All the great books (and a few not so great ones)

The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg.

A couple weeks ago the nephew called from the bookstore and wanted me to recommend some books. My first question was what kind of books. How do I answer him? I asked what sort of genre he might like. "No, the good books" he said. He wants to know about the classics, the "great" books. I ask him if he wants to really read them for him or if he wanted to read them to impress someone or if he wanted to read them because someone told him he should. "I just want to for me" was the answer. Cool, awesome, happy for him. "What do you think about War and Peace". I told him I didn't. I said it was the most boring bunch of overblown BS I had ever attempted to read. I recommended a few classics and of course he chose none of them. I was thrilled. He went with some Orwell. It's all good.

Books have always been vital to my mental health. When I was young they were an escape and a good friend. They were as I got older too. I can't stay focused on a book lately. It has come about since my mom died. I can't settle my mind into the story. It is driving me MAD. I have 6 books at my bedside table that are waiting. They are calling and I want to answer. I need to immerse myself in the tale and put myself in the story, just like I used to. I'm going to find my passion for books again. I must. But back to the classics for a minute.

I never had much use for the mysterious "they" that decided what made up good literature. Yes, I adore many of the classic writers. Twain, Dickens, Poe, Steinbeck, Bradbury are a few of my heroes. I loved the book lists we used to get in Senior English. I would always chose the one book nobody else wanted to read. It made for great discussion with my teacher. He never wanted us to figure out what the author was trying to convey or what the "deeper meaning" was. He told us to take what we wanted from it and I loved him for it. A book should be savored and enjoyed and wallowed in . Not rammed down your throat because some obscure intellectual snooze meister stated it was worthy or art. I have read plenty, and I do mean plenty, of crap. Not one single book has failed to teach me something, even if it was just a new word. I have given up on a few that just bored me to tears.

I always wanted to read Satanic Verses. I think if you write a book that makes a lot of people want to kill you, it's probably worth a shot. I soon figured out why. It was a bore, a total bore. I slugged my way through 100 pages and still had no clue what was going on. That is my limit. If in 100 pages you can't capture my attention, then I am done. I felt the exact same way about anything written by Tolkien. "gasp" I know, I should be tarred and feathered. Sorry, it seriously bored me to tears. Maybe I'm just not intelligent enough to find the "deeper meaning." Which brings me to another irritation.

Someone I consider very intelligent told me the other day they didn't feel confident commenting or interacting because they didn't have the same book knowledge or weren't as well read as others. I laughed it off a bit for two reasons. The person I was talking to was smart and because all that stuff is just a bunch of hogwash. I can google quotes all day long. It doesn't make me smart, it just gives the appearance that I am. I really don't care. I have met brilliant people who never spent a day in a college classroom and I have met quite a few over educated folk who thinks their shite doesn't stink. That is not a slap at education. There is nothing in this world worth more to me than the value of a higher education but it is a lot like manners, it should be used to teach and make people comfortable, not to beat them over the head and make them feel small or insignificant.

If you ever want a really good laugh, read Texasville by Larry McMurty. It's the sequel to The Last Picture Show (a book I did not like) and one I go back and read often. Of all of Mr. McMurty's books, this is the best in my humble ("snicker") opinion. If I am in a bad mood and I want a lift, I pull it out. A courier at work told me once to never waste time on bestsellers. I thought he was full of it then and I still do. Here is a very small list of some of my favorite crappy writers. (said tongue in cheek) Oh, I am a travel writer junkie too.

Larry McMurtry
James Lee Burke
Simon Green
Jim Butcher
J.R. Ward
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Laurell K Hamilton
Louis L'amour (yes I did go there)

Yep, all crap to some people. I could care less what they think. I hate autobiographies and "real life" murder stories. Other than that, I will read just about anything. Read a book, any book. I don't care if it's a comic book. Read crap and read the classics. I am getting back to my books, as of right now and to quote Mr. Stephen King from Christine "shit wipes off" (google not utilized) and Mr. L'Amour (google also not utilized)

"For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time."

I also don't like most opera music or Picasso. Call a cop. I'm not saying it isn't art. I just don't like it. Feel free to share your personal favorites if you are inclined.