Book it for the Holidays!

Yes, I know I didn’t write my blog for a few months.
Finding a team to help me re-publish Beautiful
Evil Winter required a lot of time and energy especially with the holiday
stopwatch ticking loudly.  Very happy to report that the 2014 version of
the book exceeds my best expectations.  In Beautiful Evil Winter, Sophia uses books
to entertain, to teach and to manage boredom, a side effect of being confined to a Moscow apartment for days at a time without a computer or phone. Why would an
adoption coordinator lock Sophia and Evan in an apartment for days? Kidnappings
and murders—solidly anchor Russia as one of the top ten most dangerous
countries in the world. No surprise really since Russian President Boris Yeltsin
said,  “Russia is the biggest mafia state
in the world, the super power of crime that is devouring the state from top to
bottom.”

 At any rate, books
have reigned all-important in my mind for a few months, but probably not in the
minds of most as travel planning and gift-giving projects send all of us
scrambling to cover all of our usual responsibilities and then some. Books,
book and more books can help alleviate some of the stress.  Studies indicate reading books can eliminate
stress by 68%. Don’t forget gift certificates from a favorite brick and mortar
store can make present purchases easy and expedient. Books as travel companions
platinum coat the plane or long car trip experience for adults and children. On
the subject of kids, what a great time to offer to take the kiddos to the local
bookstore to purchase “travel” books of their choice. I know, I know the
resistance maybe be intense, the thought of tipping a flask of Bailey’s Irish
Cream may loom large, but persevere. So, is it worth the hassle?

 The answer is yes. According
to a recent December 3rd report by The Guardian, “…children are more likely to enjoy stories in a book
rather than stories on a screen. Children are 34 times more likely to read
storybooks daily rather than tablets. Children are four times more likely to
read stories in a book for more than 30 minutes…” Finally, the actions of Silicon
Valley employees speak volumes about insider attitudes toward children’s use of
technology. Parents send their kids to Waldorf-Steiner schools legendary for a
lack of technology and an aversion to computer use even after school. Last but
not least, tablets can infuse customized commercials into a daily reading
routine.  Unfortunately, unmonitored screen
obsession can lead to encounters with on-line bullies, porn exposure, depression and death.

 Take a parenting tip
from the chief technology officer at e-Bay, employees at Yahoo, Apple, Google
and Hewlett Packard, confiscate the technology and replace it with a physical
book that doesn’t promote shopping, internet usage or internet addiction. And when the kids
whine, “We have to read in school.
Isn’t that enough?”  The question can
confidently be handled with the word no.