MAGGIE’S MEOW: On the Matter of Books

By MAGGIE ISHINO

What would we do without books!? It certainly would be an unknown unpleasant and weary life. By reading books, one may find enjoyment in ANY subject desired.

My major in college was English, so at times it was necessary for me to read four books a month. Honest!

I frequently read one book in a day. For example: I would begin a book of 300+ to 400+ pages at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning and finish it by 7 p.m. that evening. (At times, I read a book while crunching on an apple to “keep me going.”)

When one majors in English, there is a lot of reading, writing and being somewhat “creative.” I think an English major can be said to be “individualized.” Outside of quoting a few phrases and/or words, what is written are the individual’s thoughts; however, yes, I have to admit this applies to everyone who writes an essay.

It also made me more aware to “catch” the spelling and/or grammar errors of my students when I taught English-as-a-second-language classes. In my typing classes, students would type a long paragraph and I would check the “typos.” In this way, they would learn to be more accurate and improve their typing skills. (I caught everyone’s errors but my own, ha).

I love reading a GOOD mystery. Friends laugh when I tell them I read the last chapter to find out who killed whom. My reason for this is that I feel I am finding clues along with the detective who is solving the mystery and it makes the reading more realistic.

One of my favorite TV series is “Criminal Minds.” The show has excellent script writers, which makes the series. One thing that really makes me smile is when the cast comes to the “hidden place” of the criminal and enters the house, room, etc. with guns in their hands pointing in the direction they are walking. (It gives me the impression of follow-the-leader with guns).

My apartment is loaded with books. When we had that severe earthquake some years, ago, all three bookshelves in my living room scrambled to the floor. You can imagine what a sight that was! There were books, here, there and everywhere on the floor. It was so amusing to watch my former cat jump up and down and around to avoid stepping on the books.

This reminds me that every birthday and every Christmas I get at least two books concerning cats. I wonder why!? The books that are so thoughtfully given to me are unique. It is hard to believe that so many different subjects on cats have been written.

Last Christmas, I received a book so well-written and enjoyable that I just HAD to finish it on Friday at 2:30 a.m.! I have also received books written in Japanese about cats that I was able to read because they had the basic kanji characters mixed with katakana and hiragana.

Of course, in reading a good book, the author must take “credit.” I believe there will never be another Ernest Hemingway. Each author has his/her own style. I can tell whether I am going to enjoy the book by reading the Introduction and the first chapter of the book. This is my way of “testing” the book.

A few of my friends tell me, “I don’t have time to read.” Believe me, it is worth spending hours and days reading books. Things acquired from reading can be an asset to you in your daily life. So to you, I say, READ ON! READ ON!

AMEN

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Maggie Ishino is a Rafu typist and can be reached at mishino@rafu.com. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.