The Sunday Salon: Reading Speed

(I just checked my scheduled posts, and discovered that this Sunday Salon is my three hundredth post on The Literary Omnivore! Goodness.)

In Mark Bauerlein’s alarmist The Dumbest Generation, he mentions in passing that the kids these days just won’t devote the ten hours it takes to read a three hundred book. My first reaction when reading that was, “It takes you ten hours to read a three hundred page book?” Readers of my generation cheerfully volunteer just how long it took for them to read Harry Potter and the Death Hallows–usually well into the morning of the 22nd. I myself took eight hours. Part of the reason some kids don’t fall in love with reading is the simple fact that it doesn’t come as easily to them as other children. Thus, devoted readers tend to read books faster than the average Jane.

But is reading speed actually important when it comes to reading?

Review: The Dumbest Generation

The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein

As a bibliophile, a massive nerd, and a college student, The Dumbest Generation initially felt like a direct challenge–aided, no doubt, by the fact that Mark Bauerlein is a professor at Emory University, a stone’s throw from my personal stomping grounds. (There was something delightful about thinking aloud, “Sir, Lenox Mall is a beautiful establishment, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”) I opened it waiting for a tirade against video games and other digital media that I hold dear. I closed it a little illuminated.

Teaser Tuesday: The Dumbest Generation

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Peer pressure and peer judgment discourage wit, word play, and eloquence, and what impresses others in a job interview, a cocktail party, or an office meeting only alienates their buddies. The occasional high-toned term and periodic sentence that mark one as intelligent and thoughtful in adult situations mark one as pretentious and weird in adolescent situations.

pg. 155 of The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

The Sunday Salon: Webcomics

I’ve been reading webcomics since I was a wee lass being reared on the wilds of the Internet. Whenever I’m down for the count, I take the opportunity to power through webcomic archives. (I discovered Drow Tales at three in the morning this way.) And let me tell you, most of the webcomics on the Internet are much better than newspaper comics, which are slowly dwindling down to nothing. (I cannot believe that Family Circus is still in circulation.) But this past week, I discovered two webcomics that simply blew me away in terms of quality that I wanted to share with all of you.