We’re all so busy these days. And information is coming at us at warp speed. There’s a lot of drinking from a fire hose. It’s exhausting!
With everything going on in the world, and all the various opinions out there – right or wrong – wouldn’t you like to get away from it all – at least for a few hours?
You probably would. But do you ever take the time to curl up with a good book and enjoy the simple pleasure of reading a page turner? Some people do. Many don’t.
As I look out my window and see the snow coming down, I can’t help but think of simple pleasures like hunkering down with something that will be good for the soul. I don’t drink coffee or hot chocolate. Instead, I get a high from running or by reading a well written book.
You must have one on your shelf. If not, they are abundantly available at your local library. You could even order one from Amazon and have it delivered to your door in the next 24 hours. So even if you are snowed in – you have no excuse.
Here are a few books on many peoples’ radar which are either new or seeing a resurgence:
A Dog’s Purpose (published by Tom Doherty Associates), by W. Bruce Cameron, is written by the same author that wrote 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and How to Remodel a Man . The general consensus on Good reads is that it is a feel good book worth the read.
If you are a non-fiction reader, Hillbilly Elegy (published by Harper) by JD Vance, is the New York Times #1 Hardcover Non-Fiction book. Vance, a Yale Law School grad, looks at the struggles of Americans white working class thru his own childhood in the Rust Belt. Part memoir, part historical and social analysis, it is a “fascinating consideration of class, culture and the American dream.”
Depending on which side of the political spectrum you are on – or whether you watch Fox News or not – there are 1984 by George Orwell (published by Penguin) and Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly (published in 2016 by Henry Holt & Company). O’Reilly’s book was written by Martin Dugard. The Fox News commentator promotes it on his platform.
In addition to 1984 , which was published in 1949, also being recycled from a bygone era are It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (published by Doubleday) and Fahrenheit 451 ( published in 1953 by Simon & Schuster), written by Ray Bradbury.
On a personal note, I once (circa 1989) attended a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game where Monica Seles, the former professional tennis player, was in attendance. As she, signing autographs, came up the aisle I was sitting near with my attorney friend, Paul, he fished for something in his attaché case for her to sign. He pulled out a copy of Bradbury’s classic and she signed it.
I recently read that Seles has been engaged to Tom Golisano, the owner of Paychex, since June 2014.
According to Wikipedia, “In February 2011, Golisano became the spokesman for National Popular Vote Inc., a non-profit organization seeking to implement a popular vote system for presidential elections by harnessing the electoral college.
I guess in some ways we can’t get away from it all. But we can try.