One of the biggest reasons to read fiction with a child is to develop his capacity for empathy: a good novel will put you into another person’s mindset. That’s a vital life skill. Empathy helps with everything from navigating relationships to negotiating business deals and peace treaties. If we all taught empathy to our children, […]
opinion
Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Using Social Media
When you spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any of the other myriad social media sites, do you feel a little guilty? It wouldn’t be surprising if you do. Study after study, article after article, blogger after blogger tell us that social media is wasting our time, dumbing us down, killing our productivity, taking […]
The Valued Opinion
I recently had the pleasure of introducing my father to a series of books he now loves. It made me feel really good to do this, and I started to think about why. The obvious reasons are that: 1. In a small way, I made my dad happy 2. I can share my enjoyment of […]
Welcome: Book Review Blog
I’ve had a few ideas on the back burner for awhile: starting a book club; starting a blog; writing book reviews. It wasn’t until last night that I realized I could do all three of those things from the comfort of my home computer. (I may be well-read, but I’m also slow to process.) I […]