HOW TO SIT DOWN WITH A GOOD BOOK, PART ONE

One of the functions I serve among my friends is that of "book recommender." It's a position I'm honored to have, for many of my friends read enough that they can tell the difference between a good book and a bad one. The fact that they return to me after my first few recommendations and ask for more is gratifying. It's also not a very unique position- for pretty much the same reason - more of an exchange really than a position. I recommend something to you, you recommend something to me, we both come off better for it. I like this system, it seems to work. There are, however, a few holes.

The biggest hole is that we've all read different books. While reading different books is usually an ideal situation in such an exchange (that being the purpose, and all), it's not ideal when the "different books" in question are those that formed the very basis for our current reading tastes. Even then it's not so much a hole as an opportunity. So I am going to take this opportunity and run with it. It may take a few installments, but I'll see what I can do.

I like fantasy and I like science fiction. Many of the people who ask me for recommendations never really discovered either. They are, however, open to new experiences so I've been trying to introduce them to those aspects of each genre that I believe they will appreciate. It occurred to me recently, that there are actually two ways to enter into the respective worlds of fantasy and science fiction. One is the way I've been trying to bring my friends in - finding books on the edges and slowly drawing them in from the sides. The other way is the way I came at it - starting with "children's" books and graduating deeper and deeper. It's the difference between learning about a garden from pictures and plant cuttings and learning about it by walking into it.

Perhaps, then, I should be leading my friends into this garden along a path very similar to the one I took. Not tonight, tonight is just the warm up. In my next few entries I'll attempt to apply the benefit of hindsight to my early reading experiences. I'll cull what's worthwhile and relevant to adults and present it with whatever explanations, recommendations, and caveats I find necessary. Some of my favorite books as a child have lost something with time, sadly but the best ones are still good and getting better as I grow older. Those I will present to you so that you may each (as you see fit) discover what led me into this garden in the first place.