It’s no secret that I love reading on my Kindle. And I’ll tell you, I have a lot of people tell me that they prefer reading a real book rather than using a device. Well. The book is real whether you it’s a hardcover, a paperback, large print or on a tablet. It’s real if you listen to it on audio or have someone read it to you. It’s the words, my friends, that are real, not the way that you access the words. Honestly, as a librarian, I don’t care how you read, I just care that you read.

Today I’m going to share with you three reasons why I prefer reading on my Kindle over reading a traditional book.

1. It’s lightweight. Whether I’m reading a book in the Outlander series, which is likely to be 900+ pages, or whether I’m reading the super short This Is Water, the Kindle weighs the same. Not only that but it holds files for all the books I may want to read on vacation and it still weighs the same.
2. It tracks my reading speed and estimates how much time I have left to finish a book. As a competitive little thing, this makes me read faster, I swear. I liken it to trying to beat the time that the GPS says I’ll arrive somewhere. The Kindle tells me there are 4 hours and 12 minutes left in the book? I bet I can finish in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Ha! Okay, so maybe not really on that last bit but I do think I read faster on the Kindle. And I like knowing how long a book will probably take me from start to finish and I really really like seeing how much time is left before I’m done. As a side note, if you don’t like that little feature you can turn it off and just show page numbers. Or nothing at all, even, if you want to be completely surprised.
3. I can read in bed without the light on. This is, hand’s down, my favorite thing about my Kindle. I read in bed every night and it’s cozy and sleep inducing to be in a dark room with just the glow of my back lit paperwhite.

I wasn’t paid by Amazon to write this post, although I would have said yes if they’d asked! And I get that there is a tactile thing that’s missing by not holding an actual book and turning the pages and smelling that wonderful smell. But guess what? I work in a library and I can get a good whiff of that lovely musty book smell whenever I want.

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I don’t consider myself to be a writer but I am an avid reader and a librarian and I guess that makes me very award of . . . words, phrases, and how often certain words and phrases are, frankly, used. Lately I’ve noticed a few expressions that are, to put it mildly, overused. I’ve got 3 I want to pronounce as expressions that should be retired. Immediately.

1. At the end of the day. Oh, this one. I hear it all the time (especially in meetings) and it’s just  . . . lame. Find a better way to make your point and emphasize what you’re saying. Really, unless you’re talking about the song from Les Miserables I just never want to hear this one again.
2. Keep Calm and . . . whatever. The origin of this one is brilliant but now it’s gone way too far and it’s used for literally (another overused word but I like it because Parks and Recreation) everything. Keep Calm and sleep for 5 more minutes. Keep Calm and eat chocolate. Keep Calm and hug a panda. These are just a few of the inane and trite uses of the phrase that I found with a super quick Google search. Can we just tell everyone to keep a stiff upper lip?
3. No offense but . . . Okay. Seriously, if you’re saying no offense, well, the odds are you know that whatever you’re about to say is going to be . . . probably the most offensive thing ever. Really, it’s a precursor to an insult and that’s just wildly wrong so stop using “no offense” as a way to justify you’re offensive statement.

In all honestly, I’m sure I’ve used these phrases, too. I know I’m guilty of saying not in my wheelhouse, sorry-not-sorry, totes, and awesomesauce. But I’m saying it now for all to hear: enough with the clichés! I’m off to buy a new thesaurus!

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What a week this has been, huh? I mean, there have been lots of weeks like this for the past, ohhhhhh, 18 months, but this week in particular has made me mad/sad/crazy. In other words, I could use a laugh. Would you like a laugh, too? Or wouldn’t you? I’m not sure which I mean to say but I’m just going to assume a laugh would be welcome. And, luckily for you, I have this friend Brenda who always posts really funny things on Facebook and she makes me laugh. Today I’m sharing 3 memes from her timeline that have made me chuckle and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

There. I feel better and I hope you do, too!

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Yesterday I was listening to the Happier podcast and Gretchen and Elizabeth were talking about luxuries – some were big luxuries and some were small and I started day dreaming about the things that bring about a feeling of luxury for me. I’m sure you won’t be surprised that when I came up with three I stopped and decided to write a blog post!

• Having a house cleaner. I’ve had paid help cleaning my house since 1999 and it’s the best thing in the world. Seriously, I would make a lot of cuts to my household budget before I would eliminate this. When we had all the kids living at home I had weekly help but for several years now it’s been every-other-week and that’s doable. It’s not as luxurious as every week but still – it’s great. If I had loads of money I would take this even further and have daily help with all kinds of household chores – weeding the garden, doing the grocery shopping, planning and cooking meals – I could go on and on!

• Fresh flowers in the house. This is a little luxury I indulge in pretty regularly and I’ve said for a long long time that if I ever won the lottery one of the first things I would do is set up a weekly flower delivery. Flowers are pretty and they smell nice and they are, in the words of Kym, magical. And, let’s face it, a little magic in the house never hurt anyone.

• Line dried sheets on the bed. I have gotten out of the habit of hanging my sheets on the line but I really need to start this up again. I love slipping into bed when the sheets are crsip and smell like fresh air and sunshine, it brings me right back to my childhood since my mom always hung the sheets on the line. I’m putting it out there right now that I’m going to start doing this again!

Those are my little luxuries, things that cost a few bucks but bring me a lot of pleasure.

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Ready for three random things I’m thinking today? Good, because that’s what I’ve got.

1. Like a lot of you, we’ve had some pretty high heat around here lately. It’s hot and humid and feels more like August than early July. This means that the vegetable garden and flower beds and containers need to be watered. A lot. I’m so grateful to Sean for taking care of this when we were away last week because it’s time consuming! The good news is that the basil is exploding and the other vegetables (tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini) are really taking off. The flowers are holding their own – some love the heat and others not so much but plenty of water is helping them out.
2. Baby food has come a long way in the last 25 years. When I had Hannah I breastfed for 13 months (she weaned herself at that point and, while it was the right thing for her at the time I was terribly sad) and I made my own baby food. I did this mostly because it was cheaper but also because the stuff in the jars just looked terrible to me. Now, though? The jarred stuff is pretty good and I’ve been keeping a supply on hand for when Jack is here. This is not a commercial or endorsement but I do have to say that the Beech Nut Naturals are good. Jack likes just about everything but so far his favorites have been Sweet Corn & Green Beans, Carrot, Corn & Pumpkin, and Pears & Blueberry.
3. The Fourth of July around here is never very exciting. Dale works pretty much all day with the band and, while I sometimes join him at those events, this year I chose to stay home. Jessica came over in the early evening but for the most part I was on my own. The best part of that was that I finally finished Beach Music.  I’ll tell you, I enjoyed the hell out of that book but I felt like I had been reading it forever and I’m glad to be done and moving on!

What’s going on with you today?

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