THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607120250
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Random Rambles
SOURCE: Tony Stein
LENGTH: 78 lines
Rejoice, fellow couch potatoes. In this Olympic summer, we too can ``go for the gold.'' But, unlike the muscle men and women in Atlanta, we can do it while still sitting on our collective butts.
``Go For The Gold'' is the theme of the adult summer reading program of the Chesapeake library system. No, they can't offer you a sneaker endorsement contract if you succeed. You can, however, enrich your mind. And enriched minds last a lot longer than sneakers.
Chuck Anderson, manager of the central library on Cedar Road, says they tested the adult reading program last year. They liked what happened so they fine-tuned it for this year.
``We've had summer reading programs for kids, but why should kids have all the fun,'' Anderson says. ``So we put together a plan that will encourage adults to try new areas and new authors. We all get into reading ruts, and it's good to explore different territory.''
What they've done is match categories of books with Olympic sports. Some are obvious, like the sport of gymnastics is represented by books on fitness and health. Some are a mental stretch, like fencing represented by books on espionage. There's a certain logic there, says Anderson. Fencing has a mystique, a sort of cloak-and-dagger style. If that doesn't describe spying, I'll munch microfilm for lunch.
Nothing odd about matching wrestling with humor. Just watch the professional grunt-and-groaners a while. And weight-lifting has been matched with books in the horror category. I won't comment on that choice. I don't want some irate body-builder with muscles on his eyelids dribbling my head like Michael Jordan on a fast break.
You sign up for the program and then start reading. To win a gold, you have to read a book in each of nine different categories plus three more from any category. That way, you're forced out of the reading rut Anderson was talking about. If you complete the nine-plus-three routine, you get a certificate. When the program winds up, the certificate holders' names go into a hat. Out comes comes one name, and that person gets a bag of paperback books.
You'll have lots of choices and lots of help this summer. There are lists of books in each category. Plenty to choose from the 580,040 volumes in the Chesapeake system. While it would be simpler if you knew the title and the author's name, that's not mortally necessary. Anderson told me about the time a hopeful momma called.
Her son wanted to re-read a book he'd taken out before. She didn't know the name. She didn't know the title. It was black, though, and would the library please find it. They did, but not by color code. Mom managed to recall that it was about engineering, and that led the book bloodhounds to the right shelf.
Then there was a woman who wanted a murder mystery in which nobody got hurt. And the caller who wanted ``books good to eat with.'' I've got several of them myself. You can tell by the ketchup stains.
In his pitch to lure folks to the library this summer, Anderson waved a financial flag of truce for those of you with books long overdue. That's long overdue as in maybe Eisenhower was still president when you forgot to renew it. The most the library will hit you for is $6 per book. No mortgaging the old homestead or time in the slammer. But no more ``fine free'' periods either.
The library used to give us a break by saying ``Bring the overdue stuff back and we won't fine you at all.'' Then it got to where people checking out books would ask when the next fine-free period was scheduled. That's sort of a lesser version of making an appointment to burgle the bank. Forget it.
As you'd figure, Anderson is a heavy reader himself, so I put a question to him: ``You are going to be marooned on the proverbial desert isle. What two books do you take?''
Chuck's first choice was ``Sackett'' by that master of the western novel, Louis L'Amour. ``I've read it 15 times,'' Chuck says. ``Pure escapism. The good guys win, and the bad guys lose.'' Second choice on the Anderson island reading list was Shelby Foote's history of the Civil War.
Actually, Chuck cheated on that one. The Shelby Foote history is three volumes. That makes four books he takes with him and my question was about which two books he'd take. But I forgive him. He once told me he liked cold lasagna for breakfast, and you don't get picky with a man who has that kind of courage.
My advice to you is to skip the cold lasagna but not the reading program. It's aerobics for the head, and if you can muster enough energy to turn a page, you've got it made. by CNB