Nancy Piccione

Probably a dozen Christmases ago, I went to Barnes & Noble bookstore to get gift cards as present for several then-tween nephews.  This was in the days when gift cards were just coming into fashion.

It was the day before my husband and I would travel “back East” to see family for Christmas, so I was in a rush.  When I got to Barnes & Noble, the computers that loaded the gift cards was down (there was a separate computer for this at that point, if I remember correctly), and they could only give me paper gift certificates.

I reluctantly got the paper certificates and gave them, but later joked with my siblings and their kids that I was like an old auntie with a cane and a creaky voice talking to the clerk, “What? You want to give me cards to give as gifts?  But they’re only little children.  I want to give them  gift certificates so they can pick out their own books,  I tell you.”

Today, I’m sometimes known as “tech aunt” as the most “techy” among my siblings (and I venture to just as much as my as some of my neices & nephews, and I haven’t grown up with it like they have).  I’ve been blogging for five years, I’m active on Facebook and working on the learning curve for LinkedIn.  I use Apps on my iPhone all the time.  I have always thought of myself as decently plugged in, though not an early adopter.  More like a earlier adopter, once all the kinks are worked out, but still fairly ahead of the curve.

But I think I’ve met my match with Twitter.

I originally signed up for Twitter last year, thinking it could work alongside my Catholic Post Book Group blog, but never took the time to get active with it.  But when I mentioned at a Behold Conference volunteer meeting last month that I was getting ready to “live blog” the conference, one of the younger volunteers said, “You mean like Twitter?”

Hmm, like Twitter.  Guess it was time for me to revisit Twitter.

What I was actually expecting to do was figure out some way of mobile, short updates that I could blog on my phone so that I could send regular updates to the blog (one post), and people could either check in, or see it so that I could give regular updates throughout the conference.   I won’t be writing the longer story that will appear in the print and online Catholic Post, so my “live blogging” was meant to give the impression of the day, quotes and so forth, not meant be a finished article.   But then I have noticed (stop laughing, all you techier-than-me people) for years that some people “tweet” their blog posts, or tweet and then an alert goes onto Facebook, their blog, etc.  And there’s been various articles online and other places about “the death of blogs” and blogging, though I’m not really convinced of that, though I see some huge changes in recent years.  Twitter seems like a natural next step.

So I’ve spent some time looking into Twitter, both online, and in books from the library like  Twitter, Facebook, and Social Networks for Nice Aunties Who Give Gift Certificates.  And frankly, I can’t seem to get it all together.  I get Twitter, I have a brand-new account (@ReadingCatholic) where I can tweet, I’m following a couple of dozen people so far.  I think I understand hashtags, but I’m going to use them for the first time today, so we’ll see.  Like Facebook, it’s an easy way to waste way too much time.  I just discovered TweetCatholic, and there went another 15-20 minutes of my life.  But I can’t seem to get everything together–blog, Facebook, Twitter, and figure it all out mobile-ish.

And that’s part of the problem for me, if it really is a problem.  I have just not taken what for me would be the amount of time necessary to get up to speed with this.

The reason?  My “offline” life has been really busy in both wonderful and not so wonderful ways in recent weeks. Like many families, we’ve had a lot of sick people and sick days.  Those take a lot out of a mom, at least this mom, in terms of caregiving, keeping up with schoolwork, etc.  On the good side, our oldest daughter confirmed in recent days, very emotional and very beautiful.  Also, I have been so happy to finally start running outside early and see the gorgeous sunrises, instead of the unappealing choice between pitch darkness or the treadmill.  And this may sound funny, but I’ve spent a lot of time in the last week teaching my children backgammon and having a blast with that.  I forgot how much I love backgammon (and lots of other games).

I was starting to feel fairly low about this and my abilities, when my dear and wonderful husband (who did not know the depth of my despair about Twitter) posted on his Facebook this article about self-compassion, and how it’s good both for one’s mood and for one’s success.  That helped my thinking a lot.  Thank you!

