Something strange happened to me around when I started college: I stopped reading books. Not "I stopped reading." Not "I stopped reading stories." Not "I stopped reading for long periods of time without interruption." I just, specifically, stopped reading books.

As an avid reader I take pride and comfort in my library of printed works. I own a digital reader from which I frequently, well, read. I love my books. I like my digital reader.

Considering how wide the differences between reading on one's own and reading in a class are, I'm interested in how educators might take some aspects from the former to let high school students read just to read.

Jane Austen is so popular these days she's probably been a write-in candidate in more than one election. Who knows, she might even have won some of them. I'd vote for her.

As men wearing suits analyze the death of Borders, it's become clear that none of them grew up kissing books. They blame book readers, digital books, Amazon, and the recession for the demise of the chain when they should be blaming the executives.

As I contemplate my son's future, I have to admit there's one thing that might wake my inner tiger. There's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking reading.