The pages of time

I used to be a fairly voracious reader, but I confess to not consuming as many books as I once did, especially in childhood. Go ahead Luddites, blame TV, the movies, and the internet. Without a doubt, those things are in part to blame.

I read lots of different things. Encyclopedia Brown, The Three Investigators, and The Hardy Boys mysteries led to Agatha Christie. I recall a James Herriott period in elementary school. I was never much into fantasy, but Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain series were some of my favorite books. The classics and sports biographies were regularly on my plate. I even went through a brief time reading trashy Elvis Presley tell-alls and Wilson Bryan Key's books about subliminal advertising and messages.

Mysteries were probably my favorite genre, but comedy books were up there too. I advanced from the writings of Gordon Korman to the compiled works of newspaper columnists Dave Barry and Lewis Grizzard. I was also a regular and thorough newspaper reader, even stuff like reviews of movies I wouldn't be allowed to see or had no interest in. Is it any wonder that I had journalistic aspirations or that I write semi-professionally or as a hobby?

Those humor books, though, were always a reliable source of amusement. Although they may not rank alongside the peaks of literature, they delivered on their purpose of providing a smile or some laughs. (I haven't read Dave Barry regularly in a long time, partially because it seemed like his columns were very formulaic.) While my tastes in pop culture probably aim slightly higher than the mainstream, one lesson from these books is to remember that there is worth in the popular and lowbrow as long as they are well-executed.

This reflection comes to me as I make my way through The Areas of My Expertise, which I received for Christmas. I've been busy and not ready to commit to a read that requires a little more brainpower, so John Hodgman's book of humorous nuggets has been a splendid companion at the moment. Laughs are not easy to get, so those who can do it deserve more thanks than we or they know.