WATCHING & READING

 

" 'Tis the good reader that makes the good book."

                                    Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882

Two of the most frequent questions I heard during our pandemic cloistering was "What are you reading?" and "What are you watching?".  As for the reading part of it, it wasn't like I didn't have a large stack of books next to my desk, some of which were fairly large tomes... It was that I am a very slow reader, most of which is done in bed at night.  After a few paragraphs, my eyes become heavy and I might actually fall asleep with my face in the book.  Truth be told, I must confess that I have always been a slow reader.  Way back in early grade school, I remembering being pulled out of class and going down the hall to see Mrs. Harris, the reading specialist.  Perhaps I was dyslexic but my own feeling is that I'm just slow!

My wife likes to have an electronic device in her hands for reading like from an I-pad or a Nook.  I'm a bit old-fashioned and love to have the feel of a book in my hands.  (Yes, I collect old ink-wells and love fountain pens as well!!!)  My answer to the reading question has more to do with what I plan on reading next rather than what's presently in my hands.

I'm also more of a non-fiction type of guy and, if I read fiction, it's usually historical fiction, spy novels, or something to do with a dystopian society.  I often brag that, when I was in junior high school, I was a precocious reader.  By that, I mean when my dad was at work, I'd sneak into his night table and catch glimpses of the juicy parts of D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover"!  I don't think he ever caught on.  If you've read some of my past blogs, you'll know my father and I had secrets we kept from each other.  My favorite historical fictions are written by Allen Furst and Phillip Kerr, both writers of page-turner spy novels with actual historic backgrounds of the 1930's to 1950's.  Once, Mr. Furst killed off one of my favorite characters.  I was so upset, I sought out his email address and sent him a "why did you do that?" message.  He actually answered me!

The most recent non-fiction book I read was "Caste" By Isabel Wilkerson which took a while as it was quite painful to read.  It compared the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany with the Black experience in America.  Despite the emancipation of slavery, the Jim Crow era followed with beatings and lynchings and today, structural racism continues to the point where it has been institutionalized in education, housing, policing, health, etc.  It gives me pause when I see the fight against teaching critical race theory to our children...childhood is where racism is learned! And just to let you know I'm not a Donald Downer, I'm presently reading "Learning From the Germans...Race and the Memory of Evil" by Susan Neiman. I must admit it's very dry but interesting. It examines a comparison of Germany and the US: How Germany was able to come to terms with their guilt after WWII and, yet, Americans can not face up to their history with Black Americans.  I think the next book might be an Archie comic!!!  Seriously though, when I finish the Germany book in about 6 months, I plan on reading a nice short book, "Twilight of Democracy_The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" by Anne Applebaum.  Is it any wonder that I don't belong to any book clubs?

As for fiction, believe it or not, I often go back to books I read in high school or college and give them a second read.  Among my favorites are anything by JD Salinger ("Catcher in the Rye", his short stories, "Frannie and Zooey", and "Raise High the Roof beams Carpenter").  Other favorites are "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute and "A Canticle for Liebowitz" by Walter Miller.

I don't limit my reading to fiction and non-fiction but, as I am a news junkie, I'll spend a week reading the Sunday NY Times, our local newspaper for opinions and obituaries (it's very embarrassing to call someone and find out that, sadly, they had passed), and magazines, such as the Atlantic and the New Yorker, many of which I never get to.  We've managed to cut back on the latter's subscriptions.  Then there are also the news feeds I get electronically that fill my inbox, such as Axios, Punchbowl News, and Morning Brew.

As for the "Watching" question,  I'm hooked on smart but silly comedy, like "Schitt's Creek" and "Kim's Convenience Store", both, incidentally, Canadian.  I must also admit, speaking of a Canadian creation, that I watch "The Handmaid's Tale", about as dystopian as you can get but very scary, as it's a theocracy that really gets out of hand.  I also love the "Murder in..." series in French which takes you each episode to a different and beautiful region of France for a grisly murder!  Staying with France, there is "Spiral", a series about a group of police and their lives, "Le Bureau", about France's version of the CIA, and for a little light-hearted fun, "Call My Agent", about a talent agency in Paris.  There's always a guest actor who is a real French movie star or a film director.  And any night, you can screen a dark Scandinavian drama for me and I'll be happy.  My favorites so far are "Borgen", "Occupied", and "Borderland".  Lest we forget, there are many entries fro the UK.  One of my favorites was a 4 episode series, "Collateral" starring Carey Mulligan. 

 

As far as regular television shows, my all-time favorite is (you guessed it) “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., otherwise known as “Skip”.  It’s always full of surprises.

I think it's time we go to our local theatre now that most people are immunized.  I'm looking forward to "In the Heights" which is now playing.  As for live performances, we've subscribed to the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown after a year's shutdown.  They didn't think there would be so many immunized opera-goers this year so, in their early planning, they built an outdoor stage, with pod-seating for four people!  The theatre itself will probably remain empty.  The only open question will be the weather as a pouring rain could quickly end the performance!  We'll see!

As they used to say on the radio when I was growing up, "That's it for now...see you next time".  Wishing all my American readers a happy and healthy 4th of July!