My favorite topic!

Forgive the lateness in posting for Tuesday's blog, but it is tied in with the topic.  The reason is that I was finishing a book so I would have the opportunity to write about it on here.

The book was Clive Cussler's Flood Tide.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, Clive Cussler has been an author for quite some time.  He is credited with over 40 books, among them Raise the Titanic, Night Probe, and several non-fiction books which describe his real-life adventures searching for lost ships of historical significance.

I first started reading Cussler's books back in the 80's.  The hero of one of his series, a marine engineer named Dirk Pitt, I found particularly compelling.  Unlike many of the heroes in today's fiction, Pitt has been injured many times through the course of his adventures, yet manages to survive and bring the story to an exciting conclusion.  Cussler has also created other series, such as The Oregon Files, The Fargo Adventures, The Isaac Bell novels, The Kirk Austin Adventures, and as I previously stated his non-fiction works, The Sea Hunters.  All of the characters are portrayed as human beings, prone to injury, pain and suffering, and emotional and physical loss.

While a fan of the James Bond movies, one of my problems with them was the fact that Bond never appeared to be injured.  I like realism in movies and books, not that I enjoy seeing people hurt but I do believe that when someone is hit in the face they are likely to bleed or get bruised.

I think we all get along better with people when we realize they are human beings with problems just like we have.  How often do we sit in a restaurant and enjoy a meal?  I do occasionally, probably as much as the next person, and I usually look at the people working there and imagine them doing their jobs every day.  From the cook standing over a hot stove, even on the hottest and coldest days of the year, to the waitress dealing with the kind and the difficult people afte being on her feet for hours, to the busboys (been there, done that!), cleaning up after diners day in and day out.

And what about the other people out there?  The construction workers pouring hot tar on the roads in 100 degree weather, the doctors trying to save people lives and not always succeeding.  I think of all kinds of people that work behind the scenes in our country and are never appreciated, and knowing they do it sometimes for minimum wage and no benefits.

It angers me to see these football and baseball players earning millions while the American public is charged more and more to see these games in person.  Why should a baseball player be contracted for millions when the chances are he will strike out more often than he hits the ball and scores?

The point I am making is that I enjoy books that are realistic, the author understands the human condition and has a way of identifying with you that captures your interest.  I have found a large number of those authors, the thousands of books in my basement can attest to that.  These books have been an escape for me, an inspiration at times, a source of knowledge, and I look at them as friends I can carry with me wherever I go.  And in today's world, where you can buy them for a quarter at a yard sale, that is a small price to pay for something that can give so much pleasure to so many.

So the next time there's nothing on tv, you don't want to pay $10 to see a movie you may not like as well as $3 for a small soda, or sit in the cold rain watching your team lose after you shelled out $25 for a ticket as well as paying for parking, grab a book!