Entries Tagged 'Guest Blog' ↓
July 9th, 2010 — Guest Blog
by Cook Cutlery, guest blogger
Everybody has reading distractions and it’s hard to avoid them. They get in the way of finishing your work, your book, or even getting started. Reading for a lot of people is a chore and so they find anything and everything to do besides actually reading. I know I do this a lot and I’ve had to work hard to stop the distractions.
What are Reading Distractions?
Reading distractions are things that get in the way of you reading. They can be texting, television, internet, hanging out with friends, anything really that wastes time and keeps you from getting things done. I bet your reading distractions are the same distractions that keep you from getting your homework done!
My Top Reading Distractions:
- Television – This is the number one culprit that eats away my reading time. I am guilty of watching Nickelodeon or Disney channel when I should be finishing the next chapter in my book.
- Cell Phone – My cell phone is another reading distraction. It practically ties with television because I will be watching a movie and texting my friends instead of doing something productive.
- Computer – Sometimes, I’m watching television, texting on my phone, and chatting with people on AIM or Facebook. It’s pretty bad and drives my sister to distraction because she and I both know I should be reading.
3 Tips on How to Stop Being Distracted:
Here are some of the things that I do to get back to reading.
- If you’re like me, turn your TV, cell phone or your computer off when you need to read. Or at least on mute!!!
- If your room is part of the problem because you can always find something else to do besides reading, then you should go find somewhere else to read.
- If noises distract you, dedicate an hour or two to reading in pure quiet.
Reading distractions are hard to stay away from because they always sound so much better than cracking your book open. Be strong and force yourself to get away from your distractions and soon you’ll be flipping those pages faster than you can imagine and getting your reading done in no time. Good luck!
Your Turn: What are your reading distractions and how to you get rid of them?
Online Stores
April 10th, 2010 — Guest Blog
by First Mate Keira, guest blogger
Newspaper circulation is decreasing but readership in many cases is increasing. It’s important to take advantage of the printed versions before and if they become obsolete. Here’s why:
Every child should learn and understand enough of their national language to follow the news. In the United States this means English. The typical US paper reads at a 8th grade reading level. To get by reading a Chinese newspaper, a person would have to know over 3000 characters. So you can see, it is not a matter of reading difficulty. The text is actually easy.
It is important for everyone to keep abreast of local, state and national news, not just adults. Being informed is a responsibility all citizens should claim. Ignorance is not acceptable when it comes to political and world news. By reading a newspaper kids (and adults) can talk intelligibly about issues.
A newspaper will teach young readers how to read important information quickly and with comprehension. They will learn to scan and digest a great deal of information all at once. This technique will translate well to classes and assigned reading, making the tasks easier to manage.
A newspaper if full of relevant and reliable information. Newspapers hold themselves responsible for the news they print and if anything is found to not be factual will be recanted. This makes newspapers great sources for papers and real life.
Newspapers increase visual literacy. Part of the experience in reading a newspaper is about the navigation. They are designed to be read easily. How the headings, columns, pictures, ads work together is straightforward and subtle. This translates to test taking where time is of the essence and words take too long to read.
A kid can find things personally relevant to them. Most new readers of newspapers start small and work up their way up to read the whole paper. Have your kid read the entertainment, sports, or comics.
Learn what is current today. Seem obvious? It is, but that’s the point of newspapers. Reading them will keep you current. Who wants to talk about old news?
Learn what is newsworthy. Again, obvious, but hear me out. Have you ever paused to think – why was such and so article included in the paper? What made it worthwhile? Take a moment to dissect the article and you will find out.
Newspapers communicate a society’s values, ethics, and ideas. They reflect a community and national ideology. Examination of their articles will unveil just what these beliefs and codes of morality are and how the society feels about them. Perhaps too they will rub off and be a child’s teacher.
Are you persuaded?
Buy: USA Today ~ the Nations Newspaper ~ 1 Year Subscription
Photo Credits: Stephane Tougard
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.
Originally posted 2009-12-10 03:21:02.
