Winning Words 3/2/11
“Oh for a book and a shady nook.” (John Wilson) “Oh for a Kindle and a shady nook” doesn’t seem very poetic. Friends of mine are now gadget-reading and say that it’s really great. Maybe I’ll try it someday, but for now I’ll just sit in my easy chair and pick up a hardcover from the pile next to it. I also have access to our excellent library down the street. Have you read any good books lately? ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Oh, for a Kindle and morning sun through a window. I am still old school; I like the analog world of real books. My 100 year old books have a scent and a feel no digital device can replicate. And I can wonder about the person that may have read it 100 years ago. FROM JACK: Your comment on old books caused me to pull an old book from the shelf that I read as a kid...The Halfback by Ralph Henry Barbour...written over 100 years ago. MORE FROM JON: Neat right? I love old books. When the Kindle is obsolete like the 8 track what good is it? I never get a virus in my books FROM JACK: Interesting thought.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Just finished "How Just is the War on Terror?" Although it was written in 2007 and a lot has happened since then, still the book helped me to understand the shift that happened in our country. Also just read something by Henri Nouwen, theologian, "Reading in a spiritual way is reading with a desire to let God come closer to us... The purpose of spiritual reading is not to master knowledge or information, but to let God's Spirit master us, strange as it may sound, spiritual reading means to let ourselves be read by God." Thinking about Kindles and terrorism/war against terrorism and what kinds of acts that seems to have entailed, wonder if God thinks we're still as barbaric as ever. But not without hope as we try to understand and do better. FROM JACK: Whether it's a hard copy or on Kindle, a book is just a book. It's the content that makes the difference. Someday I'm going to try gadget-reading.

FROM GF IN FLORIDA: Went to Lakeland Monday and saw the Tigs beat the Yankees. FROM JACK: It's good to hear from a Kindle person. Did you take your "K" with you to the game?

FROM AP IN MICHIGAN: I'm working my way thru the Mark Twain autobio, volume 1!! Have you seen it? It's HUGE! FROM JACK: That sounds like something that I would appreciate reading electronically.

FROM SF IN FLORIDA: Hey you know I have! I still cherish the 'book and nook' scenario, even tho I have gone electronic! There is not much better than that! FROM JACK: I knew that I'd probably hear from you. I'm looking forward to my first experience of "new way" reading.

FROM KKG IN MICHIGAN: I am reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. I checked it out at the local library. So far I'm enjoying it. His language is quite colorful in places. I agree that the Mark Twain Autobiography Volume 1 should be read electronically. I have seen it and was amazed at how big it was, especial since it is only volume 1. FROM JACK: Bryson's writings sound intriguing. He goes on my "to do" list.

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Jack, try the books by Malcolm Gladwell. His work is nonfiction is second only to Peter Drucker. The Tipping Point, Outliers, Blink, & What the Dog Saw. These are compilations for his writing for The New Yorker. FROM JACK: I've read both authors and found them interesting. Some of Gladwell's books seemed "better" than others, in my opinion.

FROM PASTY PAT: Yet more proof that I'm a dinosaur --- holding a book is so much more comforting. FROM JACK: Be careful. You know what happened to the dinosaurs.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Right now I am into Unbroken and hope to start Tick Tock, my first James Patterson book which has been highly recommended to me recently. This week is my week for music with a Dixieland Jazz concert tomorrow, but I did not get up early enough today to get to the 10 a.m Florida Orchestra coffee concert in Clearwater. What are you reading now? FROM JACK: So much to do. So little time. That's what happens when most of the sand in the hourglass is at the bottom. Right now I'm reading: "When Baseball Went to War," the story of major league ballplayers who left the game for action in Word War 2. The book was a gift from my grandson who loves the game, as I do.

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO: I bought an i-pad because I can read it so easily with the ability to increase the font size. The contrast with a white background and black fonts is great. It has a lot of other neat features too. I read a lot more now. Civil War books are good, but the newspapers are still kind of depressing with only a few bright spots. FROM JACK: The trouble with writing that is "current," is that it doesn't allow perspective. People who are seeking knowledge must look for it in a variety of places, old and new. People with sight issues can appreciates some of the new inventions. "Talking Books" is one of these, too.

