Books - General

Books - General

I was thinking of books the other day.  Actually, I think of books many days - in the abstract, and in the real and in my hand.  I’ve read a LOT of books in my life.

I’ve read academic books - as a student and then as a professor.  I’ve read books of encouragement and self-help books.  I’ve read children’s books and silly books.  I’ve read fiction and non-fiction.  And, my guess is that you have read similarly in your lives.

Sometimes on social media somebody will ask “What was the most significant book you have read?”  I’m not sure I can answer.  Yes, I’ve read the Bible a lot - including doing it again this year.  I can quote many verses from the Bible - and if not exactly, I have a good idea where to find them.  

A friend’s mother died recently and I sent her a note on Facebook - I was pretty sure it was from Ecclesiastes 3 (and it was): “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,”  (And, for my friends who grew up in the 60s - I can’t think of those verses without thinking of the Byrds version - “There is a season, Turn, Turn, Turn”)

I’ve read things that I do not want to read again, and things that I do want to read again.  I’ve read things that have stuck with me and things where I can say “Yes, I read that, but I don’t remember much about that”.

As a child, I read most of the “Freddy the Pig” series by Walter Brooks.  Freddy was a great detective and solved problems.  While I can’t quote anything from these words, I have a fond memory of these books.  (I wanted to be like Freddy the pig).  Aside, from doing a quick look at Walter Brooks, he also wrote a book about a talking horse - that became the “Mr. Ed” TV show.

As I’m writing this, I checked out a list of the “100 Best Book Everybody Should Read” (https://www.businessinsider.com/100-books-everyone-should-read-amazon-goodreads-2015-3) and I found that I had read less of that list than I thought I would have.  The top of that list was “To kill a Mockingbird” - which I never have read (I guess I need to check it out).  In the past two years, I have tried to ‘read’ (by audiobook) “The Great Gatsby” three times - only to put it down (that is, deleted it from my audiobook player).  I finally read a good synopsis and just decided that I had little interest in that book.  

In college, a group of friends was at a little shopping mall and I got a book on the “100 Greatest Philosophers” and I enjoyed that.  (Okay, I was becoming a snobby intellectual and I thought I needed to know about philosophy).  If I remember that evening, I also bought a cheap print of John Constable’s painting “The Hay Wain” which I put in my dorm room.  

Books are part of my everyday life.  These days I like audiobooks as I walk and listen.  I find I can laugh at some of the sections - and I get a big smile as I walk - and I really don’t care if somebody looks at me and wonders -what is she laughing at?’.  (My current audiobook is by Debbie Macomber - “Country Bride” - and it is light reading.  I laugh at the situations the protagonist gets into.  )

I remember my senior English instructor in high school who said “Don’t read Ayn Rand” - so, of course, I read Ayn Rand.  I liked Fountainhead - and in college, I launched into “Atlas Shrugged” with my girlfriend at that time.  I’ve thought back, why did my instructor say “don’t read Ayn Rand” - but I found it fascinating and challenging.  You could become your best - but you had to believe in yourself.  Yes, Ayn Rand doesn’t come off as a Christian writer - but that is okay.  

And, yes, as a college male, the sex in the story was interesting - but it seemed to be sex with a purpose - sex of communication.  (And, if you haven’t read it, there isn’t that much sex!!)

I’ve read Kafka - especially Metamorphosis, and Camus and Hermann Hesse.  I’ve read C.S. Lewis and John Grisham; James Patterson and Nancy Drew.  I’ve even written four books (maybe more if you count daily blogs for seven-plus years).  

I do remember an advertisement from Georgia Pacific company in the 1960s - that promoted reading “Send me a man who reads”.  (but I also remember that some people added punctuation ‘Send me a man.  Who reads?”

What have you read?  What have you read lately?  Have you looked at the list of the “!00 Books you should read”?  

Keep reading - keep learning!!!

Hugs!!

Karen (the reader)