What? Who has time to read?
The better question is “Who has time to watch teevee?”
There are multiple ways to read these days. I have discovered e-books in spite of not having a digital reader. Amazon has a thing that lets you read on your computer. It isn’t very convenient, but it is less expensive than buying a paper book. Since I might have whatever is the opposite of a hoarding disorder, I like the idea of reading a book without owning it.
The other option I love these days is audio books. Amazon has a division called “Audible”, and I buy one book a month to listen to while working on The Cabins of Wilsonia”. (By the way, at the time of this writing I have 34 drawings remaining to complete out of the 270 in the book!)
1. Preston Goodfellow by my friend Jim Karjala is an ebook of short stories. The main character is not named Jim, but these are Jim’s stories. They are funny and moving narratives of a rough childhood but not from a victim’s viewpoint. Instead, they show tremendous spunk, character and a great survival instinct. This is an e-book worth the hassle of reading it on my computer. I read it in two sessions – nice work, Jim!!
2. Wild by Cheryl Strayed was wonderful as an audio book. This is the story of a young woman who set out to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail, completely unprepared. She was coming from a place of deep sadness and rough living, and she tells her story well.
3. Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters by Jon Acuff was also wonderful as an audio book. He read it himself, and this guy is funny, smart, wise, and very interesting. The book tells about the stages of a person’s career, that they cannot be skipped but that they can be accelerated. That sounds dull, but this book is NOT DULL in the slightest – I love the way Jon thinks and writes and speaks!
4. Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung is another ebook that a friend gave to me. I began it, it is good, but, ahem, I am too busy to finish it. That’s just wrong and ungrateful on my part. I’ll get to it, along with the huge stack of books, ahem, several stacks of books, in several locations around my house.