The Joy of Reading: a rediscovery

With California’s, and lately some other states’ statewide stay at home order, most of us are thrust into a new way of dealing with physical isolation.  We are ordered to “shelter in place,” to remain in our homes unless we need to get out for necessities.  And in this brave new world, work and employment no longer qualifies as a necessity.

The arts and entertainment sections of the big city daily newspapers are now mere shadows of their former glory.  The pages once filled with movie reviews and listings, with Bay Area-wide stage productions are gone—the theaters are shuttered.

Board games can quickly become tedious, the offerings of television even more so.  The mental distractions of such intellectual opportunities are gone.

Gone, all but one.  The glorious luxury of reading.

Now more than ever we have the time to settle down with a good book—entertaining, stimulating, challenging words on the printed page, to take us into seldom visited realms of imagination.

Now is the time to engage in the long-neglected art of reading.  Bookstores may be closed to the public, but they are not out of business.  Is there something you’d like to read, something new?  Don’t go to  amazon, instead call or email your local independent bookstore, place an order and have the book delivered to your doorstep.

The two most vital enterprises to any town or city are the local newspaper and the independent bookstore.  These are more than just important services, they are the nerve center of the intellectual life of the communities they serve, and deserve and depend upon your support