a rambling on books
Today is the sort of day that I wish I had off to just lay in bed or stay in my pajamas all day. Granted, I wouldn't just spend my time idle, as I would do something, either read, work the daily crossword and the jumble, work on making Chtristmas presents for people. I could be snuggled up in blankets with my little Izzy curled up on top of my ankles like she always is when its cold out side and she senses the dull aching throb that I've acquired in my joints from years of ballet classes an horse back riding and all of the other physical stresses placed on my body. But alas, I am at work, staring at the cold and glum outside through the windows by my desk.
It has been suggested to me that a read the works of several poets. I will, but I'd like to buy a book of each respective poet's work, as I much prefer the intimacy of the printed and bound page to reading it off the internet. I should just pick up some new reading materials in general. I have read all of the really interesting books, and some not so interesting to most people, but that are applicable to my career, and am now reduced to reference books on holistic animal care. Personally, I haven't much desire to read those from cover to cover, but instead consult them when a question arises. I do think though that I should definitely borrow my father's books on various political theories. It would give me something to ponder.
I find the distinction of each person's preferences in reading materials in my family humorous. My mother can't get enough of the thriller paper back books found in the aisles of every grocery store in America. She will read them in two days to a week and tell me every twist and turn of the plot, until they all seem to run together and I can guess what will happen next. She then gets angry with me for my lack of enthusiasm and inability to think the story is as profound as she does. She is also a big fan of the Harry Potter books, but usually waits for those to come out not only in paper back, but in Spanish as well, making those impossible for me to even consider stealing from her shelves, since my Spanish comprehension has somewhat evaporated over the years. My father's books are more interesting to me. His library is small, and sits on two book shelves in his living room above his amazing vinyl collection. The first two rows are cookbooks. The rest are books, mostly older than I, that he has collected over the years. Many of them are classics with a lot of Stephen King thrown in for good measure. He has a new habbit now of collecting books on political theories, as for a short while he dreamt of running for political office upon his retirement with DHR Budget Services. My stepmother's collection of books is very small and consist of very unimpressive titles. She has a couple of books on filling out tax forms, and the rest are motivational and self help sorts of books that primarily target the agenda of African Americans who feel discriminated against (don't get me wrong, these are problems in some communites; however, my stepmother has never been the victim of discrimination, or at least to no greater extent than anyone else in the world would experience for whatever silly reason). My father's parents have a large library, but it too is left with little one would want to read. Yet to an elementary school aged child it is a treasure trove of fantastic stories from nearly antique reading primers (my grandmother taught elementary school for many years and was a reading specialist). To the adult audience there are only a few volumes of Robert Frost poems, Religious texts, and every form of reference book imaginable (particularly religious reference books). Then there is my collection, which is a strange mixture of books on monumental architects, art history books, classic fiction (although the classics I like are of a more romanic nature than those in my father's collection), informational books on the proper care of animals or instructional books on horseback riding, and some of the texts from college classes that I decided were too interesting to let go of.
The one thing that really stands out to me though about each collection is how it shows exactly who these people are, and what they like in life. There is no variance from the norm or comfort level in their lives. So with thus said I have decided to read more about random things that I know absolutely nothing about or may not agree with, so that one day, when someone judges me by volumes in my library, they won't say that I didn't make some effort to be a well rounded person.
It has been suggested to me that a read the works of several poets. I will, but I'd like to buy a book of each respective poet's work, as I much prefer the intimacy of the printed and bound page to reading it off the internet. I should just pick up some new reading materials in general. I have read all of the really interesting books, and some not so interesting to most people, but that are applicable to my career, and am now reduced to reference books on holistic animal care. Personally, I haven't much desire to read those from cover to cover, but instead consult them when a question arises. I do think though that I should definitely borrow my father's books on various political theories. It would give me something to ponder.
I find the distinction of each person's preferences in reading materials in my family humorous. My mother can't get enough of the thriller paper back books found in the aisles of every grocery store in America. She will read them in two days to a week and tell me every twist and turn of the plot, until they all seem to run together and I can guess what will happen next. She then gets angry with me for my lack of enthusiasm and inability to think the story is as profound as she does. She is also a big fan of the Harry Potter books, but usually waits for those to come out not only in paper back, but in Spanish as well, making those impossible for me to even consider stealing from her shelves, since my Spanish comprehension has somewhat evaporated over the years. My father's books are more interesting to me. His library is small, and sits on two book shelves in his living room above his amazing vinyl collection. The first two rows are cookbooks. The rest are books, mostly older than I, that he has collected over the years. Many of them are classics with a lot of Stephen King thrown in for good measure. He has a new habbit now of collecting books on political theories, as for a short while he dreamt of running for political office upon his retirement with DHR Budget Services. My stepmother's collection of books is very small and consist of very unimpressive titles. She has a couple of books on filling out tax forms, and the rest are motivational and self help sorts of books that primarily target the agenda of African Americans who feel discriminated against (don't get me wrong, these are problems in some communites; however, my stepmother has never been the victim of discrimination, or at least to no greater extent than anyone else in the world would experience for whatever silly reason). My father's parents have a large library, but it too is left with little one would want to read. Yet to an elementary school aged child it is a treasure trove of fantastic stories from nearly antique reading primers (my grandmother taught elementary school for many years and was a reading specialist). To the adult audience there are only a few volumes of Robert Frost poems, Religious texts, and every form of reference book imaginable (particularly religious reference books). Then there is my collection, which is a strange mixture of books on monumental architects, art history books, classic fiction (although the classics I like are of a more romanic nature than those in my father's collection), informational books on the proper care of animals or instructional books on horseback riding, and some of the texts from college classes that I decided were too interesting to let go of.
The one thing that really stands out to me though about each collection is how it shows exactly who these people are, and what they like in life. There is no variance from the norm or comfort level in their lives. So with thus said I have decided to read more about random things that I know absolutely nothing about or may not agree with, so that one day, when someone judges me by volumes in my library, they won't say that I didn't make some effort to be a well rounded person.