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: I'm not into gadgets for reading purposes. Books....big, small, hardback and paperback .....are great for notes in the margins, underlined sections, starred paragraphs, paper clipped pages and anything else that assists older, memory challenged readers remember what they've just read......not that I'm in that category...but just in case....keep Borders open (especially now that my son-in-law is VP of the
Corporation and was recently interim CFO)....not that I am influenced by that either . CR ps: Have you read
Paul F. Knitter's "Without Buddah I Could Not Be a Christian" ? He teaches at Union Seminary, NYC. The
Presbyterian book group I'm in is now reading it. I like it....... FROM JACK: I've always tried to buy from
Borders, because it's a Michigan company. I was sorry to see their nearby store close. Your thoughts about the use of "real" books are interesting ones.

Books give not wisdom where none was before. But where some is, there reading makes it more." (John Harington, British writer and inventor of the flush toilet)

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: The Winning Words today were so appropriate! I spent all day yesterday cataloging my books, including the ones on my Nook! I am not done yet, but I made a good dent in them! I am going to put them back in the booksheves in author order and be able to find them at the drop of a hat. I love my books! PS Zondervan Publishing Company is giving away 1 million free downloads of the Bible. Your friends might like to know about it. You can get the Bible downloaded free at many places...Barnes and Noble has several. FROM JACK: I'll have to think about...What is my favorite book? (The Bible doesn't count in this question)

FROM PRPH IN MINNESOTA: David Bascevich's, Washington Rules and Roger Lowerstein's, The End of Wall Street. both very informative and helpful in making better sense of the world we live in. FROM JACK: You have caused me to seek out more information about these guys.

FROM AM IN MICHIGAN: War Trash by Ha Jin. Chose it because the writer is highly acclaimed. Very good, informative especially about Chinese attitudes and culture. All mankind has similarities.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS: I just finished "London" by Edward Rutherford. Can't say it was a page turner but I guess I learned a lot. It was a very big book--many pages that is. One of my favorite series is "Ladies Number One Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall. Takes place in Botswana and is just delightful. I loved Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth" and the sequel "World Without End". They are both HUGE books, but I could hardly put them down. FROM JACK: It sounds as though you're doing some interesting reading. BTW, did you know that your former city in Michigan is closing its library to save money?

FROM PRFM IN ALABAMA: Several . . . “Unbroken” . . . 1421 . . . “We were Next to Nothing” . . . “Decision Points” . . . etc. And your comments about Kindle sound just like my wife! No Kindle yet . . . but so much to read. FROM JACK: Since we'll never be able to read all that there is to read, we have to make choices. That's the story of life.

FROM BLAZING OAKS: I KNOW! People rave about Kindle and I am tempted, but so far stay with the regular books. I enjoy all of Philip Yancy's books...have you ever read his books written with Dr.Paul Brand, FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE, IN HIS IMAGE, & PAIN;THE GIFT NOBODY WANTS? Old, but so good, I just re-read Yancy's SOUL SURVIVOR, about 13 mentors to his recovery from "church abuse". His WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE is such a good read! Love David Baldacci's thrillers, Kate Morton's THE
FORGOTTEN GARDEN AND THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON, and Garth Stein'sTHE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN are recent reads I enjoyed, And Mary Wesley's quirky English books, and Steig Larsson's violent but
fascinating trio, et.c etc. We probably could all make a list a mile long of good reads. As my T-shirt laments,'
"So Many books, So little time..."!!! FROM JACK: The pile of books next to my chair seems to grow. I read one, and two more appear. Amd mow I'm getting suggestions of others to add to the pile. MORE FROM BO: Another all-time favorite is TEAM OF RIVALS by Dorothy Kearns Goodwin. What a fascinating read about Lincoln and his cabinet. Her pulitzer prize winning autobiography NO ORDINARY PEOPLE (or was it TIME?)
about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt is also a must-read! Like you say, there are SO MANY! Thank God for good eyesight: I'd be lost without being able to read!!! I listen to audio books in the car, as well, so do two or three books a week that way...

FROM PRAW IN ILLINOIS: I can't get you previous quote about "book" and nook out of my mind....only for me it is "large print book and well lighted nook. God bless you. FROM JACK: When our senses start to diminish, we are even more thankful for what's left...aren't we?

FROM THE GOOD SHEPARDS: There you are--up early again!I love to read I love my Kindle. I love my Nook ('cause it's in color). They're great for trips!! I'm presently reading Cutting for Stone, but I have some great books on the Kindle as well as the Sunday N.Y. Times, which I download and it's "thrown on the step" in a few seconds--no matter where I am. The daily issue is 99 cents--pretty good for the Sunday edition. I've always had stacks on the table, too. Now they're in my reader. Chris loves his because he travels back and forth to N.Y. He also reads lots of papers and periodicals. He has the IPad. It's very cool. guess I sound like an advertisement. FROM JACK: One of these days the IPad bug might bite me.