The inquiring (some say nosy) minds at CvilleWords asked Mayor Dave Norris what he’s been reading lately, and though he’s a busy man, he found time for a gracious reply:
…I read all of the time. But most of it is for Council or for work or to keep abreast of current events, etc. (plus the books I read to my kids at bedtime). I definitely do dabble — a chapter here, a few pages there, a short story or play from time to time, and lots of magazine and newspapers. Time for reading full-length books (grown-up books), however, is an elusive commodity for me these days….
Understandable! But I wanted to follow up on this “dabbling” idea. Short stories, plays — sounds pretty significant to me. Here’s what he said:
…For instance, over the past week I’ve read a few pieces from a sci-fi short story collection by Cory Doctorow (Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present). I’m no techie but I do enjoy futuristic fare. And I always seem to be working through one or another book by Thich Nhat Hanh, most recently Creating True Peace. His teachings are so helpful to anyone who desires to cultivate more mindfulness in his/her life – I’d love to figure out a way we can get him to speak in Charlottesville! I recently received a copy of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, and from reading the first chapter I can already tell it’s going to give me lots of good mental grist both as a parent and as someone who cares about our youth and our environment. I look forward to digging into it further.
Peace, nature, the future — sounds like the kind of stuff I’d want my mayor dabbling in.
Filed under: authors, books, charlottesville, reading, virginia Tagged: | Cory Doctorow, Cville Reads, Dave Norris, Richard Louv, Thich Nhat Hanh
