The votes from Thursday's post are in -- on the blog, on Facebook and Twitter. The topic -- does reading fiction matter -- clearly hit home. While the verdict was far from unanimous, a clear majority say, "Yes. Chris should read fiction."
I also checked with my best buddy Lynn, a respected reading and literacy expert. She says Chris and Laurie are already modeling correct behavior for the boys -- by reading a lot at home and reading kids' books to the boys. So, that part of my argument is totally bogus.
However, she also said, "Chris should absolutely read fiction. Fiction is the foundation of our humanity. It's the stories. It's how our culture is passed along."
Lynn also says that even literary non-fiction engages our brain in a different way than fiction does. Given that, let's forget about setting a good example for the boys for a moment. Chris should be reading fiction for his own continual development.
So, the creativity tip to start your week? Read fiction.
The creative query:
What should Chris read?
Chris hasn't read any fiction published in the past 15 years. I'm buying: What book do you suggest?
P.S. The fiction I'm reading at the moment is Until I Find You by John Irving. It is not Owen Meany, but ... it's OK. The best non-fiction I've read lately is this post by Roger Ebert.
6 comments:
Hmmm. It's 11:30 and no one has given me any suggestions re: what book to buy Chris. That seems odd. So, here I am, talking to myself ...
Can't have you talking to yourself..
I agree with you about Lovely Bones so you could lend that to him. But if you need to buy him a book, how about The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl. Historical fiction might grab him.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
I have plenty of books on my list but not sure what Chris might like. How about The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett? Or East of Eden by Steinbeck? The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver? All of these are pretty hefty reads,though...hmm...
Chris seems like a nice guy--don't give him "The Lovely Bones." Definitely not a place to start the wonderment of fiction. How about "Sherlock Holmes," Stephen King's short story "The Running Man" or even Harry Potter?? Or anything by Carl Hiassen, or true intrigue with "The Brothers Karamazov" or...
By the way--if Lynn has said it...it is so!
Depends on his taste. I have a myriad of recommendations, but I'd prefer to recommend something he's actually likely to read with an open mind. Once he's sucked back in, we can expand!
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