I have two sons, both who like to read in their own way, and who enjoy their other interests along with book reading. It's just another one of their interests. Neither is a bookworm, as such, but it's something they do when they've been told to take a technoligical break or they feel they need to chill out. Reading calms boys, and boys don't always know when they need calming so, yes, I will tell them to read. Fortunately, they listen to me.
My eldest loves to read books, both fiction and non-fiction, related to World War II (I think he inherited this interest from his grandfather), he also likes the comic books like Garfield, Rin Tin Tin and Calvin and Hobbes.
Then there's my younger son, who likes to read anything from picture books to Harry Potter. He also reads from the front to the back (like most people) and from the back to the front (like not so many people!). But I say, whatever, at least he has a book in hand and he likes to do it. And who knows maybe he gets more out of a book by reading it backwards, or jumping from one chapter to the other, not necessarily in the ascending order.
I got on this topic of reading and boys because it seems to be a struggle for many boys to read. I don't think it's the ability to read that's hard but it's finding books of interest for boys that's not always so easy. And Colleen Mondor at Chasing Ray has allowed us to copy this blurb from her blog to contribute toward Guys Lit.
Just to update you on the idea that several of us have been bouncing around for a web site recommending books to teenage boys. We are working on the design and putting together a big list of daily posters. But first the name:
Guys Lit Wire!!
All credit for that one goes to Sarah (who will likely also want to mention some help from Tanita). I was banging my head hard against the wall on this and Sarah came through big time. So kudos to her limitless creativity which will be big time on display on the site. Wait until you see the header she is working on for the main page - it is some kind of awesome.
We are planning to go live by June 1st and update every Monday - Friday with a different daily poster. We hope to have 21 folks on board dedicated to posting at least once a month. This way we get tons of new content from lots of different points of view, which is what I really wanted. We will likely run multiple daily posts as the site evolves but readers will be able to count for sure on at least one new post every weekday and that is what we will build a lot of the site's readership on.
There will be book recommendations, author interviews, literary commentary, a rant or two (I'm sure) and lots of other good stuff. The goal is to cover a ton of different types of books from across the literary spectrum so we can become a good resource to actual teenagers as well as anyone seeking to find books for teen boys. (And if the girls want to visit we are happy to have them, but boys are our target audience.)
Right now everything is moving forward quite nicely but we do still need some folks to commit to posting. If any of you would like to participate in Guys Lit Wire (or recommend someone) then please let me know. We are especially looking for guys so we can keep our group balanced (and because guys know a thing or two about what guys like to read... :) Please send me an email if you can help. (colleenatchasingraydotcom)
So, for those of us in a position to make a difference, let's do it, one step at a time.
To everyone a great day!
Marianne
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