89-year-old e-reads like nobody’s business
In the middle of the night when she can’t sleep, Ruth Pupke will pick up her ipad and dive into a book.
“Very often I go to bed 10:30-11; 2:30 I wake up. You know, old people sleep funny,” said the 89-year-old Glenmont woman. “I’ll wind up sitting and reading maybe until I get sleepy. But sometimes I don’t sleep, I keep reading. I’m not one that a book puts me to sleep. I want to see what keeps happening next.”
Mrs. Pupke downloads books from the library. (Full-disclosure: she’s my friend Christine’s mom, so an honorific applies.)
“Thank God for the library and ebooks. I have had a Kindle for several years and I have the ipad too. They’re back-lit and you can read in bed without turning the lights on and make the print however you want it. And with Flipster I get magazines and I can read the sneaky magazines you wouldn’t get caught dead buying, you know like the Enquirer,” she said.
“It’s so handy. I can’t believe I used to say I want to hold the book in my hand and then I got a back-lit Kindle. The print is so clear. I look at a book now and the print is so light compared. I’m almost 90, your eyes aren’t what they used to be.”
Mrs. Pupke was already handy with reading in a digital age. On vacations in Rhode Island at the family’s place, where there’s no Wi-fi, she’d download a week’s worth of books while at a local Dunkin’ Donuts, Christine told me. Be like Christine’s mom.
In the near future, libraries will start the reopening process. Let’s give them some time to settle into new routines and protocols to keep us safe. Besides, there’s no rush when you can download your favorite titles on devices. You can read on computers, ipads, phones and, of course, e-readers. It’s still best to stay home, especially if you’re in a high-risk group, like our elders.
A number of library organizations released a statement through the American Library Association, saying, “As our focus turns to reopening, we
“It’s so handy. I can’t believe I used to say I want to hold the book in my hand and then I got a back-lit Kindle. The print is so clear. I look at a book now and the print is so light compared. I’m almost 90, your eyes aren’t what they used to be.” — Ruth Pupke
believe strongly that we must develop science-based protocols so that visits to libraries can resume safely for the benefit of patrons, staff and our communities. While there is a need to develop these protocols quickly, we also believe it is essential to be accurate and provide the best possible guidance with the information we have available at the current time.”
I miss the libraries I frequent so much, but there really is no rush for the public. We can stay home and maybe even revisit a story from our youth.
“Once a year, I revisit ‘Anne of Green Gables,’” Mrs. Pupke said. “My mother loved ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and made sure I had it. Even during the Depression when you couldn’t afford much of anything, I had ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and I’ve been in love with her ever since.”
Here are some suggestions from Mrs. Pupke: “The Star and the Shamrock” by Jean Grainger; “Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult; anything by Robyn Carr. And you can always reread one of your childhood favorites.
“Like I say, I’ll read almost anything Robyn Carr writes. She has good people, it’s entertaining, it’s upbeat. I like Hallmark movies. I don’t read dark stories,” she said.
“I’ve lived through a lot. I’m lucky to be here. I really like upbeat.”