Online Stores
April 7th, 2010 — Guest Blog
by First Mate Keira, guest blogger
Drop your book in the bathtub? I don’t know about you but I read a lot in the bathtub and try as I might I still get my books wet. Here are some tips to avoid wet and wrinkled pages:
Have a towel nearby.
It’s very important to have a towel next to you in the bathtub. I’m pretty careless and will dunk a hand in water. Without the towel to dry it off on before turning a page my book would be all crinkly.
Have a book stand.
You can buy a very inexpensive bathtub book stand that will span your tub. It’ll give you a place to prop your book up (less likely to drop into the tub this way) and some extra room to place candles or a bar of soap.
Have a bath pillow.
A bath pillow will keep you propped up and will minimize your slipping and sliding. You won’t accidentally fall down and drop your book in the bath water. I had that happen once or twice – now it never happens. Hurray for dry books.
What do you do if you already got the book wet?
There are several things you can do to repair a wet book, some are more time consuming than others. My suggestion for you is to use a hair dryer and fan the pages of the book. Use a small desk fan if your arms get tired. When the book is completely dried out or for the most part dry, place the book under a series of extremely hefty books. Dictionaries are good for this and so are phonebooks. If the book is slightly damp still put sheets of absorbent paper every few pages or so before stacking heavy books on top.
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.
Originally posted 2009-12-07 03:48:27.
Online Stores
April 5th, 2010 — Guest Blog
by First Mate Keira, guest blogger
Are you the sort of person who must absolutely be spoiled before you start a book? I know it's tempting but going to the end of a book to discover how things turn out is a terrible idea.
Skipping to the end of a book:
(I know you do it...)
- Ruins the mystery. The author put a lot of work into the story. If you're anxious to know the ending that means the author is doing a good job and you'll ruin all their hard work if you skip to the end. Bad reader. No cookie for you.
- Is a waste of time. If you go straight to the end you'll just wind up wasting time. It takes time to figure out what happened (especially if you didn't get very far into the story) and then you'll find yourself rereading the ending! You could be starting a new book by now. Bad reader. No cookie for you.
- Might as well not even start the book. That's right. If you are just going to read the end of story before you're suppose to why start it at all? It's like finding the cat out of the bag before you even realized there was a bag! Bad reader. No cookie for you.
- You'll be tempted to share the ending. By skipping to the end to find out what happens you're likely to share this information with someone who doesn't want to know! You don't want to be that person at a (Harry Potter) Midnight Party who shouts the ending for a popular book series. That's not a way to win friends! Bad reader. No cookie for you.
Loading ...
If you have, why do you do it?
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.
Originally posted 2009-12-04 03:12:46.
Online Stores
March 14th, 2010 — Coming of Age, Guest Blog
by First Mate Keira, guest blogger
3 Reasons to Love Required School Reading:
- You can relate to the book’s characters and situations. Usually, but not always, and especially for the newer selections on reading lists, they are bildungsromans. I bet you’re thinking that’s a made up word, but I swear it’s an actual one. It means:
Bil⋅dungs⋅ro⋅man: a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist. (dictionary.com)
In other words it’s a coming of age story and as such should be modern enough to be relatable. Stories could be about (but aren’t limited to) growing-up, friendship, family, and school.
- You can find books that really interest you that you never knew existed. Be honest, how many of the books teachers select for reading would you have picked up on your own? I bet the book selection never overlaps!
- Ease of selection. If you have trouble picking out books because you aren’t sure what you like, required reading means you don't have to because your teacher does it for you! That’s what I call a no-brainer!
3 Reasons to Hate Required School Reading:
- You don’t have a choice. Being forced to read something is rarely fun or enjoyable. I mean come on when was the last time you liked or offered to do (more) chores? It’s the same principle! Assignments and deadlines only make matters more unpleasant.
- The topics or genres are boring. They don’t interest you and you can’t believe you’re wasting valuable time on them. Too mature topics could be the culprit here. Books should be chosen for the right age group.
- It’s hard to read. Again with the age group, the reading level should match the student’s ability. Books that are dated read dated. Audio format might be the best option in these cases to make the books more accessible.
Where do you fall when it comes to required school reading? Love it or loath it?
Loading ...
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.
Originally posted 2009-11-13 03:36:11.
Online Stores
