There is NOT enough time for reading!

Let me say it again. There is NOT enough time for my reading! I am amazed with the amount of reading I have to do this semester. With two classes & the reading to support my practicum, I need more hours in each day. Although every book and article I am reading is interesting, I haven't read or listened to a book that's unrelated to classes for the last week. That has to change.

The last book I listened to was a non-class book, and was very interesting. Mindless Eating is a recap of research into why and how much we eat. All of the food experiments were interesting, some so funny I laughed out loud as I heard the stories. A cook on a Navy warship colored lemon gelatin red, and the color alone convinced his shipmates that they were eating cherry gelatin. Diners at a test facility were fed soup from a bowl that never emptied, and they were amazed at how filling a single bowl of tomato soup could be! Brian Wansink, the author, has studied eating habits for years, and has offered more than the stories of his research. He also provides hints for mindless eating strategies that can help us reduce the amount of food we eat (painless dieting?). Some of his suggestions aren't new, but the book was an entertaining and thought-provoking one to listen to.

My Children's Literature and Programming class has moved from reading about the power of story to studying child development. I remember reading Piaget during my undergraduate days, and didn't find the reading particularly easy. A Piaget Primer provides a very readable introduction to Piaget's work and thoughts about child development. It provides a good framework for thinking about children's books and for watching children's behavior. I may not have enough time for all my reading, but the books I'm spending time with are good company.