Missed Opportunities

It seems the internet has finally caught up with real life. It now knows what kind of clothes you like, your favorite style of music, and what your favorite literature genre is. And on almost  every website you go to, you see the ads that prove your computer knows you better than you know yourself. Buy this shirt, it seems to yell, because you bought one just like it last month, and from the same seller. Or, download this book because it's just like the last one you read. And, buy this lawn ornament because it's the same one you bought last year, and from the same retailer. Somehow, "they" know whatever it was you bought last year didn't make it to this year.

At first I thought this was a really nice feature of being on the internet. I didn't have to search too hard for stuff I liked. But the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. How would I ever know what else was out there if I didn't look? Maybe there was a shirt I would like better; or a different style of music that would be interesting and  fascinating. Or a different type of literature that I would enjoy.

But, no, how could there be? The internet always directed me to what I liked. I never had to look at opposing political views, or non-fiction books about Asia, or anything to do with economics. All I had to do was click on the ad in front of me. But then I thought, how can you learn anything new if you just stay with what you are used to?

Maybe I got tired of not hearing about new ideas, of not learning new things. Maybe joining a book club was my first act of rebellion against being stagnant. I hope there's more to come.

To Dream or Not to Dream

A recent commentary on NPR pointed out that, today, there is little chance for anyone to be bored.  Our time is constantly filled with electronic games, texts, even movies and TV shows which can be downloaded onto devices small enough to carry in our hand or pocket.   Back before cell phones, iPads, or computers, there were times when people actually had nothing to do. Now, if you're standing in line waiting for a table, waiting for the store to open, or even on hold on the phone, there is always a distraction waiting to be accessed. We no longer have to be bored.

The commentator's point was that we are missing out on the times when our imaginations were allowed to soar, or when we could  dream of what might be, or even develop a plan for the future. According to her, this is where our minds went when we were bored. Now, there is a lack of daydreaming, perhaps of creativity. She believes we need these times of boredom to dream, and dream big.

If that is the case, then I have always wasted my time.  Since about the age of 6, I have never gone anywhere without a book. If I had to wait for an appointment, my book was there. If someone ran an errand and left me in the car, I had a book to read. Even when I was put on hold, or during TV commercials, I  had a book in front of me. Now I have to wonder just how imaginative I could have been if I had put the book down and filled the empty time with daydreaming. Would I already have had that novel published?

Do I still have time to learn this art of daydreaming?

Time for Reading

Does anyone else have stacks of unread magazines? And shelves of unread books? Yesterday, I actually had the urge to sweep the magazines off the dresser where they are stacked and just get rid of all of them. When that thought went through my head, I panicked. I had never before wanted to get rid of any reading material, especially if I hadn't read it. Don't get me wrong; when I finish a magazine, it usually goes in the recycle pile, unless I know someone else would like to look at it.

Books, that's different. It's only lately that I've been able to pass on books to others, or to give them to the library or even the Salvation Army. Books have been my reason for being, or, at the least, very important to me. But now, when I look around the house and see the hundreds of books and dozens of magazines, I see clutter. I have been able to curb the urge to buy a lot of books because the library makes them so available. If Mentor Public Library doesn't have the book I want, chances are I can find it through Search Ohio. Only if I cannot find it there do I consider looking on the internet to buy. That way, I tell myself, I am at least not adding to the book clutter that has taken over my house.

Back to the magazines. I know the solution is easy - just don't renew them. Then I stop to think; I have to renew The Week, it's great for keeping me up to date on what's going on in the country and the world (if only I were up to date on reading it). And what about the Atlantic, Alfred Hitchcock Magazine, and a few others? Don't I legitimately need them to study what kind of stories they publish? Then there are a couple of dog magazines that I can't quit because, well, because they're about dogs. And the writing magazines, their content is about writing! I do think that I won't renew The New York Review of Books, because I have no trouble finding books to read. So there is at least one magazine gone, I think.

Book Reviews

In the last few weeks, I have read several noteworthy books.  The latest was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by the Swedish writer Stieg Larsson.  It was a very good story, and not hard to read.  I understand there are two more books in the series, but I am in no hurry to read them.  I want to spread them out a little. Maybe this is because Mr. Larsson died after he finished writing the three novels, or maybe because the writing was somewhat intense and I need a break before I can continue with my vicarious look into the lives of these characters who live so much more intensely than I do, or even want to.  Whichever it is, it will be a while before I read the next book in the series.

Another book I read recently was The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.  Mr. Dawkins makes a very compelling case for there not being a god, even in the introduction to the book where he points out that there would have been no Crusades, no Spanish Inquisition, no 9/11, and a whole bunch of other wars, attacks, killings, and imprisonments if there were no belief in a god by anyone.  Science would also have seen more discoveries and been able to answer more questions if religious beliefs hadn't gotten in the way.   A very disturbing and enlightening book, but very commonsensical.

Before that, I read a novel called Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.  The main character's story of abduction was told through her sessions with her psychoanalyst, each chapter being a new session.  Even though we know at the beginning of the book that the main character was saved, there is still a surprise ending.  Very good entertainment.

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastings shows us the richness of the author's life and his unquenchable thirst for writing, whether it be books, stories, or screenplays. In spite or, or maybe because of, his bisexuality, his zest for travel, and his friendship with world leaders (think Winston Churchill), Maugham was a prolific writer who never failed to write for three hours every day after breakfast.  This book was very well written and really good.