After the excitement at the ER on Saturday and Monday, I now have a bad case of the blahs. To alleviate boredom, I picked up the novel by Nicholas Sparks that Lisa bought me a few weeks ago, but was unable to read beyond the prologue. Why? Because it follows the same old formula he has used for his previous books. Don’t get me wrong. I have seen all of his movies and have read six of his books and truly enjoyed them. However, his writing has gotten stale, and his “At First Sight” has not lit my fire.
The last book I read from cover to cover was Professor Randy Pausch’s memoir, “The Last Lecture.” Like millions of people worldwide, I saw the video of his last lecture on television. What an impressive guy! If you don’t already know, he produced this lecture for his three children to watch/read when they are old enough to appreciate the story of his remarkable life and the legacy he left behind. It was a stunning memoir by a man, who had terminal pancreatic cancer and only six months left to live. He certainly packed a lot of living in such a short time.
I am happiest when I am intellectually engaged. Writing books, newspaper columns, and a blog satisfy me while I am actually doing it. I also like to read.
Have you read any ENTERTAINING books recently? Let me know what they are, and I’ll look for them at Borders or Amazon. Mahalo!
July 10, 2009 at 7:58 am |
I was just talking yesterday with a friend about the idea that this digital age isn’t something that will last beyond electricity. It is sad but the thousands of photos I take are not likely to be seen beyond their showing up on a hard drive as so many K. He pointed out that two primitive characters I carved from 100 plus year old wood are going to last longer and appear in more garage sales over the next hundred years or so and the digital stuff we think so neat will be whispers in the inner ear of people considered to be lunatics.
The reading I do, beyond blogs, is limited to books like Soul Survivor – the reincarnation of a World War II fighter pilot. There are few books whose reincarnation tales can be investigated and verified but this is one that was. I don’t read much or never enough.
July 10, 2009 at 10:29 am |
hmmm. I checked Amazon for that book, Abe. Looks fascinating! And it’s on sale for $16.49 so if I can come up with another book title, I’ll get free shipping for a $25 or more purchase.
July 10, 2009 at 10:30 am |
I read Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” recently for the first time since college. No kidding. It took me two months. The chapters are short so I could click off my progress without bogging down. Each chapter seems to pick up with a new event or theme so I didn’t get lost. I found the book entertaining.
July 10, 2009 at 10:38 am |
Haha! A UH World Lit professor once told me I wrote like Tolstoy. I didn’t know if that was a compliment or an insult…
July 10, 2009 at 10:53 am |
Gigi–It could only be a compliment unless he meant your penmanship looked like Russian.
I bought my copy of “War and Peace” at the best bookstore in Hawaii–Bookends in Kailua. The book caught my eye because it was a new Penguin paperback for only $17. It is sewn bound so it didn’t even come close to falling apart as a lot of paperbacks do. Moreover, I was really ready to read the book again. I would not recommend the almost 2000-page book per se unless one is eager to try it, just as I would not recommend caviar (another Russian specialty), though I myself like to eat it, though I seldom do. But some people hate caviar.
I also read Ben Cayetano’s biography, “Ben,” at the same time. “Ben” is really rather good, if you’re interested in Hawaiian history as I am. But the real point is I could move easily from the short, shapely chapters of Tolstoy to another book, so I did not feel condemned to read nothing but Tolstoy.
July 10, 2009 at 11:07 am |
“Ben” is selling for $13.57 on Amazon! I never cared for this inarticulate governor. I remember watching him on a TV show with Leslie Wilcox. After a contestant spoke, Leslie asked Cayetano what he thought. “Terrific,” he replied. He used that word throughout the show! I am simply amazed that he managed to write a book that has turned out to be a local bestseller!
July 10, 2009 at 11:32 am |
Gigi–That’s why I emphasized that “Ben” is a good book, precisely because people are a bit surprised when they hear that. It is surprisingly good.
July 10, 2009 at 5:19 pm |
gigi- your true power shows when you start talking shop!
WOW!
July 10, 2009 at 7:45 pm |
My son read Moby Dick when he was in a remote village in Mali. He said it was the best book he’d ever read. Embarrassingly, I still haven’t read it. But I will, I will.
July 11, 2009 at 7:14 am |
I am afraid I am way behind times. I just finished, “The Kite Runner.” I read, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” a couple of years ago. Both of them are riveting stories.
July 11, 2009 at 1:27 pm |
Thanks, Quilly. I have asked David to rent THE KITE RUNNER from Netflix.
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is also being made into a movie.