Bob on Books in 2016

January 1, 2016December 25, 2015 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

20151225_163728 I just looked back at a post from a year ago where I talked about some of the things I hoped to do on the blog in 2015. Here are some of the successes, and some of those lapses we won’t talk too much about:

Successes:

I reviewed more recently published books, those with a 2015 copyright.
I started including a summary at the top of my reviews to help with deciding whether you were interested enough in a book to read my whole review. I also include publishing information and a link to the publisher’s website for the book if I can locate this.
I did a couple author interviews, a two part interview with a publisher, and many of the bookstore reviews included interviews with an owner or bookseller.
I certainly did posts on the reading life. Some of my favorites were on books I read too soon and books I wish I had read sooner.
I did a variety of bookstore reviews, enough to give this its own category on the blog menu.
I also converted the blog to a “responsive” theme, making it easier to read in general and especially on tablets and smartphones.
I continued the “Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown” series– far longer than I expected.

Lapses:

I didn’t do graphic novels. Sorry Ben. I think I’m going to leave reviewing these to you!
I didn’t really feature famous readers other than Dr. Eliot’s “five foot shelf.”

Some thoughts about 2016:

Reviews: I will continue to look for ways to tweak these and would love to get your feedback on what would make these more user friendly for you. I would also like to explore doing more author interviews in conjunction with book reviews. I consider reading an interactive relationship of the ideas and imaginations of reader and author via the book. I hope I can personalize the author end more.

Literacy: It has always been a passion of mine to foster literacy, which is not just the ability to read and write, but a growing love and thoughtfulness in engaging in these activities through reading quality work, thinking critically about what we’ve read, and writing with cogency and grace. I hope to interact with teachers of reading, librarians, booksellers, and writers around this theme. Because I review and write on theological subjects, I’m also interested in the role churches and other religious institutions play in fostering literacy. I’ve been most intrigued by the work of Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis, and their Englewood Review of Books in this regard.

Bookstore Reviews: I hope to continue to feature great bookstores, both for new and used books, especially those independently owned. I have to do this as my travels give me opportunity. If you know of a great store in another part of the country than the Midwest and would be interested in doing a “guest review”, let me know!

On Life: These posts, and those on Youngstown tend to be the most popular, but in some ways the most unpredictable. What I would say, is that in these and all posts, I want to exemplify and encourage what I called recently “the speech of freedom.” I want to work out more of what that means this year. I’m not sure of what that will mean but I do want to foster a different kind of speech, a different ethic of speech from the polarizing speech in the worlds of politics, punditry, and other forms of popular discourse. I hope we can work together on that!

Thanks to all of you who follow the blog and especially those who engage the things I write. I would like to hear what you think about my ideas for the blog, and your ideas of what you’d enjoy seeing.

Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown — Resolutions

January 3, 2015January 3, 2016 / rtrube54 / 3 Comments

New Year’s Resolutions from 100 years ago. “Postcards2CardsNewYearsResolution1915” by not known; one on left is published by “Chatauqua Press”, as stated near the bottom of the card in tiny type

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? I have to be honest, I’m not entirely sure that is a “Youngstown thing”. Youngstowners seem to be the ultimate realists who probably realize that most of those resolutions aren’t worth the paper they are written on! Usually it takes something far more drastic than a resolution to get me to eat less, exercise more, and floss daily–like having the bejeebers scared out of me by my doc!

I’ve been thinking though that there are some resolutions that fit our values and experiences as Youngstowners that I would like to try out on you:

1. I resolve to take more time this year to enjoy good food and drink with the people who mean the most to me. Family, friends, and food are high Youngstown values. These are easily overlooked in our fast food, fast lane lives.

2. I resolve to spend more time working on my home (my wife will like this!) and do what I can to be a good neighbor including watching out for others’ places (without getting into others’ business). Pride of ownership and neighborhood are things we’ve talked a good deal about in these posts.

3. I resolve to buy local whenever I can and to support small businesses and locally-owned restaurants whenever I can, even if it costs a bit more. It puts money back into the community, sustains local jobs, and fosters the fabric of community many of us grew up with.

4. I resolve to invest in the institutions that foster a healthy community — schools, libraries, museums and the arts, parks, and (for those religiously inclined) places of worship among others. You and I have celebrated good memories of many of these places over the past months on this blog.

5. I resolve to stand against those who try to exploit my community economically or environmentally for their own ends. I will refuse support to those who try to divide one group of us against another. It takes all of us and all the assets of our community to make it a good place. I’ll stand with those who genuinely love the people and place where I live, and show that by their actions.

These were things I learned growing up in Youngstown. And they are things you’ve reminded me of in our dialogs around various posts over the past months. It seems to me that whether one still lives in Youngstown or not, living into these resolves can mean both good life for us, and for the places we call “home”. A happy and prosperous 2016 to you!

I’d love to know what you think of these resolutions. What do you think are good resolutions that reflect the best of Youngstown values?

