Books 'n' stuff

I have no idea what I'm going to use this blog for. Something positive, I hope. Probably just to talk about stuff I like. You'll get to read into my brain way too much by reading it, but that's part of the adventure.

So, I love books. I forget how much I love them sometimes. Today I sat down and read the entirety of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" in about 4 hours, taking brief stops to make brownies and deliver them. I haven't read a piece of fiction since I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which was kind of a terrifying book. And that was kind of awhile ago. I got on a nonfiction kick for awhile. Brain Training for Runners? Good book in an entirely different way.

What I really loved about this book was how well the characters stood out, and how they were real and grew and developed, and how relatable they all were. I'm pretty different from the main character, Charlie, in many ways, but he's a great protagonist and it was a very enticing read. I'm not here to dissect the book and review it. I'm not that good. But I love what it did. I love books and movies about intelligent people that grow and develop to become better. I love that Charlie was a 4.0 student, not a straggler who failed because he was different. I loved that his family seemed real, and that they were normal and he didn't have some crazy abusive parents. I love that he loved his family. So many books and movies and TV shows are about families that just plain suck and are broken and have no love in them, and Charlie lived in a pretty regular situation. Not amazing, just normal. And I think that's great.

It's a book that stops you in your place, makes you analyze the way you look at people, contemplate why you see things the way you do, and hopefully change as a result. That's what good books ought to do. I'm just rambling about this book, and I suggest you read it to see what I mean. Plus, it's great that Protagonist Charlie liked good music. I got on a Sonic Youth kick listening to it just so I could listen to stuff created around the same time (it takes place in 1991-92) period.

What I really found interesting, and something that kind of relates to the material in the book, is how we feel when we recommend something to someone. I love music. Let me repeat: I LOVE music. So much. I don't know the most about it, I'm a joke when it comes to music theory, and the most I can do on guitar is bang out a simple Modest Mouse track. But my love for music knows almost no bounds, and I've listened to some of my favorite albums over 500 times (pretty good for a 22-year-old). And I thought about how I don't try to force my taste on other people. I don't recommend stuff to people who won't love an album I love, even if our tastes are similar. I don't want then to mistrust my taste because I sent a misguided choice their way, and I don't want them to underappreciate an album I adore. And I almost never take people up on a recommendation to listen to a band or album I haven't already heard good things about from a reputable source (and there are almost none of those). But this is completely different with books.

I don't know why this is. Books worm their way into my heart much more quickly (4 hours? Yeah, I can't think of any albums I adore that got serious praise from me in 4 playthroughs, no matter how classic), and I trust way more people when it comes to books. A girl I just met told me I ought to read this book with the warning that I may find it weird. Well, I found some spots a bit uncomfortable for someone as conservative and Christian as I am, honestly, but I thought overall it was quite good. And I don't get why it's so much easier to fall in love with a book. Well I probably do. I just think it's strange is all. A good friend told me to read The Road, and you know what? It was a tough read. It was so bleak that I had a tough time seeing and feeling the father/son connection. Instead of standing out like a diamond amongst coal, it felt like a star obscured by clouds in the night sky. And my buddy and I discussed this and it was understood, and I could see how his point was valid and he saw why I felt the way I did. But man, when it comes to an album I love, or one I really don't, validity is hard to come by. Another example is a pal who loves, loves music, and in a way similar to me. But he cannot get into Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica. Modest Mouse has declined since this album, but TMaA is one of the best albums of 2000-2009. I think it supersedes opinion and is straight fact. Its depth is amazing, the lyrics are thoughtful and provocative in a lot of ways, and sometimes downright touching. And I love the songcraft. But my friend? He can't see what I see in it really at all. But a book? Well, I feel like there's always some common ground. It's just curious.

It takes me a long time to get to a real point, which you've probably noticed if you've read anything I've written for this blog. Okay, there are only two posts prior to this.

Maybe it's a good thing that we can more easily share books with each other than music. Or maybe that's just me. These are just my random musings anyway, and I'm not sure who'll be bothered to read a post this long. But do yourself a favor and read some good books, watch some good movies and listen to some wonderful music. I think the book I just read is great, and I just finished listening to Yo La Tengo's album from '97, "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One." That's a good listen.

Well, even though we may not be able to always see eye to eye on taste in entertainment or whatever, I think we can listen more intently and read with more purpose. It's when folks get lazy that I get annoyed. When they won't take the time to try out a new track or album because it's "weird." Come on! It took me forever to love Radiohead's Kid A for what it is. But when we can articulate why we love what we love, then that's enough. But the apathy? That kills the culture. There's so much out amazing content out there to love and appreciate, but most folks are okay with uninspired mediocrity. Which is their right and that's great, but why leave it at that?

Best thing about this book? It made me want to do stuff, to work hard and move forward in my life. That's what great works of creativity should do. I plan to attend grad school at some place awesome starting in fall of 2013, but the motivation to get the necessary grades isn't easy to come by. Sometimes it just takes a good book. Too bad I'm not in school right now, otherwise I'd capitalize.

So I think I'll keep trying to be more frequent in my posts until I feel like I've figured out how to write this blog in a way I like, and be consistent instead of random and not post for months at a time. Life's great. Keep at it.