My Mother Would Be Shocked!

Hello!

I have been catching up on some email this morning and I came across an article at mercola.com (one of my favorite websites!) which I found disturbing and sad. It told of the lack of reading by many of us. With thanks to Dr. Mercola, I post this information here....

The following statistics about book publishing and reading were found on www.parapub.com, the Web site of self-publishing guru Dan Poynter.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
(Source: Jerold Jenkins, www.JenkinsGroupInc.com)

53 percent read fiction, 43 percent read nonfiction. The favorite fiction category is mystery and suspence, at 19 percent.
55 percent of fiction is bought by women, 45 percent by men.
(Source: Publishers Weekly)

About 120,000 books are published each year in the U.S.
(Source: www.bookwire.com)

Each day in the U.S., people spend 4 hours watching TV, 3 hours listening to the radio and 14 minutes reading magazines.
(Source: Veronis, Suhler & Associates investment banker)

I can't conceive of not reading -- books, articles, research, natural (and unnatural) health information, and on and on. Frankly, my mother, the person who gave me the most encouragement to read and to read often, would be shocked at these statistics. It seems fairly obvious to me that vegging out in front of the television is not the best thing to do for our mental health. Sure, tv is great but pick and choose wisely what you'd really like to watch; don't just have the tv on all the time. There are so many great books out there to be had, whatever it is that you might be interested in. Reading promotes knowledge, good vocabulary and independent thought, and it helps us keep our brains in tune for our older age.

I'm in a spot right now where I'm not working and I have some extra time to read and to let my mind wander where it will; but I always make time for reading, whatever my schedule might be. Reading is one of my greatest pleasures. (Thanks, Mom!)

Right now (well, not RIGHT now!) I'm reading Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, swapping off with Dr. Mahmet Oz's YOU on a Diet, and I'm also reading and learning about a new healing modality called EFT. What are you reading this week? Do give me a comment and let me know. I double dog dare ya!

Best,
Jude