the fish bowl

Finally, I am back on here.  It has been a while, and this will be my first blog not related to class work.  Kind of...   Either way, I'm excited about it.

As an English major, I have an understood relationship with books.  What kind of English major would I be, after all, if I were not a fan of reading and literature?  I'll let you answer that.  Honestly, I am proud for my love of books.  After some people have gotten to know me, they are somewhat shocked to learn that some of my favorite authors are Poe, Matheson, and King.  One is disturbed and marries a cousin; another is the father or modern horror; and the last has to sleep with the light on because of his own imagination.  A great top three, right?  Something about these three authors draws me to them.  I, honestly, have no idea what it is, either.  Not 100% sure anyways.  Maybe it is the creepy feel to some of the stories.  Maybe it is their reputations.  Maybe it has to do with who they are and what their lives have been like.  Again, let's take a look at them.  In order: one was a drunk and had psychological issues; another was a part of the Christian science religion and served during World War II; and the other started out as a high school English teacher and was published for the first few times in Playboy or a similar magazine.  Are these guys good literary role models?  Stories of black cats leading someone to put an axe in his wife's head, vampire apocolypse, model students on shooting rampages, psycho murderers, teenage girls decimating an entire army with their thoughts, and haunted hotel rooms aren't exactly the kind of stories that launch new careers in literature.  Why is this?  It the literary cannon set and unchangeable now?  Should these stories not be looked upon with high regard due to their plot content?  Definitely not.  The creativity and passion put into these stories, even the shortest, have over powered some of the classic pieces I have read before.  Maybe it has to do with the generational gap.  Maybe I am just a different kind of English major.  Maybe I am just weird.  Still, those three authors encourage me both in profession and literary pursuits with even their darkest of tales.  Don't get me started on the touching stories right now either.  Matheson's What Dreams May Come was one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read. 

You have my take on a few authors.  Now what about books in general.  First off, I assume that I am not the only one who feels relaxed and at ease in a book store (especially if there is a coffee shop inside).  There is something about the atmosphere there.  I feel like I should be quite, like in a library, yet I just want to shout with excitement sometimes.  I love books.  I want to buy so many.  Sadly I don't have the money to buy them nor the time to read them all.  I basically have a "waiting list" of books to read right now.  I have planned out my literary life for the next few months already.  That doesn't mean that the list cannot evolve, because it does, especially when I keep buying new books.  Just last week I bought a double book by James Joyce.  Granted I already have quite a list made, but Joyce has somehow cut in that line and gotten his way a little closer to the top.  Places like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Walden Books are all addicting places for me.  I almost feel like I should buy something any time I set foot in one.  I want to buy something.  I am drawn by some force to the bargain section and can find countless books I would love to have.  Oh! the pressure!  These nice refined books stores aren't the only places that plague me, either.  Even Goodwill or the Salvation Army stores get to me.  They have so many books that people discard without good reason.  I have bought something like ten hardback novels for $1.25 each.  They were near brand new, too.  Had I gone to one of the before mentioned stores, I would have paid nearly $250 buying these new.  Instead, I pay less than $15.  Yes!  The Book Worm near home is another literary distraction.  It is a new and used book store.  A great place with seemingly thousands of books packed within its tiny walls.  Kids books, cooking books, Clancy novels, religious self-help books, manuals for old electronics... there is a little of everything there.  Buying books is like a drug for me.  I need a fix about once a month or I get that itch.  Thankfully, I am good for another three weeks or so.

As a side note on my literary outbursts: do not read a book at the same time as me unless you are a faster reader than I am.  I have the bad habit of talking about a book forever when I read it.  I don't want to ruin it for you.

-nathan