Book gift

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Last I wrote about people who never read a book and how I would give a book as a gift to someone who never read books.

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Well, someone beat me to it. I have a coworker who said she hadn’t read a book in years. She only reads gossip magazines, really. But surprisingly she said (while we were having lunch) that she once read a book and forgot everything around her when the plot “drew her in” to the story.  “That was really fun!” she told enthusiastically.

She had her birthday this week. I did not remember it, but the lady sitting next to us at that lunch did. She had bought our coworker a birthday present – a novel! We high-fived when our coworker was so happy about her book.

I should have guessed she would not forget our coworker’s words – we have been discussing the books we’ve read before, and of our love of a good novel. Even though I like more historical and fantasy novels, and she wants to read about the everyday relationships of ordinary people, we both enjoy hearing what the other one has read.

Discussing literature is so interesting, isn’t it? And actually it was the two of us discussing a book we had both read that made our coworker confess she never read books. One thing led to another. Maybe she will soon join our literary discussions. You never know…

 

People who don’t read books

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I was discussing (by email) with an author friend in another country about writing and reading. My friend commented that she read all the time, when there is a little extra time. Books everywhere, so it is easy to grab one. Reading, writing and researching all the time. Quite honestly I wondered had I written that email to myself, we were so similar.

I envied her for not having a television. Not that I watch lots of it, but it sure is easy to forget oneself in front of It! I even drew a picture of Mr Mummific (with whom I write the www.ancientegypt101.com) watching TV. I am sure the ancients would have been mesmerised by the moving image.

Suddenly I realised I knew some people who had said that they never read a book. Never read a book! The idea was… well, quite horrifying, really. I think that only with written word your mind works to fill in the story with your own images, developing your imagination. Not that movies aren’t nice, but there is that special something about written stories. You can read the same book many times and see new things in it every time, because when you change, your attitude towards life changes. And so written word is like a mirror in front of you. By concentrating on the thoughts the words bring up you can learn a lot about yourself.

You can read a book as fast or slow as you want – only you decide how quickly you take in what you read, unlike a movie or tv-program. You can underline, you can write side notes… I know, many people think writing on books is horrible, but I find those notes in old books to be very interesting. Makes me wonder who wrote them, and why.

I think the next time I am buying a present to someone who has told me they don’t read books – I’ll buy them one. Perhaps one day they have a peek inside and start reading.

 

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New Year’s Resolutions

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And so it is time again to say goodbye to the old year, and greet the new.

I wonder how many people make New Year’s resolutions, and how many actually manage to keep them. You know how it goes: this year I will make it. Lose weight, learn a new skill, be more productive…

So many have become disillusioned with such promises that they make only one promise: no New Year’s resolutions this year! (Well, it is a resolution also, and probably one of the easiest ones to keep.)

But how about making one resolution that might actually make your life more fun? No jogging on treadmill with gritted teeth, no joyless diets, no spending your every waking moment trying to achieve more material gains.

Instead: how about finding joy?

What if this year you live a little just for yourself? Do things that you love, no matter what others think of them?

We have forgotten the important language of emotions. Teach yourself to listen to your feelings. And in any given situation, whenever possible, think of the options and which one would give you the greatest feeling of joy. And then choose it. Little things – not every choice gives great joy, but you might feel more content, more peaceful, less stressed out. That’s the way to go. Search for the emotion that gives you greatest relief in any given situation.

Don’t talk of this process to anyone who might doubt it. Do it quietly, in your own mind. You might be surprised it is not easy at first – we have been taught to live so much according to other’s expectations that we have forgotten what quiet joy feels like. And no need to analyse your every moment – that would become stressful. It is enough to remember to consider this every now and again, when you remember to do so.

Try this for a month and see what happens – your life may begin to feel a little easier, more flowing.

There’s just one catch – this may turn into a good habit…

I wish you a Joyful New Year!

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(if you wish to have a closer look at the picture, click here)

Books are a delightful society

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A quote that resonated:

Books are a delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books – even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome.

–          The Right Hon. Willian E. Gladstone, Prime Minister, YK, 1809-1898

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When Characters Become Alive

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Mr Mummific watching the Picture Box

Mr Mummific’s favorite pastime is the Picture Box.

Long before I actually got my Diploma in Egyptology, I doodled on my sketch pad and a little mummy figure appeared. A  cheeky little character for sure. And so Mr Mummific was born.

