The Old Coot reads in pieces. Published in New York, November 27, 2024

 The Old Coot reads in chunks.

By Merlin Lessler 

I started re-reading a book that I first read in 2018 – “The Shipping News,” by E. Annie Proulx. A nice read! 9.9 on a 1 to 10 scale. I learned many years ago, I could re-read a book after five years and most of it would seem new, as though I never read it.

This re-read was especially nice since the binding came apart and the book split into six sections. I like that. I could shove a section into my back pocket and pull it out whenever I had time to kill. I read four sections when I was in Florida and the last two, in New York. I loved that I didn’t have to lug a 337 page book in my, always too full carry on, when I flew home. 

I’d love it if publishers would get a little innovative, and put out some books that break into manageable sections. Easy to hold over your head in a hammock or a recliner, unlike one of James Michner’s or Stephen King’s 900 pagers. King got innovative in 1996 and published “The Green Mile” in sections, releasing a new 100 page pocket book every month for six months. He was writing it as he went along, not even knowing himself how it was going to end. For half a year, he wrote and then published. The first five sections were about 100 pages long, the last, 140 pages. What a great way to read a story. I recently re-read it, 28 years later, this time with the image and sound of Tom Hanks voice, who starred in the movie. What a delight. I was on a river cruise on the Rhine and stuck a section in my pocket to read whenever the tour guide overdid the blah, blah.

I’m a reader, hard and soft covers, new and used, Kindle books and once in a while an audio book. The best one of that ilk was, “Pontoon,” a novel of Lake Wobegon, read by the author, Garrison Keillor. What a treat. All well and good, but the section books are the most convenient to carry around. I think I’ll start buying cheap, used books and break them into sections I can roll up and carry in my back pocket. I can get away with doing that, because I’m an Old Coot, which allows me a lot of freedom to do my own thing. Like the Hippies from the generation I grew up in.

Comments? Complaints? Send to – mlessler7@gmail.com