In a constant effort to increase my exposure, I am joining groups and updating bookshelves on sites such as Shelfari and Good Reads. Doing this made me think. Often this is a bad thing, but this train of thought is applicable to what I do – write and read. So that leads me to the question proposed in the title of this post –
What IS on my bookshelf?
I just finished reading The Firm by John Grisham. Great, quick read especially for someone like me who is a slow, slow reader. I brought it skiing and just finished it now. Told you I was slow. Anyway, this is my second time through, of course. Though having three books and a screenplay under my belt since the first reading, I think I appreciate what Grisham creates even more now.
Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz. Love this book. However the only book of Koontz that I have read. Sometimes he teeters on a genre that I really don’t frequent. But Mr. Murder continues to wow me and keeps me interested read after read.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The legacy of the book speaks for itself. I even referenced passages in a previous work of my own. That’s how much it stayed with me.
A few years back I reread The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses beautiful words and sentences them in even more beautiful ways. I’m humbled to know I will never write in this manner. But I accept that. I’m just not wired that way. Also, I write for pure entertainment value. Nothing too deep and impactful. But there is often purpose in what I write if I must say so myself.
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale has been read so many times that a rubber band is needed to hold the book together. God forbid I dropped it when it was loose. Pages would be everywhere. I stole the copy from my mother long ago. She’s fine with it. Remember, I work retail pharmacy. The American public sucks every bit of energy and optimize out that I have. My battery needs to be recharged often. It’s either that or therapy. Though some say I need both.
Well that’s how the books on my shelf stack up. There are more, of course. I’ll save that for another post down the line.
