 
 

Finding time to read remains challenge in 2001

Published: Sunday, January 07, 2001

It isn't every day that I ask my wife to please refrain from giving me a book that I very much want to read.

The stack of want-to-reads at my house rarely appears smaller, no matter how many books I pick up and read either for pure enjoyment or for research. My mind still drifts off to books I loved and haven't reread for many years, or is snapped back to reality with the occasionally interesting novel that arrives unrequested in the mail or preceded by an e-mail plea.

Of course, another reality is simply a shortage of time to set aside for reading.

I always have been an avid reader, although too often there are busy stretches during which the only books I glance at were either books of poetry or anecdotal collections OK, yes, books that I can read for short periods and then set aside more easily to finish later.

Then again, I do try to read at least two newspapers every day. There's also the matter of a job that helps pay the bills, a need to keep up with Lubbock' goings-on and write about the films attracting tens of thousands of viewers and local theater that, in a perfect world, never would struggle for survival.

Book series are tackled

The past year did find me devouring all four of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling while wondering what planet I was on when this young wizard made his debut in modern literature.

I was delighted that these books any books, to tell the truth would attract very young readers. And I admit I was surprised to find each so well written and structured.

Just in the past few weeks I've consumed the first four novels in the ''Left Behind'' series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. They actually have published eight books out of a proposed 12, but I did ask my wife to hold off giving me the fifth frankly because the holiday season came to a close and I need to concentrate on interviews and reviews of a different sort.

It is not the writing that keeps one turning pages in this series. Repetitive reminders of past events are at times aggravating, too many happenings are predictable and structure is less than original.

However, these co-authors have taken a fascinating topic what might happen after Rapture occurs and succeeded in creating likable characters. Each book builds to an open-ended finale that makes one want to read the first few chapters of the next.

By then, you're hooked all over again.

Baseball book quickly read

Christmas found a good friend giving me ''Tales from the Dugout'' by Mike Shannon, which I've finished. On the other hand, a longtime friend who has blessed me with several interesting film research volumes and coffee table books also gave me a huge book about Charles Schultz, including a plethora of his ''Peanuts'' cartoons.

The timing seems crucial as 2000 found Schultz's name listed among those of the talented who died. But I haven't even read the book's prologue yet.

That's because a gift I bought for myself arrived in the mail at about the same time: the first detailed biography of film director Sergio Leone by Christopher Frayling. I've been busy, but find myself dedicated to finishing at least a chapter a day.

Some of the books published regionally were reviewed. ''C-Trick'' by Don Cooper, and ''Pitchfork Country: The Photography of Bob Moorhouse'' with text by Jim Pfluger come to mind.

Others, such as ''End of the Innocence'' by Jeff D. Nicholson, revealed talent but felt incomplete. Nicholson's second work may reveal more.

Not that every book by established authors turned out to be a winner. I breezed through Stephen King's ''On Writing'' and was left unsatisfied.

On a whim well, actually because I enjoyed the same author's ''The Alienist'' I also purchased and finished Caleb Carr's ''Killing Time.'' Hated it. Bored me silly. I kept waiting for it to get better. It never did. So much for blindly trusting the best seller lists.

There were dozens of others along the way. There are every year, and most likely will continue to be. Books always have been close friends of the sort I like to keep nearby. I don't think it is my nature to give up a book with heft and history for the newly ballyhooed e-books. Nor does it seem likely that I'll ever close my eyes for the night without reading before the light goes out.

Whether I'll ever find time to read all that I'd like, though, is doubtful. But there's fun in the trying.

William Kerns can be contacted at 766-8712 or wkerns@lubbockonline.com







 
 

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