Celebrate The Small Things

QUOTE: A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy ~ Edward P. Morgan                                         

                                          

FACT: Towards the end of 2011, official figures revealed that about 4.7 million adults in South Africa are illiterate and about 4.9 million adults are functional illiterate who left school before grade 7.

Today I'm celebrating the fact that I can read and write… I am truly blessed!

An added celebration:

~I joined Goodreads at the end of last year, and it's given my reading programme a massive shake-up!

~I read three stories this week, written by awesome blogger buddies… two were short prequels and the third was novella length… and posted short reviews on Goodreads…

~One of the above was my very first space opera story… a quick virtual toast to "reading outside the box"…  *the sound of clinking glasses*

Is your reading restricted to a specific genre? Have you signed up for Goodreads? What are you celebrating at the moment? Please share with us…

39 Comments

  1. Julia on January 25, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Definitely worth celebrating. Let's raise a glass to the Three Rs.

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:25 pm

      *raises virtual glass to toast* 🙂 🙂

  2. Alex J. Cavanaugh on January 25, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    Illiterate would be scary. A whole world unavailable to us.

    Congratulations on your first space opera. Big fan of the genre myself. (Obviously!)

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:26 pm

      Thanks Alex. Cassastar has arrived… a whole book that I can touch and smell (I love the smell of new books…) 🙂

  3. Shelly on January 25, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    Michelle,

     

    Like you, I have stepped outside the box. My reading preferences have always been the paranormal but I've been reading other genre's myself. This including SciFi and even erotica-although all the sex stuff makes me cringe just a little. 

    Hugs and chocolate,

    Shelly

    • M. J. Joachim on January 25, 2013 at 5:00 pm

      Have to admit, reading and writing are essential elements of living for me. Nice choice for Celebrating the Small Things, though in my world, these are huge! Congratulations on giving them the spotlight today! http://effectivelyhuman.blogspot.com/p/celebrate-small-things.html

      • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:35 pm

        Thanks for popping in M.S. Reading and writing are definitely huge things.  Celebrating The Small Things is a reminder not to overlook the everyday blessings that come our way, but doesn't mean we exclude the bigger happenings in our post. Well, that's my take on it… 🙂

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:29 pm

      I read a sci-fi space opera as well as a grittier sci-fi story, and have to say I enjoyed both… although it took me a bit to wrap my mind around some of the concepts… but hey, we learn something new every day…

      Hugs back to you!!

  4. Juliet Bond on January 25, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    I love that you chose to celebrate something we often take for granted!  I found your blog by participating in this bloghop!  Please visit ours and follow us if you like it! http://citymusecountrymuse2012.blogspot.com/

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:37 pm

      Yeah, people often take it for granted, though not intentionally… thanks for the visit!

  5. Sherry Ellis on January 25, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    I'm celebrating that an agent asked to see my manuscript after receiving my query letter!

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:38 pm

      Go Sherry, go!! Exciting news! 🙂

  6. C. Lee McKenzie on January 25, 2013 at 6:05 pm

    Being literate is such an amazing thing, isn't it. Yet we seldom stop to give thanks for being able to read and write. Glad you did.

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:40 pm

      I can't imagine what it's like not to be able to read and write… it IS amazing! Thanks C.Lee.

  7. Viklit on January 25, 2013 at 6:21 pm

    Being able to read and write is a VERY important thing to celebrate, thank you for reminding us of it. I am glad you have had some good reading this week! Thank you for joining in. 

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:40 pm

      Thanks Viklit!

  8. PK Hrezo on January 25, 2013 at 6:50 pm

    How easily we take our literacy for granted, don't we? We are truly fortunate and blessed. And I always read outside my box. I'm widely eclectic in my tastes, in just about everything. Variety truly is the spice of life. 🙂

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      PK, I can definitely see you as a person who reads all genres… 🙂

  9. Nancy LaRonda Johnson on January 25, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    The things we take for granted. There are a million! It's great to remember to be thankful for those things as well – those things that seem so natural, but in the grand scheme of the world definitely are not. 

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      Absolutely. Things that seem natural to some people, may be inaccessible to others… it proves that reality differs from one culture to the next. Our life experiences are different and therefore our realities are not the same.

