Another Library Raid

I had to drop off some of our checked out library books for the kids because there were holds out on them--we weren't able to renew. While there I of course had to check out the For Sale table. I came home with Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe for the price of one dollar. I have heard of Margaret Atwood but haven't read anything by her yet so I thought I would give it a try, or at least get it home where it will become part of my never ending pile of books I need to read. I have read Bonfire of the Vanties and Man in the Full by Wolfe and really enjoyed both. I also have the Right Stuff in one of my bookcases, but just haven't gotten to it yet. I read a couple reader reviews at Amazon that didn't really like the book, so not sure about it. I would imagine that while there is some legtimate criticism of it, I will probably also enjoy it because I have liked his other novels. Again for the price of one dollar, I can't really complain even if both books are duds.

I was off work today so I was able to get in some good reading today. Mostly I was on The Drifters but tonight I have put some time into The Phantom as well. Both books are keeping my interest so I figure I will probably continue floating back and forth between the two. I have The Hobbit in the wings for my next book so those two new books are probably pretty far back right now in my reading pipeline.

One of the message boards I check in at, Runners World, linked and talked about how only 1 in 4 Americans read more than 4 books in the last year. I didn't clink on the link and read the article, but that won't stop me from thinking about this a little. Not sure what that says about our country. Obviously people are probably spending too much time on TV, that was almost too easy. I also think commute times for many workers is just too great, especially those I see locally. It is almost normal for a 30 minute each way commute. That is at least an hour a day wasted in a car listening to the radio. I know many people that commute much longer than that also, up to and even over an hour each way. I guess after a day a work and a long drive home, staying awake and reading a book might be too much. Not to even mention how early they have to wake up in the morning to do it all over again. Of course there is the overscheduled lives of people as well. Workouts, kids stuff, meetings, internet time, etc that all eat into a person's free time. It is too bad, because I think reading is one of those activities that like exercise will benefit a person through their entire life.