I’ve always been a bookworm – I’d read anything printed. And I always finished any book I started even if I hated it, with the exception of “War and Peace”. I truly question that anyone has ever read that whole damn thing – so boring, and long. So long. 

But it seems in the last 10 years or so I finally have allowed myself to close a book if it doesn’t hold my interest. Also I don’t seem to have interest in, or patience for, really good literature. My reading list is murder/detective mysteries, oh and yes, Elizabeth Strout. 

Last week the writer Alison Lurie died. I had heard of her but never read any of her books. Naturally there was a run on her books at the library but I managed to snag 2 or 3. While the description of her novels seemed like they would be right up my alley turns out they aren’t. 

I just finished, more or less, ‘The Last Resort’. By more or less I mean I read a little more than half the book and then just skipped to the last 2 chapters. I do that a lot – read half a book, then skip to the last 2 chapters because you know once the premise is laid out all the stuff in the middle is just exposition – lots of yadda yadda yadda and in many cases lots of description – of people, places, things, scenery – oy, who the hell cares who or what something looks like if it has no real bearing on the story. Tell me the damn story and do it quickly – move it! 

Do it quickly – that’s my new motto it seems. I can’t read or watch or even listen to anything that meanders along. Spit it out, move it along, let’s go – chop-chop. What’s your point? Where is this all going. Skip the nuance, I have no time or interest. 

I used to joke that my motto was “Instant gratification isn’t fast enough”. Now it is no joke, it is my reality. 

Maybe because I am old and time is of the essence? Or maybe there are no new plots, no new stories, same old, same old; been there, done that. Tell me something new; show me something new; gimme a new angle.

Kinda like sunsets – especially the red ones (and I really should look up why the sky looks red at sunset – remind me to do that) – seen one, seen ’em all.