Can We Talk 2

Living With Books

         Everybody has a story. Not everybody can tell it very well. That's where writers come in. They ask the right questions. They listen. They tell other people's stories, sometimes entwined with their own.

         And no, there are not too many books. Reading is a wonderful thing. The rich celebrity teen who told the reporter that there are no good books to read so she writes her own is sadly mistaken. It's good that she wants to write, but she's misguided. She hasn't lived long enough to read all the books out there. She doesn't know what rich jewels are on the library shelves and are still being written by people other than herself. With her, it's ego. No one has anything to say as important as what dances around in her head. She's missing out.

         I found some "pins" I liked. One goes: "When I die, I'll probably be lying near a pile of books I was planning to read." Another said, "I know I have books I haven't read yet, but I have to buy more." And, "I want my children to think their only decorating options are more bookcases."

         Books, stories, poems. We have to have them. How would we escape, dream, or hope without them? They are vital to our well-being. I have seldom seen a movie do a book justice. Books can take us where we can never go without them.