Bob on Books New Year’s Resolutions

January 1, 2015April 12, 2015 / rtrube54 / 6 Comments

I took some time over the past week to do some thinking about some directions for “Bob on Books” in 2015. Looking back at a similar post from the past year, I was able to do some of the things I came up with and also saw the blog go in some totally unanticipated directions. I suspect this year will be the same, so no guarantees but here is what I’m thinking:

Reviews: I will continue to review what I read and what interests me. At the encouragement of my son, I will probably throw in a few more graphic novel reviews –this is obviously a big segment of publishing and one that I find more intriguing than I thought I would. I also want to try to review more new books but look for me to weave in some old stuff that I’m interested in as well!
Interviews: This is something I want to try this year, particularly in conjunction with reviews. Some of the authors are people I know, or might like to, and I hope in at least some cases that this personal touch might interest you in their work. I’m also thinking of throwing in a few interviews with bookstore owners (particularly independents), perhaps someone working with libraries, and maybe others connected to the world of books.
The Reading Life: In case you haven’t noticed, I think reading, and engaging the world of books, is one of the things that can be life enriching. I want to continue to look for new slants on reading, perhaps profiling some other famous readers, as I did Teddy Roosevelt this year. As there are new technological developments that affect reading, I will explore those as well.
Bookstore Reviews: As time permits, I want to do something I tried last summer which is to review bookstores I visit. I might try to extend this to some online sources as well (though not Amazon, of which I think we probably all have our own opinions!).
Book Lists: I will do several kinds of things this year. I love getting folks together to share their favorite books and will probably do a few posts passing these along. Each month, I will post my “The Month in Reviews” list which will have all my reviews of the past month. I will also do some “category” lists of books I’ve reviewed in different categories. And look for my own “Best of the Year” post at the end of 2015, Lord willing. I’m looking forward to finding out what books I really like as well!
Posts on other things besides books: Oddly enough, these have been some of the most viewed in the past year (see my Bob on Books Top Ten Posts of 2014). Some of this is plain unpredictable–sometimes I just find something I want to write on and people really like it–or not! I plan to continue regular posts on Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown into the spring, which would cover a year. After this, I may post more occasionally, depending on how many new ideas I get for this series. I also will continue posts connected with my church’s Going Deeper blog, which are every other week reflections on our pastor’s messages. And look for some posts on themes related to higher education as I do some research on “the changing university” over the next six months, related to a presentation I will be giving this summer.
Blog appearance: I will continue to tweak the appearance of the blog including categories to make this more usable–feedback from those of you who follow (no spammers please!) is welcome! At some time, I might even explore a face lift!

Blogging is social. I would love to know what you think of these ideas and wouldn’t mind hearing those “I wish he would write on…” ideas. The common thread for me that holds together the different things I write is engaging with others about the good, the true, and the beautiful as we encounter this in the experience of books, reading, and life. Your engagement with this blog is what makes writing a joy. I look forward to more of that in 2015!

Reasons to Read

January 2, 2014 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

One of the reasons resolutions fail is that we make them simply because we should. Now there is nothing wrong with that, because some “shoulds” are really good for us–for example losing weight if our weight puts us at a health risk or or living by a budget if our spending habits are out of line. Notice in each of these cases that there is a compelling reason for making a change in how you live. My hunch is, if you simply think, I should read more but lack a good reason, other than that this seems like the thing to do in your circle of friends, you might or might not (sometimes peer influence is a good thing!). Here are some of the reasons that work for me:

1. I enjoy (most) of what I read! Sounds simple enough. But sometimes we read things we think we should read that really aren’t interesting to us and we give up 30 pages in. Start with what interests you and be open to expanding those interests over time. Sometimes what was once uninteresting becomes interesting over time and life experience.

2. I read to understand things I care about. That can be a lot of different things from art to cooking to physics to theology. In almost any area, there are online groups that can recommend good books in your area of interest.

3. Some of my reading is because of book groups I’m in. This is a great incentive to read. One group I’m in has read over 60 books in the time we’ve been together–many of those books on our shelves we’ve always wanted to read but somehow never got around to.

4. I read to grow spiritually. Books can be a way to interact with people who have been on the journey and gained insights that I need. Ever wish you could have talked with Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandela or Augustine? You can through their writings.

5. Finally, some of what I read is work-related. Not all the reading in this category is reading I enjoy but much of it makes me think about what I am doing in my work and how I might do it better or differently. Most of our workplaces are changing rapidly and keeping up on new developments may be a lot cheaper than all those ubiquitous seminars and workshops–though they are useful as well.

What am I forgetting? Why do you read? Happy reading in 2014!

3 Steps to Reading Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

December 27, 2013January 3, 2016 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

3 Steps to Reading Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (from BookRiot.com) has some great ideas if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to read more.

I often get asked how I read so many books (although I was humbled by the person in this article who reads 2-300 books a year). I would agree with everything written here. Here are a few other thoughts.

1. I would amplify the idea of avoiding distractions. Read where and when you are free from TV, social media or smartphones.

2. Carry a book or e-reader with you for unexpected free moments–waiting for a flight, eating alone, while you are waiting to meet someone or on public transportation. I’ve probably read a book or two just in airports this year!

3. If you are working to cultivate a reading habit, don’t start with the most demanding, dense stuff you can think of that seems “profound”. Start with authors you like, or books in a genre you like.

4. Find book reviews or blogs on the kinds of books you like and see what others like. Goodreads is a great tool to find out what your friends are reading and what they think about their books.

5. After you read a book, try to capture in a few sentences what you liked about the book, a favorite quote, or something you want to remember from the book. Again, the Goodreads site is a great tool for this–you don’t need to be lengthy–think of this as just putting down what you want to remember about the book.

6. If you are a person who likes goals, track your progress through the year. Probably one of the few things I remember from my behavioral psych class from many years ago was that when you track a behavior, you increase that behavior if it is desirable, and often decrease it when it is undesirable. Hopefully reading is the former for you!

7. Read something “off the beaten path” for you — a different genre, an international author, a perspective you don’t think you agree with. Pick up a book at your bookseller’s that they are recommending that sounds interesting that you wouldn’t otherwise read.

Happy reading!