A Book A Month

I've set a goal the last few years to read one book per month. I picked up the idea from Mark Twain who once said, "The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who can't read."

January is "Yogi Berra" month for me. February is George Carlin month and March is set aside for Warren Buffit. In my quest to read at least one book per month I've laid out my first three for 2010. Two years ago I set a goal of reading 12 books and read 16. Last year I fell short of my goal by two books, finishing the year with only 10.

Every educator tells you how important it is to read to children and to have them learn to read to themselves. Well it's just as important to keep reading as an adult. To be successful you need to turn off all electronic devices: phones, I-Pods, TV sets, chips implanted in your brain. Turn them off, tune them out and start reading. Soon you'll find that you're more interesting and more interested. Your curiosity will grow, your vocabulary will be increased and you'll feel like you accomplished something.

To keep it interesting I try to read a biography, followed by a motivational book, followed by a novel. The challenge for me is staying awake longer then 15 minutes after I start reading. If I'm the least bit tired I will fall sleep with the book in my hands after a few pages. I've also found that reading in bed is not a good way to get a full night's sleep. It's best to read on a chair in a room other than the bedroom. Experts say the bedroom should be used for only two things, sleeping and sex. I'm no expert in either one so I'll just say this. Enjoy a good book today, it'll make you smarter and you'll sleep better. As far as the sex goes there's another blog out there somewhere dealing with that topic.

Enjoy a book this month