  10. L. Diane Wolfe on January 25, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    It's scary how many people can't read. We are truly fortunate.

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:46 pm

      It is very scary. And very sad. There's an entire world that they are missing out on…

  11. Lexa Cain on January 26, 2013 at 4:19 am

    I think literacy is something most Americans take for granted, so thanks for the reminder of how important it is. Big congrats on your Goodreads total and for stepping out of the box! 🙂

    • michelle on January 26, 2013 at 6:49 pm

      As I mentioned in my earlier comment, reality differs from one culture to the next. What you and I may regard as "natural", is not always so for the next person…:)

  12. Morgan Shamy on January 26, 2013 at 8:02 pm

    Those stats are staggering… I really am shocked… Wow. I am on Goodreads, & I do leave some reviews, but I'm not as active as most 🙂 

    • michelle on January 27, 2013 at 11:19 am

      Unbelievable but true! I'm really enjoying Goodreads. It's actually got me reading more than I have in the past few years… 🙂

  13. Carol Kilgore on January 26, 2013 at 8:49 pm

    Yay! Good for you 🙂 Since I got my Kindle Fire a little over a year ago, I've read so many good books by blogging buddies. I really love expanding my horizons.

    • michelle on January 27, 2013 at 11:21 am

      I've been checking out all the e-books written by bloggy buddies, and added quite a few to my kindle TBR pile… now just to find the time to read all these wonderful stories… 🙂

  14. Tizzy Potts on January 27, 2013 at 12:52 am

    Congratulations for reading and reviewing those stories and for trying your first space opera-it's always good to read something new. I usually read a mix of fantasy, sci-fi and dystopian, although sometimes I will read something totally different like a modern romance or detective novel. I've been on Goodreads for a while and now I can't live without it.

     

    • michelle on January 27, 2013 at 11:23 am

      Yes, in the short time that I've signed up, I've realised that Goodreads is highly addictive!

  15. Carolyn Brown on January 27, 2013 at 6:54 am

    Literacy seems to be an issue in a lot of countries, especially the low socio-economic.

    My day job involves helping teenagers improve their literacy, so I can understand first hand the importance of being able to read and write!

    Goodreads is absolutely the best thing that I ever involved myself with, I love it!

    • michelle on January 27, 2013 at 11:25 am

      Carolyn, thanks to YOU for inviting me to join Goodreads! It's one of the BEST things I've done… 🙂

  16. Elise Fallson on January 27, 2013 at 9:25 am

    I'm reminded how important it is to be literate on a daily basis, that's because I live in a country where I don't have a handle on the language like I do with English. We forget how difficult life can be when we can't write a simple email. I'm lucky I can read French pretty well, but writing in French is a different story and it has been a handicap. Great reason to celebrate!

    • michelle on January 27, 2013 at 11:29 am

      At least you are empowering yourself… and you'll only improve with time… and then one day you'll be able to teach me French. 🙂 I've always wanted to learn the language. When I was in high school, I bought myself a little pocket French/English dictionary… I wonder what happened to it? Probably collecting dust in the back of my mom's cubby-hole… I must ask her to check…

  17. Shell Flower on January 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    What a great reminder that we should remember to be thankful that we can read and write. Illiteracy is soooo sad. I love to read and am pretty all over the place when it comes to genres. I read it all. And Goodreads is my absolute favorite website in the world. It helps keep your reading focused and fun.

    • michelle on January 28, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      I've challenged myself to read different genres… so far, so good! Though I'm not too sure about the fantasy genre…? But, we'll see…

  18. joylene on January 27, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    My maternal grandfather couldn't read or write. Each evening he would receive his entertainment via the radio. When I learned of this, I was fascinated and sad. We take so many things forgranted. Reading is definitely at the top end of the list.

    Thanks, Michelle!

    • michelle on January 28, 2013 at 2:01 pm

      We do take reading and writing for granted! And I've been a bit slack with my reading over the past years… thanks to Goodreads, I feel quite rejuvenated… 🙂

  19. Medeia Sharif on January 30, 2013 at 9:01 am

    This is a wonderful hop. I enjoy the small things in life.

     

    I love Goodreads. I post my thoughts and find so many books to read. 

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