You can please some of the people...

Last night I met a friend for dinner in Nashua. We both wanted to take enjoy the Nashua Winter Stroll. It's a lovely event. All the major downtown streets are closed off. Stores stay open until 10pm. Public buildings, churches, and larger stores all host musical performances. There's a tree lighting and an ice sculpture demonstration in front of city hall.

Several friends who attended said that the event was a boring bust. I had a wonderful time. Those of us who had fun jokingly said that it may have been the company they attended with. They retorted that they had no idea that there were performances going on inside the building. Seriously? Not only was there a downloadable schedule of events, but virtually every store and restaurant had a printed copy near the front of the establishment. If you didn't have a good time, you simply were not trying to!

All the walking around didn't do my chronic pain any good at all. I was extremely sore for at least the last two hours I was walking around. I had my cane with me, but it didn't matter. Anyone else would have left when the pain got severe, or would have opted not to attend an activity that was destined to guarantee an excruciating outcome. However, I have modified my life style so much already over the last few years that I stubbornly refuse to detach myself completely from things I enjoy. I do make some compromises but sometimes I refuse to give into the plaintive voices of the various pains that intrude on my life.

One of the things I needed to take care of this weekend was writing up an announcement for my church newsletter regarding the upcoming titles selected by the book group that I moderate. I've been with this group for a decade. There are six core members, with a few others who move in and out of our orbit.

Our reading choices are all over the map. Our primary focus is literary fiction, but we usually pick up a classic, a science fiction, and a non-fiction title throughout the year. We try to keep our selections under 400 pages, so that everyone can finish the book in a month. We used to have a hard and fast rule that the book had to be "in print" and "in paperback" so that the book was easily available to most who wanted to participate.

Last month we picked a relatively current novel that wasn't available in paperback. When we selected it, the folks who were present decided that it was fine to pick a hardcover as long as it was available in the library since several people never bought the books but always got them at the library. When we met to discuss the book, it turned out that a few of our library-folks hadn't been able to get the book from the library because it had been so popular.

There was some discussion that we should probably avoid "brand new" books since that would make it tough to get them at the library. Our October book had only been out since the end of July. Someone suggested a book for January that had also come out at the same time. The library-folks guessed that it would be fine by then. The state library system has seventeen copies, plus another four in large-print.

For most of my tenure with the group, I have been the primary person recommending books for us to read. More than half the time my choices are shot down. Some of the people who shoot down my choices occasionally make suggestions of their own. So long as we have choices that most of us want to read, I don't care who makes the suggestion.

I tend to recommend titles that are available as audiobooks, since that's the primary way that I 'read'. Once or twice, I have suggested a book that I knew was only available in paperback because it sounded like a good read and worthy of discussion. That last part is sometimes a challenge as well. Just because a book is an enjoyable read, doesn't mean that it will spawn a good discussion.

Last week I suggested another relatively new book for February. Four people chimed in that it sounded like a good choice. This morning, one of the library-folk, Carol, said that it sounded good but that it might be too new to get from the library in time. I decided to check the state library catalog for the book's status. There were seven copies within the system and all were currently checked out.

I founded myself simultaneously bummed and annoyed with the situation. Carol had a point. The book came out in mid-October. February would only be four months after publication. However, here's where my annoyance kicks in. Carol has never suggested something for the group to read, and she didn't offer an alternative this time. So I found myself responding quickly with a bit of venom, which I tempered in the end to hopefully open up the discussion and engage the group in deciding its own operating principals going forward. Here are the questions that I asked and the final point that I made:

• If we stick to the "paperback" rule, are we assuming that library copies will be readily available at that point?
• Do books need to be available in e-reader format?
• Do books need to be available from Audible?
• If we ditch the paperback rule, how many copies of a book need to be available in the GMILCS system with how many months lead time to assure that the most people in our group will get the chance to read the book before we meet?
• We do want to make sure that we're reading things that are accessible to the most people. But, we also want to make sure that we are reading things that sound interesting to the most people.
• Library readers: PLEASE SUGGEST BOOKS YOU THINK WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE GROUP!

Before receiving Carol's email, I had sent out another book suggestion. In my response to Carol, I pointed out that THAT book was available in paperback but was NOT available in the library system. I truly hope that this interchange with Carol inspires some discussion from the group. I want this group to be of interest to more people, so I don't want to shut down anyone's opinion or stymie their ability to participate. On the other hand, I truly dislike people who are quick to criticize but rare to offer up alternatives themselves. It's far easier to say 'no' than to put your own opinion out there for the judgement of others.

Books worth reading (or listening to)

As many of you know, I have come to prefer audiobooks to books one actually reads with the eyes. I spend about two hours each weekday in the car getting to and from my job. I used to love sitting in a chair or laying in bed with a book. Between the life-sucking commute and the general chaos of life, and the temptation of less mentally-involving pursuits (computers and video programming), I found that I was only 'reading' one or two physical books a year. However, I have been listening to at least twenty books a year. This is not a phenomenal number in comparison to some of my more bibliophilic friends. Still, that's probably more than the average American reads.

One of the more humorous aspects of this admission is that I have been the moderator of a book group for nearly a decade. Since we meet monthly (excepting July), we discuss eleven books per year. We have some basic criteria for the books we choose. First, the book should be easily available in paperback, though we sometimes will read a book recently released in hardcover if enough people are strongly interested in it. Secondly, we prefer books that are less than 400 pages in length. Any longer than that and it's proven to be difficult for most of us to get through the book in a month's time. We primarily read literary fiction, since it lends itself to discussion more easily than popular or mass market fiction. In addition, over the course of a year we typically pick up one classic book, something non-fiction, and one science fiction or fantasy themed book. That last one was initially in acquiescence to the tastes of the moderator, but the group as a whole now embraces the choice. We have had some really good discussions around the SF books we've read over the years.

