I am not well read. I wish I were. In an earlier chapter of my life, I read church books, theology books, books about church life and church growth and God. I liked those – then. Now I read business books, and quite a bit of general non-fiction. But I have never tackled much fiction. It is my loss. It has been a mistake. I wish I had… but I never did. Maybe one of these days…
Anyway, Roger Ebert is well read. Yes, he is. I blogged about his love of books earlier (Roger Ebert Reminds us All Just Why We Love Our Books), quoting from hisBooks do furnish a life. Now, here he is, in his own words, from Roger Ebert’s Journal, Does anyone want to be “well-read?”
For the book lovers who read this blog:
That’s how I’ve done my reading: Haphazardly, by inclination. I consider myself well read, but there has been no plan.
There is no pattern. My only goal is to enjoy reading. I learn that he average American teenager spends 17 minutes a weekend in voluntary reading. Surely that statistic is wrong. Do they mean reading of “serious” novels? I would certainly count science fiction, graphic novels, vampires, Harry Potter, newspapers, magazines, blogs–anything. Just to read for yourself for pleasure is the point. Dickens will come later, Henry James perhaps never.
At the end of the day, some authors will endure and most, including some very good ones, will not. Why do I think reading is important? It is such an effective medium between mind and mind. We think largely in words. A medium made only of words doesn’t impose the barrier of any other medium. It is naked and unprotected communication. That’s how you get pregnant. May you always be so.
First Friday Book Synopsis 