Greetings to all from Caroline Craig, Senior Counselor, Client Relations at Landis Communications. Inspiration for my first LCI blog comes from my parents, and good friend and colleague, Judy Rowcliffe.
I love to read. I’m the daughter of voracious readers. You can be born to readers – nature – but inspiring a love of reading is a gift that parents, friends and teachers nurture. We’re a family of readers. Don’t ask us about American Idol; we haven’t a clue.
We’re a house of bookshelves, largely stocked by my parents who are enjoying retirement. All hard back, their lives are too short to wait for paperback editions. Books arrive in boxes from their Florida home (I know, huge carbon footprint) packed by my mother who places a hand-written post-it on the inside leaf with her thoughts; “page turner,” “weak plot,” “great character development,” “thought provoking.” It helps the non-retired prioritize what to place on the bedside table.
I read what my parents send, and then I share with Judy. We may be the smallest ‘book club’ in the West, but we agree on most everything from classics to contemporary, and we both share a passion for reading. This week Judy invited me to join www.goodreads.com. A terrific site that allows readers to upload books read, are currently reading or would like to read. This virtual book club enables members to discuss and rate books and connect to each other’s online bookshelves (no dusting required).
When I’m not here at Landis, I’m nurturing the next generation of readers. There’s such incredible choice for children’s literature today and it’s a joy as a parent to scold them for staying up too late reading. My daughter is reading the final book of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, and midway to completing J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. My son is reading from our bookshelf. He’s just completed Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” and is ready for the sequel “’Tis.”
What’s on my bedside table? Nancy Horan’s “Loving Frank.”
Some of my favorites:
Recent Books
•“The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” Muriel Barbery
•”City of Thieves,” David Benioff
•”Tulip Fever,” Deborah Moggach
Local Book Stores
•The Depot, Mill Valley www.depotbookstore.com
•Book Passages, Corte Madera www.bookpassage.com
•Borders, San Rafael
Library
•Mill Valley Public Library – www.millvalleylibrary.org – wonderful children’s reading room and historical archives
Author Presentation/Reading
•Frank McCourt, “Angela’s Ashes” – not a dry eye in the room
Inspiration
•Touring Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West, FL – www.hemingwayhome.com
Caroline – welcome to LCI and I, too, am an avid reader. I agree that it helps make one a better PR professional. On my nightstand right now? 1984 by George Orwell – how prescient he was and how frightening that many of his predictions have come true.
Caroline,
I once took a writing class where my professor’s first words were, “Don’t even think about picking up a pen unless you are well-read.” I have been trying to get to the piont where I could consider myself, “well-read” ever since. I can say without hesitation that you are very well-read, and it shows (no easy feat)!