The result of all this?  Like a creaky old auntie, I’ll be covering the Behold Conference the old-fashioned way.   I’ll have my fountain pen and parchment paper, and write short updates through the conference that I’ll send by carrier pigeon to the Catholic Post offices, where they’ll be sent out to all of you.

No actually, I’ll have my clunky but wonderful laptop with me on Saturday.  When I want to “live blog”  I will walk over to the Five Points library down the hall from the conference (conveniently open during the conference), and do a quick update.  Those, I am hoping, will also go out on Twitter and Facebook.  I have added a “follow me on twitter” widget to the upper right corner of the blog, so go me!

If you are a techy and want to help me work out all these details, I’m all for it.  But I might just challenge you to a game of backgammon instead.

Here are my answers to the four questions I ask on the first of each month:
first, what are you reading?
what do you like best about it?
what do you like least?
what’s next on your list/pile to read?

I hope you’ll consider sharing yours on your blog and/or sharing yours here in the comments or on Facebook.  Happy reading!

First, what are you reading?

I just finished the a group of newer graphic novels on the new book table of our local library.  The only good one is a book I reviewed yesterday, Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke.


I’m also reading Decision Points by George H.W. Bush, because I usually order from the library some, if not all, of the books that the monthly “Meet a Reader” feature is reading.  I like to keep up with what other people are reading, and last month’s “Meet a Reader,” Sue Wozniak, reported she was reading and enjoying it.


I’m also reading myriad books on using Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn as I prepare to live blog the Behold conference this weekend, but with a confirmation this weekend (beautiful) and sickness yet again in our house (ugly), my learning curve keeps getting sharper.  Sigh.


What do you like best about them?

I liked almost everything about Zita the Spacegirl.  It’s a fun read.


Decision Points is interesting.  I’m not that far into it, but so far I’ve been most moved by Bush’s decision to stop drinking at the age of 40, and how he has stuck with it.


What do you like least about them?


As I wrote yesterday, Zita the Space Girl would have been just fine without the Hobbit-inspired giant spider-like space creatures.


What’s next on your list?


I’m on a Gary Paulsen reading binge.  I just discovered the young adult author recently, but he’s written some fantastic, especially boy-friendly fiction.  I thought he had won the Newberry Medal for Hatchet, his 1987 novel about a boy alone in the Canadian wilderness–it’s that good!  I’m halfway through the many-kleenex My Life in Dog Years, and we’ve got quite a few more in the library basket from this prolific author.


I’m also hoping to read Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand.  I know it’s been out for years, but I’ve read several excerpts and interviews about her new book, Unbroken, and I wanted to read her first one first.  My six degrees of separation is that Hillenbrand and I both attended Kenyon College at the same time.  She’s a couple of years younger than I am, so I don’t remember her well.  But I well remember her energetic and super-creative sister Susan who was in my class; we were on the same floor of our all-girls freshman dormitory, back when dorms were single-sex.


I’ve also set aside Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales for Lent.  I hope to read this through this Lent, since my reading has been fairly prolific in recent months.  Some Lents I am not able to finish, or even start, this classic that I find spiritually fruitful.  I’m also planning to read Forget Not Love:  The Passion of Maximillian Kolbe that I bought quite a few years back at Marytown, but have never had the chance to read.  It seems appropriate for Lent.


So what are you reading?  Share away!

As I’ve written before, no one is more surprised than me that graphic novels have become one of my favorite genres of children’s books.  The quality and freshness of quite a few (but not all) recent titles makes me really happy for the future of book publishing.

So, last weekend, browsing through the new books section of our very small but wonderful local library, I spied a newer graphic novel, Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke, the illustrator of one of my all-time favorite picture books, Angel in the Waters, by Regina Doman.  And if you’ve never read Angel in the Waters, which I give as a new baby gift, you are truly missing out on one of the classics of all time.

