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<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My Kindle<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n I was sitting in a waiting room the other day, reading a book on my Kindle, perfectly content and engrossed<\/strong> in the story.\u00a0 A woman next to me was fidgeting and antsy, alternating between chatting to anyone who would listen and pacing the floor.\u00a0 Finally, she looked at my Kindle and asked, “What is that?” I explained the concept of the e-reader and how convenient it is to carry around hundreds of books in a small device. She stared at it, shrugged her shoulders, and said, “I don’t read books.\u00a0 You’re lucky to have something to occupy your time.”\u00a0 She doesn’t read books??\u00a0 I have previously met people who have no interest in picking up a book, who think the Cheesecake Factory menu<\/strong> is great reading.\u00a0 I feel sorry for such people.\u00a0 They are missing out on the magic of being transported to another place and time, the escape and education that can be a part of reading a good book. I thought about her comment.\u00a0 Yes, I AM lucky that I love to read.\u00a0 But it had nothing to do with luck – I had help and encouragement along the way.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Weekly Reader<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n First, my parents viewed reading as an important skill.\u00a0 Of course, they owned and published a newspaper for many years, so they encouraged everyone to read<\/strong>, especially if it was the Novato Advance.<\/em>\u00a0 Our home was filled with books, and I cannot recall a time when they didn’t each have a book by their bedside.\u00a0 My second influence, like many people, came in the form of great teachers.\u00a0 In grammar school we were fortunate enough to receive the Weekly Reader<\/em>, a magazine that published every Friday and contained fun stories, games and cartoons.\u00a0 Mrs. Larson, my fifth-grade teacher, started a book club in her classroom<\/strong>.\u00a0 We ordered books and when they arrived, we gathered around a table to unpack the box.\u00a0 I still recall how excited I was to get a new book, especially if it was a Nancy Drew mystery.\u00a0 She taught me how to read a book, about topic sentences, and themes.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bette Reese<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n But the greatest influence on what and how I read was my high school English teacher,<\/strong> Bette Reese.\u00a0 Until I landed in her class, I was a middling student.\u00a0 I was more focused on boys and socializing than schoolwork.\u00a0 Ms. Reese was a task master, constantly correcting grammar, spelling and composition. \u00a0She taught me about symbolism and metaphors and introduced me to Hemingway, Camus and Dostoevsky \u2013 pretty heady stuff for a high school junior.\u00a0 Her teaching philosophy was to teach to the highest standards.<\/strong>\u00a0 If some in the class got left behind, so be it.\u00a0 She wanted to instill an appreciation for good writing and classic authors.\u00a0 To this day I credit her for my distaste of romance novels and sci-fi fiction. I can’t speak for everyone who was her student, but I do know that she influenced a great many of us.\u00a0 Two years after I left high school Ms. Reese took a professorship at a local college.\u00a0 She eventually became the faculty advisor to the student newspaper, where no doubt she used her magic on many aspiring journalists.\u00a0 Sadly, Bette Reese died in 1979 at the age of 44 from pancreatic cancer.\u00a0 I wrote a piece about her for a Marin County site and received many comments from former students who were similarly impacted by her.\u00a0 Each year the college awards the Bette Reese Memorial Scholarship<\/strong> to a talented journalism student.\u00a0 I can only hope they are maintaining her high standards.<\/p>\n \u00a0 The Libby App<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n So, am I lucky that I love to read?\u00a0 Undoubtedly so. I can be entertained<\/strong> anywhere as long as I have a good book to read – airports, waiting rooms, even on the treadmill.\u00a0 And nothing is more soothing to my soul than to curl up in bed on a cold night, my husband and dog beside me, engaged in a good book. My friend, Patsy, introduced me to the Libby app<\/strong>, where I can download books for free from the local library directly to my Kindle.\u00a0 A love to read and free books? Now that<\/em> is luck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson I was sitting in a waiting room the other day, reading a book on my Kindle, perfectly content and engrossed in the story.\u00a0 A woman next to me was fidgeting and antsy, alternating between chatting to … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/weekly-reader-232x300.jpg\")
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