Exposing myself
It is said
you can judge a person by the books in their library. We need not jump to conclusions
about what people are reading, but rather that they read at all. For me that is
judgement day. Reading exposes us to
different ideas, perspectives and encourages critical thinking.
Here is the
book case in the “Unemployment Office” or otherwise known as my bedroom. The
books are helter skelter, not alphabetized, not orderly and it takes me a good
5 minutes to find the book I’m looking for. It is the same with my man tools,
my pottery tools and my fridge. A cluttered mind????
Most of my
books are pottery related that is at least the ones I keep. As for pleasure
reading which I have done since Grade school I read and then pass them forward
to someone I think will like the book.
When I was
a kid working for my Uncle Jimmie in the pottery I didn’t get paid but I could
have any book my heart desired and they would take me to the Stratford Festival
each summer to see a live play. My
favourite play was Cyrano de Bergerac. My favourite author was John Steinbeck
who I read over and over. I was a veracious reader. I was thrilled when in Sag Harbour doing a workshop
on Long Island to be in Steinbeck’s home town.
So maybe
the order of one’s library also says something about the person. What kind of
pots and art they will collect? Whether
they could be just as comfortable in a hostel as a 5-star hotel.
Last night
when I went to bed I had a memory of my daughter Robin and I in Newcastle, UK. I
had booked us into an old mansion that turned out to be a shit hole. We feared
our toes would turn green when going to the communal bathroom, we saw
cockroaches, the carpets were thread barren, there was no A/C etc., etc., Many
would have been outraged and left. We
laughed and had the grandest time. Dinner was at a Middle Eastern restaurant
where the server gave us complimentary this and that. It was one of the best
days of my life.
Give me
Bourbon Street over Wall Street any ole day.
“Gaze not
on the blemishes or marks of others and ask not how they came by them. What you
speak in secret to your friend deliver not before others.” From my next read Rules of Civility by Amor
Towles.
PS: To my
Italian sommelier Vicki Hamilton. I had a nice organic red with my Mexican
tacos tonight. It is titled “Guilty Men”. It is a blend of two grape
I hope your
book club enjoys A Gentleman in Moscow. I recommend a nice Gamay, Beaujolais or Pinot Noir
for light drinking while reading.
Comments