I grew up in a family with no television, something I am grateful for. I needed something to occupy me and at an early age I developed a love for learning and a love for books. The books we chose to read reveals a lot about us.
In 1968 Kenneth H. Cooper published a book, Aerobics, which impacted my whole life. Because of it, as a teenager I began to run. I discovered that I love to run and continued to run throughout my life.
As a teenager I read Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and several of her nonfiction books. As a teenager I was impressed by her outlook on life. As an adult that faded away and eventually disappeared.
My favorite genre during my teens and twenties was science fiction. I read what later became known as the big three - Robert A. Heinlein, Issac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. In hindsight, I learned more from science fiction than from science. Science fiction stimulated my imagination, a valuable skill. To this day I enjoy thinking about the future and dreaming about what might be some day.
In my late twenties and early thirties I read books about business. I was focused on my career and I was ambitious. I remember reading about John D. Rockefeller and J. Paul Getty, stories I found inspiring at that time. I continue to be interested in business stories. A few years ago I very much enjoyed reading The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder.
In my thirties I discovered self-help books which greatly helped me cope with some personal problems with depression. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns, published in 1980, the book that popularized cognitive behavioral therapy, helped me a great deal. Ever since, I have been on a quest to better understand myself and in retirement I continue my journey of personal growth and discovery.
During a midlife crisis and while searching for new ways of thinking, I began to read philosophy books. I immediately developed a love for philosophy and this genre dominated my book selections for the next twenty years. I particularly appreciated Mortimer J. Adler because of his ability to make this difficult subject understandable to a lay person. Because books are heavy and expensive to transport, I gave most of my philosophy books to a friend when I moved to Lakeside.
In my fifties I began looking forward to retirement knowing that it would afford me more time to read. But my anticipation soon returned into frustration. Yes, I have more time to read, but I also have more time to discover books that I would like to read. My Amazon wish list is growing at a rate far beyond my capacity to read. Time is precious and every book selection is now an important decision.
Although as an adult I have focused on nonfiction, until midlife I also enjoyed works of fiction. I read several books by James A. Michener and Wilbur Smith. But I think it has been over twenty years since I have read fiction.
In 2016 I launched the Ajijic Book Club and its history is available on its website. I have many book reports on the ABC website. I also have a section on this website with additional book reports.
