I might as well admit it right away: I am a bookish guy. Ah, the original out-of-body experience, all by looking at a sheet of paper. Sure, I have had stints as a judoka (yellow belt), skateboarder (ollie, not the kickflip) or bedroom DJ. But nothing has ever worked quite as well for me as sitting down and reading a nice book. Over time, I have come to accept my bookishness. And now, I plan to come out in the open, share a few nuggets I found while panning the information stream.
"Which kind of books?" you might ask. Well, I shop in many departments, my impetuous friend. Anything goes: novels, evidently, from every era and continent. But why stop there if you could read a bit of cringe self-help literature, a study of animal behaviour or a slightly disturbing childrens' book?
Poetry is where I draw the line. I guess I just do not have the patience. More in general, I am not a fan of 'spot the symbolism', phallic or other. So if you are in need a few more deep thoughts on Jane Eyre for your exam paper, best of luck and run along. Unlike a few other bloggers out there, I will not be entertaining you with the links between events in my personal life and those of fictional characters. Mr. Toad springs to mind.
Just a few thoughts on decent or funny books, then. And the odd song or picture to liven it up. The picture by Adrian Tomine below was once on the cover of 'The New Yorker'. I love it to bits, and imagine it would send tears to the eyes of any author.
The same probably applies to my own reading habits. I get pretty voracious, skipping parts, making big dog ears, on purpose, to indicate a page I like. Cardinal sin: I listen to music while reading. And to make matters worse, I will be recommending a song or two on this very blog.
Let's start by choosing a 'Bookambish anthem'. Keith Mansfield is labeled ‘library musician’ so that might fit. This one, Funky Fanfare, has become pretty hot. It has been sampled a lot recently, and original copies now go at the price of a kidney.
Before I sign off, one more Tomine pic, a bit more upbeat this one and a good reason for keeping a blog.
Hope you'll enjoy it. More next weekend!
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