It is true that President Barack Obama writes books. So, of course, did previous presidents. If you want a real treat, read Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Rough Riders“—or any of his myriad other books of history, biography, travelogue and memoir.

We all know what people mean when they say Obama is a “literary” president—and, sadly, it has less to do with our widely beloved new leader than it does with the apparently unloved man he replaced: George W. Bush. Bush became the poster president for the non-literary set, for people who not only don’t read, but also seem to be rather proud of not reading. Reading, to certain people, is classified as a sort of prissy, fussy, sissified activity, equivalent to daydreaming or lollygagging. It’s a sign of elitism. Of having too much leisure time and too little drive.

Keller goes on to say how she’s more concerned with what is meant when the “literary” tag is applied than with which president is/was more literary. Does it mean you’re a better person, a better leader, that you’re full of virtue?

Yes, things are tough all over. But nobody ever claimed that buying a Chevy Malibu would make you a superior person. Books, though, are supposed to be special. They’re supposed to elevate, illuminate and inspire. We love to laud books as essential to a civilized and satisfying life, as crucial to our well-being as individuals and as a nation. We talk the talk. But do we walk the walk—straight into the nearest bookstore or library, that is?

It’s great to have a literary president of the United States. Now let’s focus on having a United States that makes literature a priority. Toward that end, here’s a novel way to heed Obama’s call to service: Get a book. Read it. Repeat.

You heard the woman! Get a book!

See Obama’s favorite books.

1001 Books for Every Mood: A Bibliophile’s Guide to Unwinding, Misbehaving, Forgiving, Celebrating, Commiserating by Hallie Ephron, PH.D. is a comprehenisive guide to books categorized by moods rather than subject or genre. For instance, chapters include”…for a Wallow in a Slough of Despond”, “…for a Good Laugh”, “…for a Good Cry”, “…to Blame Your Genes”, “…for Apocalyptic Vision” – the chapters cover 70 moods in total.

All books mentioned came from reader recommendations, book reviewers, librarians, booksellers and Ephron’s personal favorites. Every book had to be in print and easily accessible. Ephron also personally “inspected” each title by reading associated reviews, observing reader reactions and reading at least a small portion of it.

Entries include a summary of the book and the books are rated with an icon indicating classifications such as Literary Merit, Brainy, Bathroom Book and Easy Reading. Also included with the entries is a list of any awards the book has won. Oh and there’s even  an icon letting you know which books have been made into movies.

Here’s a sampling of the recommendations:

…for a Good Laugh

• Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
• Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
• Sick Puppy by CarlHiaasen

… for a Wallow in a Slough of Despond

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
• Interpreter of Maladies by Jumpa Lahiri

…to Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

…to Indulge Your Inner Child

• Amphigorey by Edward Gorey
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

And there’s more! A whole lot more! I’m barely scratching the surface with the above.

Not only is 1001 Books for Every Mood: A Bibliophile’s Guide to Unwinding, Misbehaving, Forgiving, Celebrating, Commiserating a great book for any bibliophile to have on hand, it would make a fantastic gift for any book lover or even someone who would like to start reading more.

While the proportion of adult literary readers is still lower than that in 1982 and 1992, it has risen from 46.7% in 2002 to 50.2% in 2008. The greatest increase is in the segment that previously had the most significant declines, the 18-to-24 -year-olds.

“In a cultural moment when we are hearing nothing but bad news, we have reassuring evidence that the dumbing down of our culture is not inevitable,” says Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Gioia spearheaded “The Big Read“, an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to bring reading to the core of the American culture. The Big Read:

“… provides citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. The initiative includes innovative reading programs in selected cities and towns, comprehensive resources for discussing classic literature, an ambitious national publicity campaign, and an extensive Web site providing comprehensive information on authors and their works. “

The Big Read has featured a wide variety of books such as:

• Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Washington Square by Henry James
• The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Of course, political correctness is rife but children are still children. I wouldn’t take these results as gospel. Where are all the movie-related children’s books for instance.

Last night, my six-year-old daughter and I finished Danny the Champion of the World. Another winner from Roald Dahl. She’s now an expert on poaching, which should serve her well in the future. As the book went on, she began to actually act out the scenes as I was reading them. When Danny and his dad are sneaking into Victor Hazel’s wood, she crawled on her belly around the bedroom. As the doped pheasants were falling from the trees, she ran around the room pretending to pick up the stunned birds. In fact, the thing my daughter found the most confusing was when Danny was caned – I had to stop and explain how kids used to be caned in schools and she looked completely baffled.

If the Telegraph report is to be believed, I should not be reading Danny the Champion of the World to my daughter. 1) It promotes stealing as a good thing, 2) Some pheasants are drugged against their will and six die, 3) A fat man’s Rolls Royce is defaced, 4) The policeman is corrupt, and 5) Danny drives a car on the road despite being only nine.

Of course, Danny is being brought up by a single parent so that might balance things out.

I am determined to read more (maybe I should consider learning to speed read) and part of that encompasses what I am calling “random reads”. I love to go to bookshops or the library and simply look. No agenda, no list just browsing to discover what I shall read.  For me, it adds to the fun.

In a way, this randomness is how I discovered on of my favorite books. In a high-school English class, we were given a choice of novels to read and to do an independent study of. The rest of the class chose In the Heat of the Night by John Ball while I was the only one to choose Nevil Shute’s The Pied Piper. I chose it simply because nobody else did and the books were lovely and new! And as I said, I enjoyed it so much that to this day, it is still one of my favorites.

As I make my discoveries, I’ll be sure to share them on this blog!

His research found ‘Hufflepuff’ readers take the tales at a slow, steady and systematic pace and enjoy re-reading the books over and over.

“People will look back and say ‘Why did we ever read this stuff?’”
‘Gryffindor’ readers are eager and energetic and will devour the latest Potter book in one sitting, but quickly move on to new things.

‘Ravenclaws’ are subversive and take the stories with a pinch of salt, while ‘Slytherin’ readers are not fussed about the books.

They prefer the films but pretend to have read the books when it suits them.

From the Daily Telegraph