Summertime - Streaming

Well we're expected to see 80s by end of the week. Greeeaaat! (SARCASM)

This made me think about my pending book club situation as I am making some headway on Fingersmith. This will inevitably lead me to Night Watch which is already on sale. Then I was catching up my email and noticed on MSN they had a section regarding Springtime books. Now I know it's common to find that summer read, but spring? So as I look over their, albeit brief list, I got to the NY Times best seller list and totally regressed to 15 years ago.

I lived in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where I went into the city every weekend(read Manhattan) and spent hours between bookstores, record stores, restaurants, and concerts. Every Sunday I would get the paper and turn to the arts and literature section. Pulled out the insert that covered all the new releases and then scanned through the New York Times Best Seller's List and circled every book that I wanted to read which was always a bare minimum of three, usually about five. Then, that next weekend, we'd venture downtown and I'd stack my collection in my arms and check out.

I was probably averaging a book a week. I was insatiable. It was during this time I stumbled into Atlas Shrugged. The path to this book was interesting, at least to me. I was seriously considering a career in forensic science at the time and was planning on attending the local university and then continue my education throught the FBI. I know it sounds a bit out there but I was 19 and it's when you are suppose to have lofty ideals of your future or whatever. Anyway, I was reading like a fiend and had just finished a nonfiction book, Alone with the Devil when my uncle suggested I read Silence of the Lambs next.

As I was finishing the novel, movie talk began and Jodie was pegged as the lead. Which truly was a role written for her, without a doubt. During this same time another book was being buzzed inHollywood also with Jodie's name leading the pack and that was Atlas Shrugged. My aunt had read this in college and thought quite a bit of it and recommended it.

So, went into town one weekend and three weeks later I finished the book that changed my life. I continued to read her other work including her biography. She wasn't necessarily the most noble person but I could understand her point of view and did agree with much of how she viewed society. The form of philosphy(Objectivism) appealed to me then and still holds some water now.

All of this just sort of flashed before me viewing that web page...miss having that desire like that. To want to read. To find time to read. Actually, it wasn't a matter of finding anything at all, it was a priority. And the more I read, the more I wrote. It was inspiring. It gave me a sense of voice and helped with any form of 'blocks' because I would utilize the tone to set myself off on whatever the topic was.

I know this post seems to have meandered and rambled on but I guess this one is a simple stream of consciousness. I've purged. Now I'll go back to my book.