I had been playing with the idea of making an Egyptology website, but not overly academic. I wanted it to be meant for the normal people (well, not saying academic people are not normal, LOL :D). Easy articles about ancient Egyptian things.

I decided to write a few pages to see if I could manage it. But how to give the site a voice that was uniquely mine?

Well, to make the long story short – Mr Mummific took over. Very quickly I found myself writing down discussions with him, trying to figure out when he was pulling my leg, and when he was telling actual facts. He seems to have his tongue firmly in cheek. Which is why I ended up writing those fact pages too.

We are going through the Early Dynastic Pharaohs at the moment. While I am doing other things Mr Mummific explores our modern world. And has opinions about that as well…  http://www.ancientegypt101.com/

But in case you are interested in reading about the adventures of Mr Mummific (in ancient Egypt, in today’s world and in the Afterlife, which seems to be a much livelier place than I ever expected), check out http://www.ancientegypt101.com/

 

 

The pleasure of leisurely reading…

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After five years of constant studies of Egyptology, it is almost over… Five years of evenings spent with Egyptology books, hieroglyphs,essays and reading academic articles. Can’t believe it went to so fast…

And now, finally, I have to time to read novels. I love novels. The more pages, the better… I have downloaded Diana Gabaldon’s latest to my iPad, and am thoroughly enjoying a well woven plot, the rich language, and the feeling of drifting away from the stress of everyday life.

Ahh… Can there BE a more enjoyable thing than leisurely reading? Well, maybe writing, but when you write a story, your brains are constantly working on the text, whereas when reading you can just go with the flow…

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Power of the written word

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A friend of mine told this little story.

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Her children had been out, and saw some frogspawn in a pond. They had been looking at it up close, when a mother with her son saw them. She told they were not to touch the frogspawn, and they didn’t. They left, and when they turned around, they saw the very same lady and her son scooping the spawn.

They went home and felt there was something wrong with this scene. And did they leave it at that? Oh no, not these children. They did not know how to write yet, but their big sister did. So they recruited her and wrote a formal letter to the lady.

“We do not think it is fair that you say we cannot touch the frogspawn and then you touch  it yourself!”

They signed the letter, both of them, with their names, so it was no anonymous letter. Then they took the letter to the postbox of the lady.

Way to go children! They did not leave an injustice unhanded, they expressed their opinion in writing, and they signed their opinion with their own name.

I asked my friend, what had happened after this.

“Oh, nothing really. I saw the lady at the grocery store and wondered why she had this apologetic smile. And then I heard about the letter from my children. I suppose the message got through!”

 

The Day of the Book and the Rose

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Today, the 23rd of April, is the day of the book and the rose.

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23rd of April 1616 was the date of the death of two famous authors – namely WIlliam Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.

Originally the 23rd of April was the date when the Roses Fair was celebrated already in the 15th Century. The legend says that it was to commemorate St. George slaying a dragon to rescue a maiden. A drop of the dragon’s blood turned into a rose.

In 1926 Spain decided to establish this day as the Day of the Book for the reason Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quijote, died that day (according to the Gregorian calendar). The English of course had already been remembering the death of Shakespeare on that day for some time (according the Julian calendar).

In November 1995, UNESCO declared the day the International Day of Book and Copyright. It was stated that books had been the most powerful tool throughout history to spread knowledge.

The custom of the day is that men give women a rose, and women give men a book. Now I wouldn’t mind the tradition being the other way around, but I am sure my book shelves would complain. I already have books in two rows on the said furniture…

It is wonderful there is a day dedicated to the book. The ability to read is one of the greatest skills human kind has. It has the power to expand our minds, to learn interesting stories, to learn about our universe. The ability to read also disperses ignorance – which is why some cultures would like to keep a significant part of their populatio illiterate. The ignorant are easier to control.

Still, I can never cease to wonder how any country can afford not to use the brain capacity of all of their population. Allowing all children, regardless of gender, to learn to read and write, would pay great dividends in the future. It would also promote democracy, which seems to be a thing to be feared by many in powerful positions.

In the words of Malala Yousafzai: “Education is the power terrorists fear most.”

Why don’t we make every day the Day of the Book, and of Education?

 

Referencing a book is not good enough?

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A friend of mine returned her essay, and got a peer evaluation. It said her work was good otherwise, but there were no links to proper reference. She had used a book as a reference, the author and title properly cited.

What? Using a real printed book was the worse option compared to using a website? What is happening to academic writing? I agree with my friend it is a  sad day, if using books as reference instead of links is seen as bad.