The Small Joy of Reading

Chances are, if you are on a site called writing.com you like to read as well as write? I’ve always liked to read, something so relaxing, almost like having your eyes closed whist still having them open, maybe?

Now, more than ever, I appreciate a good book. I’m more a fan of form over function, at the moment I love the simplistic/lazy punctuation style of Cormac McCarthy or his editor/publisher, probably always will. My grammar and punctuation will always be sub-standard I have to admit.

Like many, many, many people I am currently at the mercy of the UK’s amazing and amazingly over-stretched public transport system and yet somehow it can be a highlight of my day if I get a chance for a few precious minutes with my latest book of magical words turning into an instant movie imagined by me and written by the author whilst I make my way to and from the City.

I still like the feel of a book as well, hard of back or of paper. The new toys look great but a book with a spine that shows the concentrated knuckles of its owners is a beautiful vehicle for words and imagination. 

There is also a beautiful anti-social nature to reading a book that can guarantee you some quiet time to read, reflect or even sober up. Only the most ignorant of rude Danchev’s (possibly Bulgarian for C**(s)) interrupts some-one in-midst of a sentence, grammatically correct sentance or otherwise, it’s not the done thing. It’s a possibly true fact that staticians somewhere have concluded and argued that stats show that people who work in bigger cities will avoid eye contact and social inter-action more than those of smaller towns. And is it any wonder?

The bigger the City the more you’ll see the homeless staring at with you a cup and a dog that you just want to take home and feed some ped’ chum too, either or both of them. The more people you’ll see with a clipboard and student debt desperate for your bank details and possibly your opinion on the heart tugging story of the week. The more advertisements you will see when your eyes are up and the more recession you will see with eyes down at the free but still over-priced newspaper in your hands.

The News is depressing, it always has been and it always will be. Misery sells well; we can see where everyone stands with their opinions and soap-box demeanour at the news of the day based on an under-paid reporter’s deadline writing skills and a controller’s agenda of the hour.

I love a book. I love movies too. I don’t feel the two should be mutually exclusive as the annoying people say. I’m not even sure if I prefer to read a book before I see an adaptation of it? A book, no matter how good the reviews you have read/seen/heard, will still be battling against the readers urge to do some thing other than read. As much fun as it to read pretty much anything, it’s usually less substantially pro-active in regards to tomorrow’s goal of the day than say…ironing tomorrow’s shirt, unless your job and/or life revolves around reading…but that’s not usually fun…unless it is.

I find the more I’m reading, the more vivid the images in my mind show the actions and story I am reading. The possibly, idiot, child, humour in me silently screams in my mind ‘input’ in a silent Johnny 5 (five) (of the movie Short Circuit) voice as I acquire interesting information from books. This also shows the versatile nature of the written word. You read a book the first time and you may view the chapters one way, you read it again with the pre-read/watched action more vivid in your mind and it can take a totally different meaning to you. Or you still want a refund.

I can now usually picture a certain actor playing a role in a book quite early on in the story, and it does help me with my enjoyment. I recently read a book, it was based in Cuba starring a melancholy character from Russia, now maybe you don’t picture Jean Reno playing a hitman in Leon but I did for some reason and the more the book continued, the more I saw Jean Reno in a cashmere coat. I read a book set in the 1950’s about the US space launch and amnesia and picture the superbly named Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt and Steven Mangan from the British Green Wing comedy series just owning the screen, I read a book by Cormac McCarthy set in 1950’s Tennessee written in 1979 yet I read it and I see Cillian Murphy playing Sutree perfectly on the screen. DJ Qualls as Gene all day long. It was the most frustrating in style but beautiful and satisfying book I’ve read so far. Books and Movies are not enemies as far as I can see, they compliment each other.

So, to sum-up, books are good to imagine as movies never to be made even if they are one day made. And to ignore people without being rude if you can help it. And maybe also to enjoy.