Imagination is Dwindling- Imagine That part 3

Television and the computer isn't the only thing that keeps us from wholesome literature and imagining for ourselves. We can apply ourselves to books galore, but are they the kind that actually cultivate knowledge? Are they wholesome and do they ooze quality and wisdom? Or do they simply entertain us and just add fluff and nonsense to our mind?

"A an excellent book has life; it releases something creative in the mind of the reader. The author has captured reality, the permanent stuff of life, and something enduring is planted in the heart."

Reading a book can be slightly compared to watching a movie. Does it just entertain us for a while? Or does it challenge our thinking? Does it make us ask questions? Does it widen our gaze of what the author is driving at?

"A good writer has something worth saying and says it in the best possible way and respects the reader's ability to understand. Language is used well. The word choices make us see feel, hear, taste, smell, decide. The action of the story and the descriptions have a crisp leanness because strong verbs and simple descriptions are used. The Bible is a model for this kind of writing."

" A wholesome and wonderful story has characters of depth, not superficial stereotypes; they inspire the inner life of the reader."

Some might argue though "Can I not read for fun ever?" I don't think it wrong to moderately incorporate some fiction. As long as it does not become the only standard for our reading habits. And as long as it is time worthy. I have made a habit of picking up what I dub as 'pleasure books' only at night after my full day of work and school and reading non pleasure/fulfilling books. I feel like I don't waste precious time in that way. And it's somewhat of a reward when you only get those books once in a while.

"Sometimes our standards are not high enough; we are content with books that don't say anything really important but seem safe...the best hope of promoting quality lies in the better education of the reader. When we give a child a taste for what is really good reading, I don't think that child will acquire an appetite for what is not."

I am grateful that my mother implemented this concept with all of us children. As a result I have enjoyed good literature from an early age.

"Good stories have an excellent spirit about them. They are an experience-imaginative, intellectual, social, spiritual- and a sense of permanent worth surrounds them. " Honey for a Teen's heart excerpts.

I have striven to make this my guideline for finding wholesome books. We should desire books of permanent worth. And above all, the ultimate guideline for all of life as well as literature:

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

You may go to my blog Open Book Reviews for many suggestions on books for school, family reading etc.