what if it’s at night and there’s no electricity?

Tiff - Flashlight!!!!!!

I hate to admit how much more time I’ve spent reading blogs this summer than actual books. :-0

@tiff
Well then you’re up a creek, aren’t you? But that’s still not an advantage against computer use. That’s just more like going back to the days where people lived by the sun’s behavior: sleep at 7 and wake up at 5. Sometimes I think that wouldn’t be so bad.

@Jill
Yeah, I think that there are many people out there who would similarly cringe when presented with raw numbers for how much more time they spent online than in a good book. What kinds of things do you read?

Derek - Since you liked Asimov’s ‘Trilogy’, you might want to give Robert A. Heinleins’ ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’. Published in 1961, he was awarded the Hugo award. It gave us the word ‘grok’, which means, well, read the book.
I am a book collector, bordering on obsession, dealing mainly in non-fictional works whose genres run the gambit.
When the power goes out we have propane lanterns to use for reading.

@MorgainLighter
I just picked up the 4th book in Asimov’s Foundation series, and I rather intend on finishing it out. But I will very likely check out Heinleins after I finish with that. I’m always looking for trying new books so thanks for the suggestion.

A book collector you say? That’s pretty interesting, I don’t think that I know many of those. Do you go for the old first editions or how does that work? What are some of the books that you’ve collected?

I am definitely a reader. I don’t even own a TV and I don’t rent movies in any form, either.

I am a big fan of public libraries. Libraries are democracy in action - I mean, they provide all sorts of views on everything! I haven’t moved to eBooks as yet. I have skimmed short ones but not novels. I tend to check out 8-10 books at the library at a time.

I’ve always been a reader. I went from the classics (”All Creatures Great and Small”, Jane Austen, Copperfield, Hardy) to Science Fiction (Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Herbert) to Fantasy to mysteries and finally branched to well, American fiction and pretty much anything that catches my eye.

I have been exposing myself to different types of novels and forms so have begun reading essays and autobiographies.

There is something to be said about references, like knowing where the term “Grok” came from. Another benefit of reading books is generally you become a better writer, you have a larger vocabulary and if you read different types of books, you expand your universe, create new references.

Many of my friends are readers and several do not have TVs either! Lately I haven’t read too much fiction. I’ve come across so many personal development/spiritual books in the new book section of the library that I have to read those, first!

I am looking forward to a pure entertainment book with a “manly-man” protagonist - one of Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” books. They are hilarious, Jack is just so deadpan-I’m-your-man. I have one waiting in the pile for me.

Night and no electricity? When the power went out a few weeks ago it was perfect timing - around 9pm. I was able to shut down my computer (UPS) I lit a few candles and lamps to wash up and then…meditation and an early night. It was actually nice. No hum of the refrigerator, no green LCD glows. Of course the power came back while I was sleeping. Dunno if I could hack it for days on end!

@Ms. Q
I think that I would have expected you to be a reader, but I didn’t think that you would have cut such a wide swath through the genres of literature! It’s really neat that you have such a love for books. I definitely think that reading helps one’s vocabulary (as well as grammar, spelling, etc). It also is such a great and easy way to have a conversation!

Do you think that you have become friends with those that read and do not watch TV because of that or just naturally as a result of you and them being of like minds? That’s rather interesting to think about (since I don’t actually have many friends at all who do not at least own a television).

Sometimes I wonder about what it’d be like to live as they used to live (where they had no electricity and slept and worked according to the light provided to them by the sun). I think that would definitely be an interesting and different way to live. But usually I come to the conclusion that I enjoy the way things are too much as they are right now. Plus I have to take into account the fact that I’m a software engineer right now. What would I do then? Well I’m sure that I would find something, but considering that I enjoy programming I am happy with the way things are at right now.

Out of all of the books and genres that you’ve read, what do you think are your favorites? I think that it’s very pleasant to be able to find out about other people’s tastes and perhaps dabble in those areas myself. Have you read all of the books that I have listed under “currently reading”? Okay, I’ll admit that it seems like a rather short list considering how much I say that I enjoy reading. To be honest, I don’t read as much as I’d like because there are other things that I also enjoy doing. Nevertheless that list is only around since I started this blog (so about 8 months or so now). Hopefully that doesn’t make me seem like too slow of a reader. I remember that I would read books oh so quickly when I was younger (and didn’t have other distractions or cares). I’d check out 10 or 15 books every few weeks! Of course, back then I wasn’t too discerning. I was more of the mind that I’d try it out and drop it if I didn’t like it rather quickly. Now I’d like to think that I try to use my time more wisely.

Have I mentioned I’m really distractible? I think it’s twice that I’ve started responding to this and then forgotten to finish…I’ve been into a lot of memoirs lately - I liked the Glass Castle. I just finished To Live’s to Fly, a biography of Townes Van Zandt & just started the Secret Life of Bees, which is something I might not have picked out but someone just lent it to me.

I always feel like I have to read stuff quickly when someone lends me something, because otherwise I’d probably forget to give it back.

I think I read the “Foundation” series but in reading the Amazon description - I can’t really remember them.

Favorite genre of books? Hmmm. It all depends on my mood. Right now murder mysteries I guess - the forensic ones like the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. But I like so many types of books.

Jill: I am not surprised by the Townes Van Zandt bio. Hehehe. I read “The Secret Life Of Bees” - a beautiful book. I read Sue Monk Kidd’s later (?) book, “The Mermaid Chair” which I also liked. It’s books like that that made me want to be a writer. For very simple stories that get to the heart of relationships, I like Elizabeth Berg. She makes writing look easy! In fact, when I’ve read her book on writing, she said that for her, writing comes easily.

@Jill
I’m not sure if memoirs are the genre for me, but I think that I’m willing to give it a try. I’ll check out one of the ones that you mentioned sometime, perhaps!

I know what you mean about borrowing things! Although I think that’s far better than those that feel that they have a right to keep the borrowed items indefinitely.

@Ms. Q
If you haven’t read it, I’d say try it! Well perhaps checking one out and reading it a little bit might jog your memory.

Hm murder mystery. Interesting. I don’t remember reading too many of those, but they do seem like they’d make for rather interesting reads. I mean, movies of the same genre tend to be pretty suspenseful and captivating so I would assume the books would be equally (if not more so).

Ms.Q - The Townes Van Zandt bio was sooooooooooo good…but then I’m a little obsessed that way. :-0 The one review of it I read actually didn’t recommend it all that highly.

I’m having trouble with the Secret Life. I’m not sure I’m going to finish it. I really, really like it, but it might be too depressing for me to deal with. Then again, I might just read it really, really fast. I feel a little better having put it down though.

Ok so I just realized that I’ve just admitting to finding a fictional book about a character that doesn’t exist ***way*** less depressing than an actual biography of a guy who more or less drank himself to death…but I think it was because the biography was so anecdotal. You didn’t actually have to feel everything he felt the way you sort of do with the fiction.

Ms. Q - forgot to say I liked the Kay Scarpetta books too. I look at those as sort of a good, simple escape. In fact, maybe when I get my library fees down to where I’m allowed to check out books again I should take one out. Better get on that before rent’s due…oh wait - that comment goes in the more recent budgeting post, doesn’t it?

Oops - I meant to say the fictional book was way MORE depressing - DRAT!!!!!!!! Sorry to monopolize the conversation on this one.