I am the nagging mother who says to my kids, when their homework is done and their daily obligations finished, "Read a book!"

Because they are in the throes of teenagedom (or one of them is, anyway, with the other not far behind), I sometimes get the slumped shoulders, the eye roll, the blurted, "Moommmmmm," and other less-than-enthused reactions.

And one day one of my sons, in a heated moment, said, "Just because you love to read doesn't mean I do." (For the record, this didn't wound:  Mothers develop thick skins.  And I did get the quick little smile right after that.  Those smiles could save the world.)

I always factor in that they're growing up in a world of texting, cell phones, X-Box Live, iTunes, twitter, IMing, Facebook, and other of-the-moment media.  All of which makes a dense page of flat text in a hardcover or paperback book look about as exciting as.....a beige wall.

They are both excellent readers but the world doesn't much support the reading life--not when you're of a certain age, in a certain place in life, tugged in certain ways by the rest of society.

Meantime, I cart around books, manuscripts, galleys, the Kindle, newspapers, magazines, the laptop, and all the other things I'm reading.  They see it--they get it--and it will rub off.   Patience is a virtue.  (Agree?  Disagree?  Other thoughts?  let me know)

So, on my nightstand right now:  Jon Krakauer's WHERE MEN WIN GLORY:  The Odyssey of Pat Tillman (Doubleday), just out.  I respect this author and I'm fascinated by this compelling, difficult story of heroism and tragedy.

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's HIGHEST DUTY: My Search for What Really Matters (Morrow), written with Jeffrey Zaslow, out in a few weeks.  Superb. By the airline pilot who made the amazing emergency landing in the Hudson River in January.  (Would make a great gift for anyone, by the way, all you early holiday shoppers...) 

STIMULATED: Habits to Spark Your Creative Genius at Work by Andrew Pek and Jeannine McGlade (Greenleaf Book Group Press).  Came out last year but it's a keeper.  I particularly like the authors' lively discussion of the importance of play as adults.  As they say bluntly, "Don't dis daydreaming."  It can boost productivity.  Spark big ideas.  Stimulate creativity.  For real.

And BETWEEN YOU AND ME: A Memoir by Mike Wallace with Gary Paul Gates (Hyperion).  From a couple of years ago; also a keeper.  Fascinating behind-the-scenes tales of those he's  interviewed over the years.