I’m going to be honest, I never really thought about this issue much until I came across this article in the Guardian Unlimited. The issue: contemporary fiction authors ignoring the explosive political climate America finds itself in. There aren’t many authors speaking out against the current administration, not to mention all the injustices done by way of eroding civil rights.

Instead, a majority of criticism has come from, of all other people, a former sports broadcaster! Keith Olbermann takes constant jabs at our government on his daily, primetime show, Countdown, asks questions and raises issues that few dare to bring up. I watch the show whenever I get a chance and must admit he does an incredible job pointing out the blunders of the Bush administration (not that it’s very hard to begin with).

Yet, in the United States, intellectuals (ie. authors) are usually thrown into the background and regarded as sideshow entertainment, listened to but not taken too seriously. And novelists just haven’t been that vocal in the American political scene, especially since 9/11:

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If you have kept up with all the hype associated with the Harry Potter books, you might think that the popular series is getting more children hooked on reading. But according to an article in the New York Times, this might be an illusion.

I have written about this before, applauding the Potter series for getting children to read. And in general, I still think this is true. But the long-term effects of Harry Potter on children’s reading habits might be a little  exaggerated:

But in keeping with the intricately plotted novels themselves, the truth about Harry Potter and reading is not quite so straightforward a success story. Indeed, as the series draws to a much-lamented close, federal statistics show that the percentage of youngsters who read for fun continues to drop significantly as children get older, at almost exactly the same rate as before Harry Potter came along.

When talking about reading habits, it’s the long-term that’s really important. Kids can read all the Harry Potter books they want, but if they don’t continue expanding their reading lists and replacing television or the internet with a paperback, the future of the publishing industry itself is looking pretty grim. After all, as future consumers of books, kids are the future of the publishing world.

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What do the words "hoodie", "Gitmo", "muffin top" and "wag" all have in common? Give up? They are all words that have been added to the just-published Collin’s English Dictionary 9th Edition.

Each year, when new editions of dictionaries are published, a long list of new words is always added. The words evolve from pop culture, technology, government and just about anywhere else you can think of. Even fast food giant McDonalds has unwillingly contributed to the English language with words such as Mcjob and McMansion (a large modern house that is mass produced).

This goes to show that language is alive and constantly evolving. Words that were slang or jargon are now everyday, common, household terms that  we use without even thinking twice. I remember a time when words like "internet" and "worldwide web" were unheard of and email and cell phones were reserved for the geekish techies who lived far ahead of their time. I’m sure many older readers out there can remember back even further when more techno-jargon was still a thing of the future.

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We’ve all been there: you buy an exciting new book from the bookstore, you take it home and start reading, and after a few chapters you throw it down in disgust! Not all books are equal. And if you’re a heavy reader, chances are you have come across books that you just didn’t like for one reason or another.

Usually, when this happens it is not because the book is bad (although sometimes that’s the case, but it’s rare) – instead, you and the author have differing opinions about what makes a good book. Usually this gets into issues of style and so forth.

Some people I know will hardly ever give up on a book. They’d rather trudge through a bad one than start something new. I’m of the opinion that reading, first and foremost, should be fun and entertaining. Time is valuable, so it’s not worth spending valuable time reading something that you’re not enjoying. Unless your reading the bad book for a class or you are a book critic, then you’re kind of stuck.

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