A Dying Breed

I’m known at work as the book guy. I read during break times and lunch. I always have a book sticking out of my lunch bag. In fact, checking to make sure I have a book with me is always one of the first things I do before I leave the house. Not just going to work, but pretty much anytime I leave the house. I can’t fathom having pockets of dead time escaping me when I could be enjoying a good book.

A brief discussion with a coworker a couple of months ago stuck with me, and in recent weeks I’ve been thinking more about it. My coworker asked me how many books a month I read, and at the time I was averaging about four a month. He was astounded by that number and couldn’t believe it when I told him I had read, at the time, about 40 books for the year.

The thing that got my mind going recently was the number of books I’ve read so far this year. To date, I’m averaging over seven books a month, and I am currently reading my 23rd book of the year. And the part that really gets to me is that I could do better. There is still a lot of time that I waste doing a bunch of nothing and watching TV.

Since the conversation with my coworker, I’ve paid attention to those around me when I’m out and about. Very rarely do I see someone reading a book. At work, there is no one to discuss books with. I only know of one coworker who reads occasionally. In this age of TV, movies, game systems, and computers, it almost seems as though those who read for entertainment are a dying breed.

I know I sound like an old fart. Heck, maybe I’m becoming one. But I don’t think I’m at a point where I’ll run around saying the sky is falling. Even though it’s a divisive issue, I think ebooks are here to stay and they may encourage a new generation to take up the written word as a viable form of entertainment. I can totally support that. And I was encouraged just a week ago when I ran into a couple who each had a book with them.

It would be a terrible thing if reading for entertainment is cast to the side. I hope I can instill in my kids, if not love for, at least a respect for the written word. And if reading keeps on losing its luster, heck, I guess that would be a good thing for me. I could pick up more books at the used book stores!

Scott Nicholson's THE SKULL RING

Scott Nicholson's latest novel, The Skull Ring, is now available for Kindle and at Smashwords. Being a fan of Nicholson, I've anticipated this novel for a while. After the small publisher who was going to publish this book went defunct, it appeared this book would not see the light of day anytime soon. But lo and behold, Mr. Nicholson decided to dive into the waters of ebooks, and now this book is available. I've had the pleasure of reading it and here is a brief review:

Scott Nicholson changes things up a bit in his latest offering, THE SKULL RING. This novel is a suspense story set in the mountains of North Carolina about a young lady named Julia Stone. Julia is searching for clues to her past, who she is, what happened to her, and what happened to her dad. Julia lives in a near constant state of fear and finds it hard to trust others. The one person she does trust is her doctor, Dr. Forrest. As they delve deeper into Julia's past, the more "skeletons" come out of Julia's closet. The closer she comes to the truth, the less sure Julia is that she can handle it. It may come down to a matter of life or death for her.

Nicholson never relents as he takes the reader into Julia Stone's world. There are the feelings of fear, dread, and anxiety throughout this novel. Nicholson's masterly descriptive writing style creates a chilling tale set in a beautiful locale and pulls you into the story. You don't want to miss this one by Nicholson; he demonstrates his ability to branch out into other genres in a tremendous way with this book.

This is a really good read and a change of pace if you are familiar with Mr. Nicholson's horror. However, what is not missing is his high quality writing and ability to connect with the reader. If you're interested, visit Mr. Nicholson at his new enterprise's website http://hauntedcomputerbooks.blogspot.com/ or at his personal site http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/.