What Do You Read in the Bathroom?

By Terry Orr

June is National Bathroom Reading Month!

Did you know?

The average American spends anywhere from 700 to 2,000 hours on the toilet throughout their lives. While cavemen were relegated to counting rocks to pass the time, modern man is blessed with a plethora of books designed to keep us amused.

There is actually websites dedicated to Popular Bathroom Reading Books (this is true folks – fact if often more interesting than fiction) and one such site is Good Reads (dot Com).

Here is a selected example of books from their list of 543 books:

• The Darwin Awards (one of my all-time favorites)
• Uppity Women of Medieval Times (never heard of it)
• Harriet the Spy (who would have thunk)
• The Alphabet of Manliness
• Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race
• Meditations
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything; and
• The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead.

Reader’s Digest offers these 9 Funny Books that Make Great Bathroom Reading:

1. Uncle John’s Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader
2. The 50 Funniest American Writers
3. Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac
4. The Ultimate Book of Top Ten Lists
5. Fierce Pajamas
6. The Greatest Stories Never Told
7. Guinness World Records™ 2012
8. What's in a Name?
9. 100 Wonders of the World

So we would like to know your favorite bathroom reading material – please let us know – thanks.

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National Deviled Egg Day

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Chef Diane

I found this great book, so I bought a copy for my mother.  She gave it back to me though, since she already had a copy.  The title of the book?  “Being Dead is No Excuse”, The official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral.  Being from the south, one of the main things we do is take food places.  We take food when welcoming a new neighbor, new baby, if there is someone sick, or if there is a death.  There is one dish you are sure to find at a funeral gathering, and that is deviled eggs.  They are quick to make, and very tasty!  Many people have special plates to serve them one, like the one pictured above.  I have three deviled egg plates, and have given them to my mother as well.  These plates allow the egg to sit in a hollowed out area to prevent them from sliding around and squashing the other eggs.

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One of my favorite meals is sliced ham, tater salad, and deviled eggs.  Although my deviled eggs and tater salad seem to taste the same, I still fix them both together.  You just take a boiled egg, remove the shell and cut in half.  Then you take the yolk out, careful not to break the white, and put the yolks in a bowl.  six boiled eggs will make a dozen deviled eggs.  One you have the yolks in a bow, add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise, a squirt of mustard, a little pickle relish, sweet or dill according to your preference, and a little salt and pepper.  Mix it together, if it is a little dry, add more mayonnaise.  Then spoon into the egg white shells, you may also sprinkle a little paprika on top for added color.  Then put them on your special plate and stick them in the refrigerator to allow them to set, or just eat them right away.

Today is National Deviled Egg Day.  According to punchbowl.com, deviled eggs originated in ancient Rome, the term "deviled" didn't appear until the 18th century when it was used to describe highly seasoned, fried, or boiled dishes. By the 19th century, the word "deviled" was used to describe hot seasonings in general. Today, not all deviled egg recipes are spicy, but a little cayenne pepper or hot mustard can always give them an extra kick.

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So today, boil up a few eggs and devil them, you can eat them as an appetizer or a side dish, or even the main course.

Read a Book Day

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By Diane Forrest

Most of the country is now aware of the recent hurricane affecting the southern parts of the country.  My state was declared a disaster area by the President, and we suffered much damage.  Even as the storm was just beginning to hit land there were thousands over 700,000 who lost power.  With all of today's technology devices, they all require one thing, electricity, or batteries to be charged with electricity.  The loss of power leaves many folks with nothing to occupy their time. One of the best sure fire ways to occupy your time is to read a book.  Most of the books I have here are nursing textbooks, but I still have a few old Nancy Drew books left over from my childhood.  During one such power outage, I took one down and read it to my husband.    He really enjoyed listening to the adventure of the Thirteenth Pearl, and the time just flew by.

Today, many people have a Kindle or other electronic device that downloads books in place of having the actual bound book in hand.  Several of my friends think they are a great way to catch up on their reading, except for when the power goes off.

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When my son was younger, I would take him to the library every week and fill a book bag full of books he wanted to read. Today, he still enjoys reading every chance he gets.  When I was caring for my husband, I had little time to read, so I would mainly read my subscription to Reader's Digest.  These days I spend alot of time reading, mostly news articles and stories.  I should make more time to read a book along with the articles.  Today is such a day.

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Today is Read a Book Day.  The following is a list from hellogiggles.com listing benefits of reading:

• Read a book today BECAUSE…
• It’s the best excuse for peace and quiet.
• You love sitting in your favorite chair.
• That stack of borrowed books needs a dent.
• All your friends are busy.
• You need a new favorite quotation.
• Books are on your schedule: you can pick them up and put them down at your own convenience.
• Walking to the library is good exercise.
• You saw the movie, but you heard the book is way better.
• You’ve always wanted to read Anna Karenina.
• You’ve always wanted to reread Anna Karenina.
• There’s a swath of history you’re sick of having to admit you know NOTHING about.
• Some sentences are better than kissing (See Nabokov).
• Your perspective can be changed by a single passage (See Vonnegut).
• Your life can be changed by a book (See The Year of Magical Thinking).
• You’re going through something and you just need to get lost in a beautiful, made-up world.
• You haven’t gotten to use your imagination in a really long time.
• Today’s world is so loud, hyper-connected and busy.
• The world inside your head is yours and yours alone.

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So today, instead of watching another television program or playing a video game, try reading a book and expand your mind and imagination.

Happy Children’s Book Week

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By Akindman

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

— J. K. Rowling

It all began with the idea that children's books can change lives. Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, family homes--in fact, any place where there are kids and books. The need for CBW is as essential today as it was back in 1919, when the first Book Week event took place. Since 1944, the Children's Book Council--a non-profit organization--has developed materials and promoted and encouraged local celebrations of this national event.

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"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

— Emilie Buchwald

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"Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read."

— Marilyn Jager Adams

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"Books were my personal pass to freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi."

~ Oprah Winfrey

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Links:

http://www.bookweekonline.com/

http://blog.firstbook.org/

http://www.rif.org

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/_74

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/392/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXJr5l6wOz8