Friday, January 4, 2013

Killing Time With Books!!

While on the job I was extremely busy. Saturdays were filled with errands and I collapsed on Sundays watching DVD's with Regina to get ready for the grind ahead for the next five days, translation, there was little time to read. While exploring rooms and bookcases crammed with books, I came across a bunch I had purchased but never had the time to read. Also I've run through a stack of books that my old boss Faye gave me to read.

I finished all the fiction  books I owned and was not in the mood for nonfiction so Regina and I started swapping books. She's reading a lot of my Robert Parker novels now; however, she's not into Jack Reacher and his adventures. For the life of me I can't figure it out. I know tons of people, male and female who can't get enough of the Jack Reacher character.  I asked her if she had anything other than romance stuff. It turns out that an author named Nora Roberts who writes romance novels also writes mystery novels involving the FBI, etc. So I took a chance and read a couple. 

Ms. Roberts can turn a phrase to be sure. The books were entertaining. However, I could do without some of the steamy scenes. They didn't add much to the book. Roberts could take a hint from another of my favorite authors, Louis Lamour when it came to romance. In his books, it was always implied, never raw. I'm old, I don't need raw,

Last night I read the last one and went into the front room where we store a lot of books, I picked up a couple and brought them into the room to read, only to discover that it was the romance version of Ms. Robert's books, Yuch! So I asked Regina to find me a couple more mystery books. She did and I'll plow through those next.

I have a whole bunch of political type conservative books which I was reading a little at a time, but to be honest, since the election, I lost interest in what's going on out there. Of course being laid off due to a reduction in force didn't help,  I don't need to be depressed anymore than I am.

I guess some of my history nonfiction books will be next. I have plenty of them around the house that I haven't read yet. Many years ago, when we were first married, I joined the History Book Club. I was always forgetting to stop the monthly selection so I wound up with them anyway. Eventually I gave up and just accepted whatever came.

 Finally, about 20 years later, the house was overflowing with hardcover Historical books and I had no choice but to surrender. I sent a letter to the History Book Club and resigned my membership. I actually received a letter from them asking me not to quit. They said they would just suspend my membership for a little while. Supposedly, they didn't want my streak to end. I knew better though. I'd be a sucker and get right back in it so I said thanks but no thanks.

Consequently, we have quite a diverse library in the house. Everything from William Rufus to Marriage in the Middle Ages, the Plague that swept across Europe, Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada, the European Discovery of America, the American Civil War, the Korean War, you name it, we got it! The other day we were talking about holding a yard sale in the spring to see if we could sell any of them along with other detritus we've accumulated over the years. Something tells me that if any of my books go, older folks will buy them. I don't think the younger generation gives a hoot about history. It's their loss for sure.

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