Overbooked and loving it!

Fiction is my one true love, more than art, more than music. For me, the written word stands alone as the most enduring and influential of all forms of expression.

Art is powerful in its ability to illustrate inner visions, and music can take us to places inside ourselves that we didn’t know existed, but words can change everything that we think we know about life.

Perhaps it’s that art and music, and even film, is open to interpretation. There is no misconstruing the message of a well-written book. You may not agree with it or it may challenge your view of the world. Still, a great novel can enrich your mind like a fantastic adventure.

Sometimes I think if more people read great literature that the world would be a better place. There would be less intolerance and more understanding. I have a feeling that this is part of what is behind Oprah’s book club. Her intentions are good. Sadly, I think her audience does not share her zeal.

“Oprah picks depressing books.” I hear some of her followers complain. That may be true. The problem that I think Oprah did not foresee is that you can’t force feed literature to people. It’s too much like English Lit 101. Personally, I loved all my English classes. Yeah, I was one of “those nerds.”

It may have seemed like an exciting idea to have a nation of readers sharing the same experience. The ideal thing would be to have people actually seek out books of their own choosing to dive into. That means no Harlequin romances or Robotech novels.

Unfortunately, the popcorn culture this country regularly consumes makes it difficult to reach for and finish digesting more substantial fare like “An American Tragedy” by Theodore Dreiser or “McTeague” by Frank Norris. No, I guess those aren’t exactly goo-filled snacks. They are however, richly rewarding experiences that will forever resonate in your soul, but who needs that?

Why not just read another McNovel where some lawyer tracks a murderer or some woman has an affair? It's just entertainment, right? “That’s true, Bill.”

I however, being the over-thinking, brooding, glaring at people I don’t know type; do not care to be simply entertained. I need substance, ideas, something that is crafted with great care and purpose. If I want to be entertained I’ll watch reruns of “The Brady Bunch.”

Yes, even when it comes to fiction, I am an ultra-snob and proud of it! My sister, (bless her pointed little head) does not “get” fiction. She doesn’t “get” it! O.K. She doesn’t see the point to books that start out, “The trees were swaying along the river as the wind whistled, etcetera, etcetera.”

How do you explain the importance of great fiction to someone like that? You don’t. You move on. You grab your stack of dusty volumes and you go home where there are many more dusty volumes waiting. And every once in a while, when you eyes get tired, you stop and shake your head because you don’t “get” it either.

She did finally find her love of books in self-help manuals and other feel-good non-fiction. She’s a realist, but she’s still a lot of fun.

I am proud to say I helped to awaken my other sister (I have three!) to the wonderful world of fiction. After dragging her to see “Sophie’s Choice” one weekend, I gave her the book to read. Lo and behold, she got hooked and finished it. It gave her a sense of accomplishment and more importantly enriched her mind. She didn’t stop there, but kept finding other books to read that interested her, books I haven’t even gotten to read. It gave us something more to share, our thoughts and ideas, our insights.

Sister number three (notice how I’m not revealing anyone’s age here) has always been a book lover like myself. I can remember sitting in her room by her bed reading science fiction while she lounged on her bed deep in “The Five Little Peppers.” Obviously we have different taste, but she passed that love of books onto her children and they found the same magic inside themselves that every book lover has. Imagination.

My mother is a book lover too. She gave us all that interest. Back in those days, books were like a big deal! There were only Tinker Toys and coloring books to distract you.

As for the other men in the family, well…my Dad has only read two books that I know of, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” and “The Godfather.” I’m not sure what my brother has read other than “Sports Illustrated.” Suffice to say, we don’t sit around discussing Thomas Pynchon.

I must give one of my brother-in-laws credit for his bookishness. He shared many of his science-fiction paperbacks with me when he was first dating my sister. He would lend me “Revolt in 2100” or something, and then instruct me how to read it without breaking the binding. I had to respect him for that. It may have been hard to see down inside the pages with the book barely half-opened, but it gave me a love of cheap, collectable ephemera that I cherish to this day.

I suppose lots of guys out there think it’s “girly” to read. It just depends on what it is you’re reading. If it’s “Little Women,” I could see that being a little “girly,” although I don’t see anything wrong with it, just as I think it’s OK for a “girl” to read The Hardy Boys.

There’s a message here somewhere in all these words. I’m not sure what it is, I just hope that’s it’s well written.