What are you reading? (Patrick B., Chicago, IL)

[Each Thursday, I will profile a book-nerd in this feature called "What are you reading?" If you'd like to take part, shoot me an email at mail@suchabooknerd.com. The more the merrier!]

For the week of September 9, 2010: Patrick B., Chicago, IL

Patrick B., what are you reading?

I am currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.

What made you decide to read it?

After reading Franzen’s last book The Corrections, I knew that I had found an author whose writing style and vivid descriptions really resonated with me. I was very excited to read his next book and agreed with much of the praise that it received. However, I had no idea that I would have to wait nine years for his next book! I am really drawn to his method of literary realism in his books, specifically the development of his Midwestern characters; they seem like people that I would know and their family relationships are somewhat similar to the experiences that many readers have encountered and I think that’s what keeps me and other readers interested in his work. In Freedom, I am still getting that same fun experience where these seemingly uninteresting people, going about their very ordinary lives, are showing me that life in general is pretty extraordinary.

What was the last thing you read?

The last book that I read was The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the last of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. I began the series with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo while on vacation and did not expect to be that impressed since it seemed to me to be the “pop” book choice of the season and it did not appear to fit the normal genre of works that I enjoy. I have to admit that I was completely blown away by the complexity and interwoven characters and plots that Larsson was able to bring together. These books are very enjoyable and I am sorry that I won’t be able to enjoy the seven other works that Larsson had planned to write in this series before his death.

(Thanks, Patrick! Another reader will be featured next Thursday!)

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month (and today is International Literacy Day)

Today is International Literacy Day, and I was unaware of it until I received an email from my husband a short while ago.

For a million obvious reasons, Literacy is one of my pet causes.  Far too many people in the world suffer from an inability to read and comprehend what they’re reading.  Imagine making your way through the world without knowing what the words on the street signs said.  You certainly wouldn’t be reading books, or blogs.  Imagine your daily life without your favorite book, or the ability to read your favorite blog. (I would be utterly lost without jezebel.)

The good people over at Twitter have set up a site where you can help out in a couple of fast and easy ways.  You can purchase a bottle of wine and have the proceeds go to charity, or you can make a donation to help publish a children’s book.

In addition, September is Library Card sign-up month.

Tell me you all have library cards. I treasure mine, as Chicago’s library system absolutely rocks.

Here’s a piece I found interesting (and a little heart-breaking) from the press release:

“Held every September, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries around the country work to remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Every day librarians and library staff are at work in the literacy trenches, bringing books and effective programs directly into the lives of children, parents, grandparents, childcare providers and educators.  In addition to it being Library Card Sign-up Month, Sept. 8 marks International Literacy Day. Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day is a time   focus attention on worldwide literacy needs.  Statistics show the impact of reading on the quality of life. Low literacy is linked to poverty, crime, dependence on government assistance and poor health. And research has shown that parents who struggle with reading pass this legacy on to their children.  According to UNESCO more than 780 million of the world’s adults (nearly two-thirds of whom are women) do not know how to read or write, and between 94 and 115 million children lack access to education.”

So, if you feel like it, buy a bottle of wine. It’s for a seriously good cause.

(And if you don’t have one — Get a library card!)