn Matthews from the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana talks about the excitement and joy of being part of community read, and the reason they chose To Kill a Mockingbird for the first ever One Book, One Michiana program.

1b1mich_07I have always thought that books, reading, and libraries connect us in a “pay it forward” kind of way.  When you think about it, a good book isn’t half as good if you can’t share it with someone.  There is a primal need, in fact, of wanting to challenge and excite someone else with the discovery of a great author or book.  That is why, I believe, the whole One Book, One Community idea has taken off across the country.  It is an exciting event in which all residents are encouraged to read the same book at the same time and discuss it with friends and family, with a book club or at a program.

ToKillaMockingBirdFor our first title, we have selected To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Set in the South during the Great Depression, this coming-of-age novel is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America.  We chose it because it is filled with tenderness, humor, and heart wrenching moments that are thought provoking and discussable.  It is also perfectly fitting that this year is the 50th anniversary of this all American classic and Pulitzer prize winning book.

Read more…

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