Oh JanRN, what a lovely tribute to your Mom ... and what a thoughtful decision you made to ask for the donations to the library.

A thought provoking discussion this is ... I was NOT a reader! My Mother was a teacher, and despite that, we were never overly encouraged. Actually, if we were reading, (other than for homework), we'd often be told to get up and do something. I remember one time when wanting a book to be told, "when you finish reading all the books up in the book case, then you can". It was 4 shelves, about 30" and none of the books had all the flash and colour that my friends had at school. Old books. Tattered books. Certainly not inviting and intriguing tio a kid!! Books from when my parents went to school? There was one ancient Bobbsey Twins book ... I eagerly read it. Meanwhile all the kids had the pretty modern BT books. Then the Nancy Drews with the yellow and black covers. I got one, once for Christmas which I treasured ... and classmates had everyone! I hated reading for book reports. I have often wondered why she was not more encouraging towards reading?

And another interesting trivia bit ... are you all familiar with Lucy Maude Montgomery famed for Anne of Green Gables? Her husband was the Minister at my Dad's church when he was a teen and she directed them in plays. Dad always revered LM (that's what they called her!) and when we went to PEI on holidays, we visited her home. And yet ... I was never given an Anne book to read, not even as a souvernir on our holidays. Alas! After being married and we started farming on our own we were right near where LM lived and wrote. It nawed at me and I purchased the first book. An adult reading a kids story! As I finished one, I read the next .... finally the whole series. Oh how I love seeing the play live .... or the TV versions! Again, more questions that make me wonder about my parents missing this in my life? :)

While working in business, I took a speed reading course and "learned" how to read! Amazing! I started to love reading for work (ugh!) and pleasure ... and not just fluffy books, but heavy duty stuff! I became a voracious reader and was always reading anything and everything. Now, since my eye problems, not so much ... just a harder thing to do and less enjoyable. Though I pretty much inhale MacLeans when it arrives and still the breed magazines (farm talk, ladies!) Although, once in awhile, my nose gets in a books and I'm gone again!

QNSue...I agree with Oksewglad. National merit scholars...quite an accomplishment.
QuiltE...I'm glad you discovered reading even if it was later than some. It's never too late to open the world of words. I also read Anne of Green Gables as an adult. Don't know why I never heard of it as a kid because I read every book I could get my hands on. We lived up in the hills without a public library but during the summer when we couldn't use the school resources, we had a bookmobile come every two weeks. There was a limit on how many books we could take at a time..there were others on the route...but Mom and I always filled the limit. After a hard mornings work, she would sit with her very large mug of tea and a book for about an hour as well as later in the evening. She introduced me to Perry Mason and historical novels. Lots of English history learned in novels. Only a couple of my kids are avid readers although I read to all of them when they were young. My 3 sons all have degrees beyond their BA, one daughter a BA and one daughter still working on her Associate. Can you tell it was the girls that didn't do much reading? They both read more now that they don't have to. I don't read as much as I once did but once I start a book nothing else gets done. I get completely lost in it. Most of the time I would rather be quilting. BTW...how many of you use an electronic reader? I started doing that when I traveled this past spring and I like it. No weighty books in my luggage but enough on my reader to fill all the waiting times that happen when traveling.
JanR...I also commend you for directing memorials to the library. That will live on for years!

GGal ... perhaps Anne was not so popular in the USA, being that she's a Canuck? Apparently the Japanese next thing to worship her!

I've wondered about the e-Readers ... don't know much about how they work and the initial and ongoing costs.

All, please do tell me more about them!!
THANKS!

QE, I have one of the earlier and cheaper Kindles. It's only for reading books--no flash or pizzazz. That's what I wanted it for --just to read books. There are so many sites with free downloads that I've only purchased a couple (I sound cheap but let's say frugal). You can adjust the font size so my senior eyes have no trouble. I take it everywhere, fits in my purse. I like Dublb's term: bookaholic. That's me!
For any of you that have a Kindle, try www.pixelofink.com. Tons of free books in all genres.

Pardon my ignorance here ... what else would it be for, other than reading books?
Definitely not cheap ... frugality only allows for more FARTs!
BTW how is that darling DGS? :)

Visibility is a concern for me ... with my vision problems, I just am not sure if my eyes would like it!
Sure wish there was a way to take one for a test drive ... like for a week? :)


DublB ... biggest as in screen size, I take it? so how small do they come? and how large is the biggest?


Once again, it proves I need a "kid" to take care of any geek-needs that I have!!



OK ... so while our $$s are different ... what price are these different e-Readers?
(thinking if I buy it and don't get onto it ... how much am I out?)

And in that same vein ... are there e-Reader functions on all the different portable computers?
(Frugality coming thru thinking ... spend more, have more value and variables as to how it can be used)