I’ve never been a particularly prolific reader. Growing up I never enjoyed reading. Partly because I didn’t enjoy the books we were asked to read, but also because I didn’t like the act of reading. As a child I preferred the stimulation of video games, television and movies. To my mother’s dismay, our uncle bought us our first Nintendo Entertainment System when I was in about the third grade and from there it was even harder for a book to capture my attention.
In high school I remember clearly not enjoying many of the books we were assigned to read (with one notable exception – To Kill a Mockingbird, I loved that book). I did read a few books here and there for pleasure, mostly sci-fi (After seeing the movie Jurassic Park, I read through a number of Michael Crichton books), but I never had any particular motivation to sit down and read for long periods of time.
After I left college I entered the seminary and spent a few years studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood. It was at this point that I began to really enjoy reading for pleasure. I think part of my reluctance prior to this time in my life was a discomfort in general with quiet. As a musician, I find it easy to immerse myself in aural experiences, and my life prior to this point had a lot of music, theater and other business on a routine basis. The lifestyle of prayer and contemplation cultivated in the seminary experience allowed me a greater sense of comfort with quiet which I think, among other benefits, allowed me to better enjoy the act of reading.
Although I do enjoy the act of reading more now than in my youth, it is still not something particularly habitual for me. Not having grown up with a passion for books, I do have other passions. These other things in my life tend to take up the scant free time that I have. It takes a concerted effort to find the time to read, and in recent years I have again found myself reading less and less.
I recently came across the PBS program The Great American Read. The premise is essentially that they are trying to find America’s favorite book. There is an interesting list of books in this program cultivated based on a random survey of Americans. It’s an interesting list… not necessarily a good list. I haven’t decided if I think it’s a good list yet or not. The list of books contains fairly recent popular books like, The Martian and Ready Player One, classics like Moby Dick, Young Adult books like The Hunger Games and classic children’s books like Charlotte’s Web. Looking through the list I realized I had only read about 20% of the books. Although there are definitely books there that I have no intention of reading at all, there are some that I would like to. So, using the list as a jumping off point (although not as a strict guide per se), I have set a goal to try and read as much as I can for the summer. I’ll also be throwing in a few professional books as well.
As I read, I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me on the books and my responses to them.
Happy Summer!
Bradley Morrison 