ClubRead, The Best Club To Be A Member Of.

A club that becomes more elite due to scarcity of members...

A mere twenty years ago, everyone and their aunt Mavis read. Be it newspapers, magazines or books. Reading was the thing to do in your spare time. Well not for everyone but for most. Even reading newspapers was the main vehicle to get an update of life across.

An interesting side effect of reading is that it does develop the old grey cells a bit quicker and fits them out with plenty of might. Reading for pleasure from a young age even helped in traversing the choppy waters of schooling as if one was fitted out with a rowing boat. Some effort was needed but on the whole, the passage through school life was a breeze.

Bob and I are mad, well mad about reading and there is nothing better than for us to laze a Sunday away on a couch reading our favourite novels alternating who makes the cups of ( very necessary stage props ) tea.

What we've begun to realize is that the art of reading is sadly a dying art. The special feeling of going into a bookshop and firstly choosing and perusing whats on offer is second to none, only topped by the knowledge that when you get home, a new adventure awaits between the pages of a new book.

The new generation of youngsters, unfortunately are only prone to read a few muddled up words on their mobile and alas are loosing the ability to keep focused on more than maybe two pages of text.

Well, imagine how wonderfully surprised we were, when our niece who is here for a few days
( with her family of course ) let slip the fact that she has read all the Harry Potter books in English ( a second language to her as she is Danish ) not once but a few times. Oh, and she only got them a few months ago! Wow, a reader. A new club member. Did I mention that she is twelve years old?

She has discovered one of the major magic keys to happiness and contentment. The ability to occupy oneself without having to be entertained. A reader can sit in a quiet corner and after opening the covers of a book, be oblivious to anything but the story being told...

Having a conversation with her is fabulous because she has an inquiring mind, she has logic and has a beautiful command of the English language and without thinking will throw in a heavy weight word or two. Oh, and she knows what it means.

Parents whose kids read, are extremely fortunate...even on holiday, a kid who reads only needs a book and a place to read it, to be happy. Happy and content.

Biggi