I read literary fiction to keep my brain alive. But it’s the combination of reading and writing about it that’s the real kick. I also love reading abstruse books on philosophy and culture. Recently, I finished Hugh Kenner’s The Pound Era, quite the brain buster. I’d love to reread it…the best praise for a book, film or piece of music being that immediately you’d like to experience it again. I wish I could write about all that stuff, but I don’t feel qualified. I’m an everyday if not average reader…since no one who reads is average.
But novels are the town square of the mind, and as a citizen of that town, I feel entitled to write about novels. Novels are for everybody. And everybody should pick their own, school boards notwithstanding. I get the most from books when I pick my own. It’s called the agency of the mind and mine cries down with the gatekeepers. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot read. Cherish the choice and pick your own songs.