Starting something new. Writing about Books.

Since I am no longer blogging every week about food I have decided to take the other week and use it for writing about books. These posts are not necessarily about current books so don't look at these as reviews-- think about them as being an old fart talking about good friends he occasionally meets either again or new friends he is meeting for the first time. There might be new books and they might not be.

Two things inspired this. First is a small group of bookish folks who share books they love on occasion. One of these folks is someone I have known as a friend of a couple friends for a number of years without knowing that he enjoyed fiction. Another of these folks is a woman that, the first time we met, one of us mentioned “A Confederacy of DUNCES.” Since we both liked it a the conversation just bounced forward. “A Confederacy of DUNCES” is one of those books that you either love or find incredibly over-the-top and dull. I have known folks whose taste in books I love that have held either opinion. When I first meet someone who loves DUNCES the conversation turns to why you love the book. When I meet someone who does not love (but has read at least part of it) the first conversation is a matter of finding a book that we both have read and loved. (Bring up “To Kill a Mocking Bird” helps.)

The second reason is somewhat odd. I enjoy Morris West, I have read the entire Vatican series and found them fun but simple books. One of the last books of his I read was Master-Class. I found it fun and like it the most of West's books. I loved the way he develops Max Mather-- he is a cad that becomes a good person.

I loaned this to two friends and they were blown away by it. My take on it was it was the best book by an enjoyable writer. I was somewhat taken aback by their reaction and reread it not in the idea of reading Morris West but by reading an author I had not read before. It is an incredibly good book and I missed a good deal when I read it because I was reading it with a background of other Morris West books. Charmingly I loaned one of these folks West's “Clowns of God”. She is slugging her way through it and not enjoying it at all. Had I started with a loan “Clowns of God” it most likely it would be an enjoyable read. I discounted “Master-Class” because I had read a number of Morris West's books-- she is slugging her way through “Clowns of God” because Master-Class was so good.

Which is why loaning books is great. On one hand I am reading books other people whose tastes I admire love and I would not be likely to find much less read. On the other I am getting different prospective on books I like or love. In a slight way you can do with friend's of the heart but most likely they are going to suggest books that, since they know you well, are good books but likely offered through a filter of your known tastes. “Ciderhouse Rules” is a good example of this. I enjoyed the book but person who suggested it to knew me real well. The person who loaned me “The Story of Mr. Y” and the fellow who introduced “The Nine Dragons” might or might not.

So I hope this will be enjoyable and readable. I will offer books that are loaned to me that I at least like and offer books that I like and have loaned to other people.