They still make books you can read?

What is that?! Are you reading a book? Ew, gross." Yeah, that is how I sometimes think the world views people when it comes to reading literature. You read e-mail, you read the newspaper, you read the PowerPoint slides in your bio class, you read traffic signs. What we lack is personal reading in our lives.\nWhat is the last book you read for yourself? I honestly couldn't tell you when it comes to me. I guess the fifth Harry Potter was the last book I read for fun and that was something like three years ago. Who really reads half the textbooks you have to buy in college anyway? Reading used to be really cool! I remember being in elementary school and joining the summer reading program of the local public library. I also had to read a lot of books for school and I loved it. I used to pretend to go to sleep but then with a flashlight and a book, I would read into the wee hours of the morning. My parents probably knew what I was up to, but if your child is reading on their own and enjoying it, then there's no shame in that game.\nYes, the stereotype is that college kids are in a stage where we don't "respect" our parents. But I'm going to throw something out there; I think my mom is so cool. Why? Because she always reads books in her free time and although she's a professor and has to read a lot, she would read a lot even if she worked at Burger King. She doesn't watch crummy television shows or spend hours on the Internet. She reads books because she enjoys it. When is the last time I caught someone reading a book? I honestly don't know, because it seems our culture is drowning out the power of a book.\nAre we just too "busy" to read books these days? Or has the value of the book disappeared as Generation X grows up? If we take a look at the things that invade our lives, we would see that we don't take time for literature, novels and books anymore. Books have been around for so long and should continue to be around.\nHey, it's OK to read a book for fun and no one is going to think any less of you. Go to the library, go to the bookstore. Neither the public library nor Barnes & Noble slipped me money under the table to endorse their primary resource. I endorse them because I think books need to make a comeback. If John Travolta can make a comeback with "Pulp Fiction", I think we should pray for the return of reading.