(originally posted on 10/04/2005 in Fubaar's Books)
...started in the summer between my Freshman and Sophmore year in college. I was in Puerto Rico for about 2 months living with my sister and brother-in-law. My brother-in-law introduced me to Frank Herbert's Dune and I was hooked. I quickly read through the first three books in the series, decided God Emperor Dune wasn't worth finishing, and temporarily stopped reading for pleasure when I returned to college.
I really didn't start reading heavily again until I graduated from college. All of a sudden, I found myself with a whole lot of free time at night. I was living with someone else, but he was in law school and way to busy to hang out every night. The free time got split between reading and going to the bars. I quickly went through a lot of the classics...Hyperion, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Stars My Destination, etc. Some I liked, some I didn't. Then I encountered Ender's Game and I was hitched for life. There's just something about the genre that keeps me hooked. I guess its the idea of space travel and colonization of other planets which really interests me.
The big surprise for me, was Stephen King. Wifey introduced me to him shortly after we started dating. Up to that point, I thought that he only cranked out cheap horror books which were good for a quick buck. Boy, was I surprised when I started reading The Gunslinger and found the fantasy/sci-fi side of Stephen King. I loved The Dark Tower series along with all of his other books which tie into the series. I also couldn't put down The Stand; occasionally when I hear someone cough, I think to myself "I hope they don't have Captain Tripps Disease" and a chill runs up and down my spine.
I will occasionally delve into other genres as well. I think my next two favorite subjects would have to be African/African American Literature (Roots, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Cry the Beloved Country, Things Fall Apart, etc.) and then Alternate History Fiction (Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus, 1632, etc.).
The African/African American Literature definitely stems from the way my parents raised me. They always taught me to judge people by their actions, not by the color of their skin. When I read these books, I can still see the discrimination which is still present today...I'm not just talking about African Americans, I'm also talking about Latinos, Asians, Middle Easterners, and anyone else who is chastised for looking different or having a different set of beliefs from the "mainstream" society.
OK, I better stop before I get up on my high horse. The subject of discrimination/ignorance in today's society is definitely way too long of a subject to get into right now. I think I would need a couple of hours of writing in order to get all my thoughts on that subject off of my chest. Until next time...
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