Saturday, January 17, 2009

Books

Books are like friends in so many ways. They fill our discretionary time with wonder and excitement. They can be informative, intriguing, frustrating, comforting, inspiring, and humorous. Relationships with some books are endearingly deep which you reinforce, perhaps with marginal notes, again and again. Some books are shallow and flippant - a passing acquaintance - which you nurture no more than is necessary. But like friends, books are indispensible. While they may have no survival value, they certainly bring value to survival. When a book comes to a end, it's like the close of a friendship, a destination reached, and a journey completed. Not all the moments may have been beautiful. Some may have been painful. Some ugly. But every book we read, like every person we meet, affects us and molds us, like each tiny tap of the sculptor's chisel, into the person we are.

And in case you were wondering. I just finished reading David McCullough's "John Adams" and I feel like I've met a soulmate some 230 years removed. And I think I've fallen in love, with John Quincy Adams. Too bad he's been dead for 160 years.

there is no
the end

6 comments:

Aimee said...

Have you seen the HBO mini-series based on McCullough's book?? A definite must-see.

Kristine said...

I blogged about books today too! Yay. :)

My current pleasure read isn't as impressive sounding as yours, but I feel good about it... I discovered a great alternative to Twilight! Not that it's hard to beat Twilight, but it's a little hard to resist comparing Stephanie Meyer to my new love, L. A. Meyer, who also writes a series about a teenage girl in love and having adventures. Apparently there's a whole series of "Bloody Jack Adventures," and the one I picked up, "Under the Jolly Roger," is actually the third, but it stands alone just fine. I'm enjoying every minute, rather than choking on Twilight-induced vomit, and would much rather see kids (and adults) reading this one.

ray said...

Thanks, Aim. I really want to see the mini-series now that I've read the book, but I'm not quite sure where to find it. working on it.

Kristine, I shall look into your book suggestion. I went through a bit of a drought for good books for a bit and was getting discouraged (until I found "John"). I have to find someone I'm book-compatible with before harring off on every recommendation.

Aimee said...

I know Netflix carries it now, which means local DVD stores should have it, too. HBO also reruns it constantly.

Reyes Family said...

Thanks for the new "good read" suggestion. I always wondered what was wrong with me because I feel like I'm saying goodbye to a good friend every time I finish a book. Now I know I'm not alone!

Ambie said...

Although I tend to love the classics more than the newer stuff coming out, I just finished a book called Three Cups of Tea and was so impressed. The writing was good, the story phenomenal.