First in a series, Zita the Spacegirl: Far from Home, is essentially an space adventure about a girl who makes a bad decision and works hard to set it right.  A favorite part?  How cool it is that a graphic novel begins with a quote from GK Chesterton: “There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there.  The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place.”

The book to me has elements of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, and even a few plot lines (note to Mr. Hatke–I didn’t like the giant spiders in The Hobbit, and I don’t like the giant spider-like space creatures here–couldya consider leaving them out of future books?), in that it portrays a flawed character on a “mission” of sorts and how that person can choose the good and become better for it.  There’s no explicit religious message, just great good fun and adventure.

I can’t wait for the upcoming volumes in this terrific new series!

I apologize that it’s been quite here on the blog, especially with all the news about abortion this week, especially since this month’s book, Unplanned, is about the journey of abortion clinic director Abby Johnson to become pro-life.

But I’ve had a print deadline, and other things preparing for next month.  Mostly I am planning to live blog (here and on Twitter) the Behold Conference next weekend, and synchronizing and getting it all to work together is making my head hurt! I am a digital immigrant, not a digital native, but I will get this to work.  I  think.  (laughing here)  Stay tuned!

Still, abortion been in the news a lot these past weeks and we have some big issues to discuss, from the defunding of Planned Parenthood being considered in Congress to the death of abortionist-turned-life-activist Bernard Nathanson to the ethics of tactics.

Nathanson died this week, and it’s hard to measure his long-term impact on the pro-life movement.  He was a famous abortionist and early abortion supporter who helped to found NARAL, one of the top abortion groups in the country, and when he became pro-life, and eventually, Catholic, it made big news.   He’s really a hero to much of the pro-life movement because of his willingness to be honest and open about his abortion work and his conversion process made him real to millions, much like Abby Johnson’s story in UnPlanned is doing for a new generation.

Jennifer Fulwiler has a post up at the National Catholic Register at when is it okay to use graphic pictures of aborted babies in the fight against abortion.  As Abby Johnson writes in UnPlanned, our Catholic Post Book Group book this month, these kinds of tactics did not help her convert; in fact, they got her to “dig in her heels” and harden herself.

I so agree with Jen about the idea that one must absolutely be prepared to see the photos or images, otherwise there is a kind of abuse of the person involved.    I can still vividly recall seeing Bernard Nathanson’s film graphically showing a second-trimester abortion, Eclipse of Reason, and my reaction to it.   I had already been working for several years in the pro-life movement, but I had to really work up the courage to witness it.  I can’t imagine being compelled to watch this film, or even Silent Scream, the film depicting an ultrasound abortion that Nathanson screened at the Reagan White House.

On another topic, I also have been thinking over my views (and talking with others) about the tactics of Live Action the group that went undercover to expose the bad behavior of Planned Parenthood staff.  Among others, I had a chance to talk with my brother (it’s handy having a brother who is a law school professor) about this very topic–under what conditions is is permissible to lie in the service of the good.    There’s a lot of philosophical discussion about this on the Internet these days–most prominent is probably the Public Discourse discussion.  Here’s a very brief round-up of the mostly civil debate, as well as appropriate links, but be warned–the links represent a lot of reading!  Worthwhile, but long.

Reading through much of this debate makes me remember why I am not a philosopher, theologian or lawyer, as many of those close to me are.  The issues are just so complex.

Also remember that while I do have issues with the deception aspect of the Live Action tactics, my main concern is that I don’t consider any of this very effective (in fact, the opposite of that) in softening hearts and minds.

When I asked Abby Johnson about this in my interview with her last week, she had a very good answer.  I appreciate her view, but I don’t share it.   As I asked, on the one hand, the revelations are shocking and important to know; on the other hand, this sort of deception seems opposite to the approach that persuaded her to leave the abortion industry.

What are your thoughts on these various issues?