I read quite a bit of fiction. I generally don't buy books but pick them up at Mercer County Community college where I teach as an adjunct. Most of the books I pick up are trash, I throw them away later. Some are real jewels. "Eric Ambler's "Dirty Story" and Herman Wouk's pulitzer winning "Caine Mutiny" are among those. I just re-read Dirty Story. Absolutely fascinating novel. Caine Mutiny is just marvelous reading (I didn't like the movie that much). I liked Dirty Story so much I ordered The Light of Day by Ambler whose sequel is Dirty Story. The Light of Day is just as suspenseful and a delight to read. The unlikely hero in these sequels Arthur Abdel Simpson is a thief, a swindler, a coward, an opportunist, somehow gets mixed up in constant troubles, yet, a reader walks away extremely sympathetic towards Simpson and convinced that the world has dealt a very unfair hand to him. I don't think I would want to swap my life with his, but experiencing his life for a day would be a thrill.
I sometimes ask, why I do I waste so much of my time reading fiction, after all it is fiction and not real. What good does it do? To further analyze the question, I created AG (Another Guy, really me, again!) and constructed a conversation. Here it goes.
AG: why do you read fiction?
ME: I like it. It gives me pleasure.
AG: Does it do any good in the long run?
ME: I never asked that question, but come to think of it, I don't think so. But, I still read because I enjoy reading.
AG: But, couldn't you do something else that also gives you enjoyment and also useful?
ME: Like what?
AG: I don't know. Like gardening, going for a long walk, riding a bike, reading a good math book, painting the house...
ME: I do all those things too.
AG: Just do more of those things and cut out reading fiction.
ME: You probably include movies in the same category too. By the way, I watch a lot of movies.
AG: Yes, I do. Any other worthless things you do?
ME: I think movies and fiction do have a useful role. They teach me how to go off track sometimes and add a little madness in my living. Otherwise, life is just mechanical.
AG: I am not convinced. Anyway, it is your life. If you want to waste it, waste it.
ME: Thanks. Let us see each other less often.
I sometimes ask, why I do I waste so much of my time reading fiction, after all it is fiction and not real. What good does it do? To further analyze the question, I created AG (Another Guy, really me, again!) and constructed a conversation. Here it goes.
AG: why do you read fiction?
ME: I like it. It gives me pleasure.
AG: Does it do any good in the long run?
ME: I never asked that question, but come to think of it, I don't think so. But, I still read because I enjoy reading.
AG: But, couldn't you do something else that also gives you enjoyment and also useful?
ME: Like what?
AG: I don't know. Like gardening, going for a long walk, riding a bike, reading a good math book, painting the house...
ME: I do all those things too.
AG: Just do more of those things and cut out reading fiction.
ME: You probably include movies in the same category too. By the way, I watch a lot of movies.
AG: Yes, I do. Any other worthless things you do?
ME: I think movies and fiction do have a useful role. They teach me how to go off track sometimes and add a little madness in my living. Otherwise, life is just mechanical.
AG: I am not convinced. Anyway, it is your life. If you want to waste it, waste it.
ME: Thanks. Let us see each other less often.
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