Good News for Bookworms: Science Says Reading is Good for Your Health

[note - reference previous re-blogged post on benefits of writing] Benefits of Reading Reading has been linked to an amazing array of benefits, including these: Just six minutes of reading is enough to reduce stress by 68%, and numerous studies have shown that reading keeps your brain functioning effectively as you age. One study even found that elderly … Continue reading Good News for Bookworms: Science Says Reading is Good for Your Health

My new favorite browser extension (perfect for readers)

I can't remember now where I came across a mention of this super-handy browser extension but I suspect it was one of my co-workers. I wish I could give you credit here, Unknown Helpful Person, but alas, my memory has failed me. Edit: Unknown Helpful Person has been identified, yay! And as I suspected, it's … Continue reading My new favorite browser extension (perfect for readers)

Ernest Hemingway: a brief rant-quote about people

I came across this quote in A Moveable Feast and smiled at the curmudgeonness of it. I can't say that I don't feel the same way at times though. 🙂 When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be the happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day … Continue reading Ernest Hemingway: a brief rant-quote about people

Goodreads Shelves

I track my books on Goodreads and often read other people's reviews after finishing a book to see how my opinions compare to others, particularly when I diverge from the majority. I came across this Goodreads user's shelves on such an occasion and they made me laugh out loud. My shelf labels are pretty boring … Continue reading Goodreads Shelves

The Stand on leaders

They are all the things the civics books tell us the good citizens should be: partisans but never zealots, respecters of the facts which attend each situation but never benders of those facts, uncomfortable in positions of leadership but rarely able to turn down a responsibility once it has been offered … or thrust upon them. They make the best leaders in a democracy because they are unlikely to fall in love with power. Quite the opposite. ~ from The Stand by Stephen King

Lessons from Bill Walsh

I've been on a personal/professional development reading kick recently and I just finished reading The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership. Co-written by Bill Walsh and Steven Jamison, it's an interesting combination of football field-meets-boardroom. To be sure, there are many parallels between coaching a winning football team and a winning business … Continue reading Lessons from Bill Walsh

How to Annoy Readers: Ending a Book Without Ending the Story

As part of my effort to whittle down my pile of books waiting to be read, I chose one to read last week that had been sitting on my Kindle for probably more than a year. It started off strong, but got pretty bogged down in the middle with a rather sedate plot and characters … Continue reading How to Annoy Readers: Ending a Book Without Ending the Story

Taming the Ever-Growing To-Be-Read Pile

It's time to do some spring cleaning around here, and by that I mean that it's time to whittle down my stack of books that are waiting to be read. I guess I'm pretty bad about downloading books to my Kindle or picking up handfuls of used books and then eschewing them in favor of … Continue reading Taming the Ever-Growing To-Be-Read Pile

Finally, an Easier Way to Find a Book to Take on Your Next Trip!

I'm getting ready for another trip and as usual, I'm on the hunt for a few good books (preferably novels) set in my destination location. This time, I'm heading to New Orleans and while searching for good stories set in the Big Easy, I came across a link to Trip Fiction and I was all … Continue reading Finally, an Easier Way to Find a Book to Take on Your Next Trip!