Unofficially, we also try to make sure that the book is available in audio so that our poor beleaguered moderator can consume the book in the way most convenient to her. About once a year, we want to read something that is not available in audio format. I usually manage to get through the book by reading it while I'm on the exercise bike in the morning. Usually I keep up with current events by reading magazines while I exercise. So, if I have seemed under informed about a popular topic, let's shift all the blame to my book group's inconsiderate choice of book for a month. It couldn't possibly be that I spent more time reading MacWorld than The Week that month, or that I really just wasn't paying attention when Pakistan and India finally decided to go to war over Kashmir.

When I travel, I usually pop a book in my suitcase for the trip. I like having a page to look at while I'm on the airplane. It helps distract me a tiny bit from my discomfort with the entire idea of air travel. Over the years, I have tried to pack lighter and lighter for my trips. My body just can't carry heavy bags around any more, plus there's something kind of freeing about not hauling around a major pile of stuff while you're traveling.

As I was embarking on a recent trip, I was nearly done with the book that I was reading. I debated whether to take a second book with me. I decided to just pick up something at my destination when I finished, since I couldn't justify the space and weight of a second book in my luggage. As I was boarding the plane, I walked by passenger after passenger with their hands lovingly gripped to their thin little ereaders. A few of my friends evangelized on the wonders of their ereaders, but I didn't see the point for myself since I really didn't consider myself a 'reader' any more. I had become a 'listener'. After that trip, my subconscious mind got busy mulling over the various issues of reading, time, travel, and the like.

I am about to leave for my first ever overseas vacation. I'm going to Paris. Since I really don't want to carry anything unnecessary with me, what reading material to take has been a critical issue. Also, I will be on an airplane for at least seven hours in each direction. That's a lot of reading time (or sleeping time if I could manage to fall asleep on a plane). Those ereaders were starting to look more and more attractive as I thought about this trip. So, I gave in and bought myself a Kindle, primarily with the thought of using it when I traveled.

I decided that I would try to read something on the Kindle before the trip, to get used to the ereader experience. The best time to try it out seemed like bedtime each night. Decades ago, I would read at bedtime. Over the years, various things broke me of the habit. Back problems made it difficult for me to find a comfortable position to read in the bed that I shared with my husband. Plus, neither of us liked the other one reading in bed when we were trying to fall asleep. However, when the husband departed with the bed, I got a new highly comfortable bed. Low and behold, I actually could read in bed comfortably and without annoying anyone else. This turned out to be a boon on another level, since reading at bedtime seems to have significantly reduced my bouts of insomnia!

In the last month I have finished two novels on the Kindle. I am still listening to at least one book a month as well. My 'to read' list on Good Reads is growing as I expand my repertoire, adding books that are only available in ereader format. Whenever I stumble on a book now I look at what formats it's available in. My format of choice is still audio, with ereader format as a backup. I am still loathe to acquire books with actual pages in them unless absolutely necessary. If for no other reason than my house is full to the rafters with physical books, many of which I keep meaning to get around to reading. I'm trying to fit some of those into my bedtime reading habit, now that I have one.

When choosing new books to throw into the mix there are lots of criteria to consider. One criteria from my book group weighs heavy on my when I am considering a potential book: length. Even if the book isn't something I would recommend to the group, I need to make sure that I have time to read the book group's selection every month. So, I'm not willing to commit to a book that will take me more than a few weeks go get through, not even as a bedtime book. I'm too new to the ereader game to commit months to one book. I relish the idea of consuming multiple books in a month with my new toy.

When it comes to the printed word, I like my book group's guideline of under 400 pages. Audiobooks are a bit different. It depends on how much can I 'read' in 2-3 weeks? Considering the length of my commute, I look for books that are under twenty hours in length. That usually allows me to listen to two books a month, one for the group and one for just me.

I get all of my audiobooks from Audible.com. I used to buy them on CD, but it's so much easier listening to books on the iPod and not having to worry about remembering my place on a CD if I need to take the CD out of the car's player for some reason. So, I guess that's another limiting factor, since not all audiobooks are available there. Some are just on CD. Some are still just on tape!

When I dropped by Audible.com today one of the featured selections was Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I had heard that HBO had done a miniseries of the book, so I was curious. Since I don't get HBO maybe I would listen to the book instead. Wrong! The book is 34 hours long. Beyond my limit. This reminded me of a couple of other books that I had nixed for audio length reasons. Stephen King's Under the Dome is also just over 34 hours. Diana Gabaldon's The Outlander is around 32 hours.

When I am old, not only shall I wear purple, I shall read or listen to really long books!

What are you reading?

I love to read. Sadly, my life is so busy and tiring that I have come to a new definition of the word "reading": Primarily, I "read" via audio books.

I do my reading for school on the exercise book in the wee hours of the morning (5:30-ish). I 'read' my monthly book for my church's book discussion book in the car via audio. And, I 'read' several radio programs, or other audio programs, at the gym. Sometimes those programs are books, sometimes they are audio-only programs.

Recently, I have been listening to short stories by New Hampshire author James Patrick Kelly. For our road trip down to NYC, we're planning on listening to Stephen Colbert's "I Am America, And So Can You". Also on the audio queue list is Daniel J. Levitin's "This is Your Brain on Music", "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, and "Peony in Love" by Lisa See. I've also listened to a couple of Dr Who novels.

My physical reading list is relatively lengthy, but harder to address between school, work, and the commute. However, I am planning on reading The Zoo Keeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman.

I'm always curious to hear what other people are spending their precious reading time on. What are you reading?