I Am A Writer Who Reads

When I hear a person say, "I don't read..." it startles me and I wonder how, in this modern age, can that be? How can anyone make that statement? (especially the university graduate that I heard actually 'boast' about it?) So you might imagine my shock when I overheard a writer-wannabe say, "I never read... I want my writing to be fresh and original."

A writer that does not read?

That phrase is a moronic oxymoron, in my opinion.


I do read.

I've been a voracious reader since second-grade in 1946. That was when I got my first public library card and checked out my first book: Little Black Sambo.

voracious
(adj.)
1. devouring or craving food in great quantities
2. very eager or unremitting in some activity; voracious reading

I just ordered two books from Amazon.com and one of them is:

THE FOLLY OF FOOLS: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life. This is a book written by Robert Trivers. Below is the Amazon book description:

Whether it's in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office, there are many opportunities to lie and self-deceive--but deceit and self-deception carry the costs of being alienated from reality and can lead to disaster. So why does deception play such a prominent role in our everyday lives? In short, why do we deceive?

In his bold new work, prominent biological theorist Robert Trivers unflinchingly argues that self-deception evolved in the service of deceit--the better to fool others. We do it for biological reasons--in order to help us survive and procreate. From viruses mimicking host behavior to humans misremembering (sometimes intentionally) the details of a quarrel, science has proven that the deceptive one can always outwit the masses. But we undertake this deception at our own peril.

Trivers has written an ambitious investigation into the evolutionary logic of lying and the costs of leaving it unchecked.

The second book is:

AMERICAN SHORT STORY MASTERPIECES

The Amazon.com description:

This highly Acclaimed collection of short stories by American writers contains only the best literary art of the past four decades. With a bias toward realism editors Raymond Carver and Tom Jenks have selected fiction that "tells a story"-- and tells it with a masterful handling of language, situation, and insight.

But what is so special about this volume is that it mirrors our age, our concerns, and our lives. Whether it’s the end of a marriage, as in Bobbie Ann Manson’s "Shiloh," or the struggle with self-esteem and weight in Andre Dubus’s "The Fat Girl," the 36 works included her probe issues that give us that "shock of recognition" that is the hallmark of great art--wonderful, absorbing fiction that will be read and reread for decades to come.


Eclectic is probably not the precise word I would choose to describe my taste is reading material.

Erratic is probably better.

__________

I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries.
--Stephen King