Great Books

When you have read enough books that you have really come across some Great Books it effects you on many levels.

One after reading Great books, it puts other books you thought were good almost to a lower level when compared against the great ones.

Great Books broaden your intelligence, understanding, wisdom, ultimately making you a better person.  You can tell when conversing with someone if they are educated, or educated and well read, or something else.  ( I am making an attempt at being polite to those that are neither.)

There are great stories, great adventures, and then great books.  I love coming across books, those rare gems that talk around ideas, concepts, look at things from different or skewed perspective.  I am not talking about relaying facts, or trying to educate or pass off opinions about something.  No.

I am talking about something that after you read it, you have to re read it.  After reading a chapter or section you have to think about it, chew on it, it forces you to think.  It gently nudges your preconceived notions and ideas, it makes you challenge your beliefs.

My Pastor always says you should know why you believe what you believe.  But how much of our beliefs are based on miss information, conditioning, established beliefs we were taught.  How do you know what you believe is right or wrong.  From time to time something comes along and makes you evaluate, consider, look at things from a different perspective.

You come away being more convinced of your beliefs, questioning them, maybe changing your views.  It also goes back to the adage that the more you know the more you realize what you don’t know!  Many will never understand this.  Some get uncomfortable with anything that challenges their established beliefs even if they don’t know why they believe what they believe.  Just because this is what they were taught or told by someone and it is just wrong to even consider it may not be right, or may not be able to be proved, or they don’t know why they believe it.

I love what I write, because it is what I want to read and there are others who enjoy the same type of stories.  I enjoy James Rollins books.  They are exciting, mixed with some facts and history, fast paced, adrenalin packed novels.  I am enjoying Steve Berry’s novel “The Jefferson Key”, the first of his books I have read.  I enjoy James Patterson, Ken Follet, Jack Higgins, and many other great authors.

Once in a while you read something that is so intelligent, symbolic, profound, deep, with many layers.  Something that each time you read it at different times in your life you get something else out of it, it gets deeper than it was the last time you read it.  It doesn’t change just your intelligence, wisdom, and understanding have increased to the point you get more of the message from the given piece of work.  Parts of the Holy Bible are that way, not all of it, but parts are really layered platitudes of excellence.  When I read a book of this calibre and it pushes, pulls, tickles, and sometimes shoves my beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and understanding of things it is refreshing breathe of fresh air for my mind and soul.

I read it and dwell on aspects of it, ponder the meanings of my thoughts and analysis.  I think as a writer I want to write something deep and profound as this at some point in my life.  Something that will speak to people and affect them.  Maybe change the world in some small way, cause enlightenment, provide hope, inspire people, cause a revolution of spirit or thought.

I remarked in a post some time ago about how I wish I had started writing years ago, but then realized I was not mentally ready or capable of writing what I am writing now years ago.  How wise, smart, and at what depth of thought and planning do I need to get to in order to reach the level of the great kind of book I am speaking about.  Daniel Quinn wrote a book called Ishmael.

I have only just started it.  Yet it has the soundings and hints of being one of these Great Books.

Daniel Quinn was born in 1935 and wrote this book in 1992 at the age of 57.  He is definitely more formally educated than I am, but I wonder if it is possible to reach such heights by the time I reach 60 years of age.  I wonder how old Solomon was when he wrote the things he wrote, or David, or the Apostle Paul.  At what age did Sun Tzu pen the ‘Art of War.’

I haven’t finished the book yet, and unfortunately I have to finish my book club book by Monday night, finish the last four chapters of proofing my second novel so I can start formatting it.  I have such a back log of books I need to read and want to read.  I will totally focus on this book as soon I finish my book club book and finish proofing my novel.  I will let you know the outcome and review the book in a post here and on the wonderful book site of Goodreads dot com.

Posted in: Great Profound Intelligent Books