What do you love?

Who Cares?

A Blog by Mick Anger #3

What do you love?

Sara Palin is famous for not being able to recall anything she was currently reading, magazines, newspapers, books, blogs? 

Ah, no.

How could that be? I am always reading something, sometimes two things, or more concurrently. I love to read. I always have. I was blessed that it came effortlessly to me and I fell in love with words and language too, all at the same time. I must have been 5 or so, is that about right for the fifties?

I was voracious, and inhaled books as if they were the smell of fresh bread. I went to catholic school and was quite proud when Sister Terence told me I read with “good expression” when called on to read aloud. I could hear the words in my head when I read to myself and wanted to be able to convey what I was experiencing to others. I loved to read and I thought everyone must feel the same way.

How could you not love to journey into space or to other worlds or universes? To learn about science and all the wonders to come, soon. Science Fiction was my specialty, and I sought out comics to feed my furnace. 

Comic books were the best place to expand my mind and my vocabulary. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to encounter words like stymie or stygian. I loved all kinds too, from Superman to Amazing Fantasy to Donald Duck. And what about Classics Illustrated, they were incredible! I could feel like I had read Moby Dick and The Red Badge of Courage when I was in the fourth grade. I could never get enough to read.

My sister loves to tell the story about how I read the entire Encyclopedia that my parents bought one volume at a time at the supermarket. I almost swallowed them whole, and there were fabulous pictures.

I belonged to a science book club that would send a paperback book with color stickers of the pictures to be pasted in by the reader. Fascinating subjects like “Magnetism” and “Electricity” or “Flight”. The gave you cardboard sleeves to keep the books in, I still have them on my shelf. E-books are great, but can’t equal the feeling you get when you run your eyes over a shelf of books, it only hints at the wonders within.

I must confess that I have fallen out of the habit of reading a daily newspaper since I moved into a condo 25 years ago. I always read the sunday edition when I was home, but thank the universe for the internet. That doesn’t mean I don’t read one when I can, because I will, anytime. I love input.

I read for about 2 hours in the morning with my coffee. Usually a magazine, but it could be a book too. And on some days I will watch one or two of my “Great Courses” lectures on history or culture or whatever. They are almost as good as a book.

The point is, I know what I’m reading because I’m reading a lot of stuff all the time. After coffee I ride my exercise bike while listening to jazz or classical music and reading about audiophile equipment and music. Or Wired magazine. I wouldn’t, I don’t think, be at a loss for words if you asked me what I was reading like Sara was.

After my 45 minute ride to nowhere on the bike I have a bowl of cereal and go to the net for more input and exploration.

I love it too much. It’s a part of what I do and who I am. I’m a reader. What’s that you’re reading?

Tell me in the comments.

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