Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.”―
I’ve written about the following incident before but not within the context of this Book Club, so I think it bears repeating today for the lesson it holds for all of us about what we may consider our life’s work…
Before moving to Daisy Hill, Mary and I lived in a semi-rural area that was located 20 miles or so North East of Denver, We were among the new homeowners in a neighborhood of approximately 320 houses. During that time, I used to take a two-mile walk along the paths surrounding the community and most of the time I took a camera along with me.
The neighborhood grapevine had, for some reason, put out on it’s drumbeats that I was a writer and so one day, while mowing the lawn one of the kids who lived down the street asked if he could join me on my walks. He said that he wanted to be a writer and had some questions for me. The next day, this 12-year old boy joined me on my walk. We had not even gotten out of the neighborhood when he asked how much money Stephen King made. I told him I didn’t know but it was probably a lot. (Since then I’ve discovered Stephen King’s net worth is estimated to be $500 Million.) Then he asked if I made as much money as Stephen King. I told him I probably made about the same amount of money as his father who was a representative for a well known manufacturer of high quality automotive tools. We had a pleasant walk after that but he never joined me again—ever. It seems he had gotten the answer to his most important question out of the way and didn’t need to know any more about becoming a writer. I’ve always wondered whatever happened to that kid…
Some Random Book Thoughts
I usually run my bi-weekly Book Club posts starting on the first Saturday of the month but last week I ran my Movie Club post instead. Why? The Movie Club post was ready to go and had some thoughts about some films I loved that I really wanted to share with this blog’s readers. I was also hung up trying to find a Book of the Week to strongly recommend. Still am, in fact.
I am currently reading book number 40 for the year, Masquerade for Murder by
Similarly the last book I read, Hitmen I Have Known by Bill James, an English mystery about two UK policeman—Harpur and Iles—who don’t get along and whose author’s writing style resembles what a mystery written by Douglas Adams might look like. Ile’s two daughter’s’ squabbles, in fact, reminds me of the debates that Zaphod Beeblebrox‘s two heads often had with one another in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. (If you didn’t know, Zaphod had two heads.) If you enjoy Adams, you will love Harpur and Iles. Although I enjoyed this book too, I consider Harpur and Iles along with Mike Hammer to be “guilty pleasures” and am not sure others might enjoy them as much as I do.
Since my last Book Club post, I did receive one photo book to review. It is The Complete Beginner’s Photography Course ($29.99) by Ben Hawkins but it didn’t seem like something that readers of this blog might enjoy. Based on the email and comments that I get most of you are not beginners. Nevertheless, Mr. Hawkins has written a comprehensive guide that might make a nice gift for someone you might know who’s just getting involved in digital—not film—photography. It’s the perfect book for new photographers to keep on their nightstand and read several pages, topics or a chapter before turning out the light and pulling up the covers.
The photo books that get sent to me for review arrive sporadically and I never know when or how many may be in the package but I promise you that I give them all a fair shake and make recommendation for the best of them in the book club or in a standalone book review.
Book of the Week
There’s no Book of the Week in today’s post but I hope to have something I can strongly recommend in two weeks.
If you would like to send me any books to review or any other stuff that could be used for these posts and my videos you can mail it to: Joe Farace, PO BOX 2081, PARKER, CO 80134
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