Reading is a System Not a Race

I've been working so much this month that my reading has been mainly work related rather than leisure reading. I cannot always use reading books to unwind because I do not do well with having to stop reading when it's not a natural break in the story. When I have a specific time I have to stop to go to bed or transition a task, I cannot predict that I will be at a natural break point. For me, that is not relaxing so I don't do it. Instead, I have spent a bit of time playing/reading on Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Bubbles on my tablet to unwind at the end of many long days. I am not a full proponent of using video games or screen time for kids to unwind but I also know that there can be some value and find that to be leading my reading related musings today.

Reading is a system of tools we use to make meaning from information (text and symbols). Reading requires many areas of the brain working together as a complex system. Sometimes, it can be just as beneficial to work on one area of that system rather than all to keep the system working smoothly.

As a parent, I had to teach myself that my kids were developing their reading skills even if they weren't sitting and reading a traditional book. As a teacher, I have these conversations with students and parents on a weekly basis. I also find myself having these conversations with administrators on behalf of teachers and parents on a fairly regular basis. We all want what's best for kids and reading is a significant area of concern (as it should be). Today is just a reminder that reading is not a race; there is no finish line.

The Darwin Affair

Just like most of what I read for pleasure, The Darwin Affair is not a scholarly text. It was a historical fiction novel that I read for pleasure. But, that does not mean that I don't grow my mind when reading it. I am of the opinion that a good thing novel from any genre can expand one's thinking.

History and Fiction

I do not totally know which pieces of history in this story were accurate and which were fictionalized but I definitely know that Charles Darwin shook things up during his time. This story incorporated the impact Charles Darwin's Origin of Species had on those with privilege. His writings required a change in thinking. If all humans evolved from similar origins than the concept of class being determined by birth was definitely a construct rather than a natural order. It was interesting to see how Mason incorporated this struggle into the thoughts and motivations of many characters of all levels of the class structure.

He also included descriptions and story related to the development of an evil mind; again, the concept that an evil nature may not be determined at birth but through development and experiences. This humanness was also quite evident in the inspector's actions and motivations. Good people do not always do good things. While this added more darkness than I sometimes prefer for my leisure reading, I appreciated that it was truly reflective of real life and totally fit the nature and structure of the novel.

Format & Reading Experience

With this novel, I did find that I struggled with reading it on an e-reader. Without the paper novel, I did not have any constant reference to how close I was to the end. Yes, there are ways I can check what my percentage of progress is in the book but when a book is hefty in content as well as pages, there is something more orienting and perhaps reassuring when I can literally feel my progress through the story.

I do not like sudden stops when I'm reading. It is difficult for me to put a story down when it is not a natural stopping point like the start of a new chapter or change in story arch. This novel was a longer one and not one I could read in one sitting and I found I was sometimes distracted by not knowing how much longer I could be reading. I would get tired and reading until the next natural break but didn't know when that would be; ordinarily, I flip through the pages and place my bookmark where the next chapter starts so I have some kind of guide.

None of these challenges were enough that I stopped reading the novel all together, but I am an adult. I find myself reflecting on that experience for it's relation to engaging reluctant readers - of any age. I believe we need to be cautious with requiring specific formats for reading materials depending on what our purpose is on having people read them. If I was not already a prolific reader, I might have really needed to have the paper copy of this book to get through it and remember any of what I had read. This story had enough content that I had questions about that, if I had to use it for some kind of study, I would have preferred a paper copy so I could insert notes on post-it notes to refer back to.

Expanded Thinking

This novel ended up in my reading journal because it did just that. My mind came up with many observations about how society changed because of the publication of one book by Darwin. It also expanded my thinking on using ebooks and paper books in my work with struggling readers.

Do you have thoughts about your experiences with reading different books in different formats? Do you prefer paper books or ebooks or audiobooks? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below. 

Getting Cozy with Criminally Cocoa

Cozy mysteries might not be designed to drive deep thought or interpretation, but reading is personal and experiences when reading often depend on the context of the reader's experience as much as the context within the story. I enjoy reading books in a series, especially cozy mysteries, because I find them relaxing. There is a bit of puzzle to engage my ADD brain, enough "people" story to engage my social brain, and it doesn't really require much direct effort on my part to process the story line or participate in the interactions. With the really good ones, I find that I often end up interacting then with more of the story parts . . . human interactions or places I've never visited. I end up thinking some deep thoughts related to something a character said, did or observed.

Interacting with Characters

Readers interact with many parts of story outside of the main plot - characters, places, thoughts, and sometimes even just the words. Sometimes a character can make an observation that is not necessarily central to the plot but can be central to the reader's appreciation or interaction with the story. Such was my experience with Criminally Cocoa, a novella in the Amish Sweet series by Amanda Flower.

Reading Experience

Bailey King is the main character in the Amish Sweets series, but Criminally Cocoa was focused on Charlotte Weaver, a young Amish girl who assists Bailey in her candy shop and on her new cooking show. Charlotte is at a point in her life when she is trying to determine what she wants and who she is. She left her district because of her love of playing the organ. She lives with her cousin, who is also Bailey's grandmother, whose district allows organ playing. In this story, Charlotte has traveled to New York City to help Bailey in taping a new cooking show. One reason, Charlotte is able to assist with such a project is because she is on rumspringa, a time for young people to explore the world and decide if they will be committing their lives to the Amish faith or leaving the faith for the larger world.

In chapter 8, Charlotte experiences her first morning in New York City. She witnesses a sunrise totally different than what she is used to in Ohio. She was mesmerized and noticed that others were not:

"Perhaps, I thought, everyone grows numb to the beauty that surrounded them; only when something is different does it stand out". 

I absolutely adored this observation and took time to jot it down in my reading journal. If I was studying this text for some reason, I might not have had the time or luxury to cue in to this statement. It would depend on what type of group or assignment I was reading it for - purpose of reading often drives the actual experience of interacting with a story - but it is possible that this line could have stood out anyway. It was definitely related to Charlotte's character in the sense that she was trying to understand the world around her and her place in it. She didn't believe that she was anything but plain and could have been considered somewhat numb to her own beauty. The story of course, was focused more on a murder on the set but this reflection is a part of Charlotte's story line and became part of my memory of reading this story.

Text-to-My-World

I work with people with learning disabilities. One trait of many of the people I work with is to focus so much on their challenges that they do not always see the beauty of their strengths. Many times, when they can do something well, they become numb to the fact that it takes work at all. They do not realize that it is different, instead there becomes a mentality that "if it's easy for me, it is easy for everyone". They see the part of them that is different, the part that stands out most, as the things they are challenged by. They become numb to the beauty of their strengths, as do many around them.

The goal for all is to get that good grade or to finish a whole book. That is what is expected, and what is gotten from most of the students. As adults, we can become numb to the beauty of what an accomplishment it can be for those children who are different. We do not always take the time to celebrate these accomplishments, particularly if they happen for the first time when a student is older than first or second grade. We don't want to embarrass them or draw attention to  their challenges. I would posit that we then create a culture that is numb to the beauty of accomplishment for all students.

Even those who are traditionally successful can be encouraged to celebrate accomplishments - large and small. All students can be encouraged to see that accomplishments are personal, not uniform. For some, it is passing a test rather than getting an A. As teachers and parents, it's our job to help children learn how to respond to these differences rather than be numb to the beauty in their accomplishment.


What does the quote from Charlotte bring to your mind? I'd love to hear it! Leave a comment below.