Why do we conduct Read-a-thon every year?

This year’s Read-a-thon was extremely special to me personally. Akshara , my seven year old, thus far a very reluctant reader, truly has turned an avid book lover after the contest. She participated for the first time last year and ended up reading 3 books in two weeks – which she thought was a great shame, given children her age had read 40+ picture books! She was all set to make amends this year. Though she can read short chapter books, the likes of Nate the great and Junie B. Jones, she stuck to picture books for the contest. And, she read the whole day, sacrificing even her favourite Oggy and the cockroaches and Doremon! She started with Franklins, Cliffords, Winnie the Pooh’s but moved on to abridged classics (pictorial) from Tom Sawer to Black Beauty to Vikram Aur Betal - to clock in 37 books at the end of it all. Now she chooses her own books from EasyLib online and waits for the package to be delivered home. Couldn’t have asked for a better reward than this as a parent!

The books for each age group is kept simple on purpose. 5 to 7 year olds are allowed to read picture books, though many children by the age of 7 can read short chapter books. Read-a-thon is to reward avid readers as well as to encourage reluctant readers. Given the parental feedback, it seems to be working great. And, we insist on a short review of each book children read. Many parents find it very refreshing to listen to what their children think about characters and scenarios played out in books.

Another warm fuzzy for me was meeting Susanna Jacob, a teen who has been with EasyLib from the past 3 years. In her own words “I was good at reading so I wanted to win this contest. My dad thought I was going crazy but I read a novel a day!” And she was a clear winner! While I was chatting with her went on to say “I reserve my books and feel so happy the next day since I am sure to get my books before 3 o’ Clock’ Well, it is readers like her who make this job a pleasure for us at EasyLib!

We will publish the reviews and the winners soon at the library website (www.EasyLib.com). Till then, keep reading. Read to your children and expose them to a large selection of books, they will certainly turn readers!

Thank you for reading!

Click here www.EasyLib.com if you would like to take up a membership with EasyLib.

 

There is an old series called Missing Persons written by M.E.Rabb. Till date, after almost 8 years since they were bought, the series is popular at our library (EasyLib.com). While the Sweet Valleys, Sabrinas, Buffys have failed to attract teen attention (though they are all great books which teens will enjoy), this one series has had a steady set of readers.

When I quizzed those who borrowed the series what made them pick this up, there was only one answer - it says at the back of the book that it is like Nancy Drew! Kids do not even bother to see how many others have read the book. Adults do all the time. Flip to the due date slip at the end of the book to see how many have read that book before making up their mind!

So makes me wonder, at least with kiddie books, it is worth putting some if-you-like-xxx you-will-like-this blurb. Why not? Anything to push a good book!

Vani Mahesh
Founder
EasyLib.com
(aka Easy Library!)

Book Reviews

My reviews on Deccan Herald at
http://www.easylib.com/articles.asp

Please read and hopefully, you will discover a new writer and an author!

Easy Library, Bangalore - Imagining India

I will not go into what Nandan Nilekani's much publicised new book is all about. However, what strikes me as odd is, a book that is not a biography having the author's full blown photo on the cover. When Shobha De did it for her book 'Superstar India', i.e., splash her picture on the cover, the criticisms were severe. How come what is not right for the goose is right for the gander?

Easy Library, Bangalore, Chicklit

When I created a section called 'Chicklit' (may be four years ago) at our online library EasyLib.com, I was looked at with a lot of disdain by all those serious readers, especially women. However, Chicklit is now an accepted genre that is enjoying a fairly large readership. Chicklit is supposed to be about women like you and me. Not too young and certainly not too great in anything we do but nonetheless, get by. Men in our protagonist's life are almost like our own men - not the 'rough on the outside but very caring' Mills & Boon types. Some queen bees of the Chicklit writing are Sophie Kinsella, Sue Grafton, Jane Green with her brilliant 'The other woman', Jane Moore and my all time favourite Janet Evanovich. Marian Keyes is a 'brainy chicklit' writer and so is Melissa Bank with her "Girls guide to hunting and fishing”

One basic requirement for a Chicklit, for me at least, is that they should not be sexed up , should not be too mushy, should not have love and lust as the main theme of the novel, and they have to be light, fluffy, and out right funny. Sadly, many recent Chicklits are turning out to be regular romance novels but with an overweight or a bespectacled heroine. Jemma Havey, Jackie Rose have been disappointing not because they are bad writers but because what they have churned out are not really Chicklits but love stories.

Easy Library, Bangalore, Chidlren's books

For any new children's books at the online library http://www.easylib.com/, that I run in Bangalore, my nine year old daughter who happens to be a voracious reader is my guinea pig to test the readability of the books. As she devours western writers, she really plods on with Indian Writing. When she almost did not even get to complete the book by Swapna Mirashi, 'The Adventures in Moneypur', I picked it up to see what the reluctance was all about. The plot was good and the adventure was exciting but the amount of detail was a bit too much.

Then I picked up an 'Encyclopedia Brown', which children at the library simply can't have enough of. The first thing that struck me was how there were absolutely no long-winded descriptions and the mystery started right away. Anita Nair, once answering an audience question at the library had said that being descriptive is in the Indian blood - whether Kalidasa or Bhasa or the modern day Indian writers! However, at least writers aiming to grab the attention of the young, definitely need to cut down the narrative.

When I started EasyLib.com, aka Easy Library, the first question I was asked was 'Why did you start Easy Library?', followed by 'How did you start it?' . The 'How' was easier to tackle but the 'why' truly needed some sould searching. A cushy job at IBM San Jose, husband at Oracle, the sights and sounds of the Bay Area - so why did I need this library in Bangalore? Three reasons - A life long addiction to books, The joy of web surfing, and the love of web designing!


The biggest satisfaction till date is when appreciated for the books and the service. "Browse books at will (http://www.easylib.com/) and we will deliver them to your doorstep" - is the concept that changed into reality. 'How did you get all these wonderful books?' is a very welcome question for me. India is a great source for any book collector. You get the best in the world - the best of UK, the US, and India. If I stumble upon a good book, more or less it is quite readily available.



The blog is incomplete if I don't talk about the very elite Indian readership. When the book 'The curious Incident of the dog in the night time' was just released in the US, I bought a copy of it for myself. But it was lapped up with such zeal at the library, it left me speechless! This is before the book reched its iconic status. Recently I bought 'The Prestige' by Christopher Priest, which was being discussed in a couple of the online reading clubs. Bingo, more than ten people wanting to read it already.



Lots more to say but will promise to be less verbose!