I built my previous plan, which I titled “The True Plan”, on the notion, completely on the notion, that re-reading a book leads to greater understanding and awareness. I still believe this notion is true, but I no longer believe in the plan because I seem to be unable to discipline myself to re-read a book. So it seems that I can’t perform the most important part of the True Plan.
So it seemed, that is, past tense. Because it occurred to me that it might be the books themselves that are the problem, in that I just am unable to re-read Isaac Asimov and Anne Rice at this stage in my reading life. I’m not being snobby about those authors because I have in my time read and enjoyed Anne Rice and Isaac Asimov’s books. No, maybe I am being snobby, but I’m not trying to be snobby. Or maybe I am trying to be snobby because I don’t want to face dire truths about my mental abilities at my age.
Months Later…
I faced the dire truths, not by facing them but by imagining a horror novel about my workplace. In my imagination I was the author but I forgot that I was the author. Now I can move onto Paul Theroux’s travel books with a clear conscience. I say Paul Theroux’s travel books because he’s written fiction also, including the Mosquito Coast, which they made into a movie starring Harrison Ford, which I understand to be critically acclaimed. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie because the movie sounds dreary even though I expect the book is good. I’ve liked every book by Paul Theroux that I’ve read, but I’ve only read his non-fiction travel books, and I don’t generally like travel books and I have mixed feelings about nonfiction. I don’t know if I would like his fiction because I haven’t seen him make up a story. He does a fantastic job of describing the completely unremarkable traveling events that nobody else talks about because they’re self conscious about being interesting or admirable. But Peroux doesn’t seem to care if he’s interesting or admirable- ha ha! That’s a joke, as I said before I do enjoy his books. He goes into the details and the humdrum and makes it interesting and he obviously hates tourism so his books are not about tourism, they’re literally about the traveling. Especially the trains, which he obviously loves. But when he’s describing a trip he doesn’t really need to work out a story, so I don’t know, even after reading seven or eight of his books, whether he can make up a story. I know he can write a riveting account of his travels, but that story is just following the path of where he went. And also his most famous fiction is mosquito coast, which I don’t want to read because the movie looks like a downer.
Also, I don’t like the parts of his books where he talks about meeting other writers. Why do writers think writers are interesting? They should know better than anyone. So why would a writer write about a writer, or about writing? I say this even though I try to write about writing sometimes, but I should point out that I write about failing to write, not about actually writing. So what is the attraction? Is it just exhaustion? Is that when you know they’ve run dry? When they write about clever book about a writer writing a book? So I don’t like it when Peroux talks about meeting writers, especially if they’re famous. Actually if he talks about meeting a writer and they’re not famous I do find it interesting to seek out their work, but only sometimes.
And I think I read that Mosquito Coast is about a writer, so that’s another turn-off.
This is a post about a writer I like and I’ve spent most of it carping about things and I even did a zinger about him. Rest assured that I recommend his books.
And now let me get to the point, which is that I might try re-reading some of Peroux’s books. Especially the ones about trains. Which would tie in neatly with the True Plan.
