Bill Conrad's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading"
Books I Didn’t Like
When I start reading a book and it becomes apparent that it is not worth continuing, I put it down. Life is too short to waste time on a bad book. In that same spirit, I don’t give books bad reviews because I never get far enough into them to have enough material to write a proper review.
In high school and college, I read several required books. Most were enjoyable, but I disliked a few. Shakespeare, for example, was terrible. I hated his writing style and I felt the plot was overrated. To me, it seemed to be an antiquated verbal puzzle. Granted, I am fully aware that it’s very challenging to write in prose and Shakespeare is considered to be the best author ever. Still, I have absolutely no interest in any of his works.
I found some books too complex to get into. For example, I was never able to finish any of Stephen Hawking’s works. They were difficult to comprehend and the writing style was arrogant. I was given a set of his books and they remain my bookshelf to this day. I have donated many other books to Goodwill since I got the set.
James Michener is an epic author. Tales of the South Pacific, Space, and Hawaii. These are fantastic books, but they simply did not grab my attention. To me, the plots were too bold, to epic and impossible to relate to. l like plots that are more down to earth and I can connect to the characters.
At present, I am reading the book Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Like all of his books, it has a complex plot with lots of characters. From the start, it was clear that this was not his best work. While the story has a great premise, the execution, setting, pace, and characters let it down. I think Ken put too much effort on the history and not enough into the flow. Overall, there is too much filler and not enough solid story. I am about half way through and while I have decided to finish it, the review is going to be poor.
Despite a lot of effort, I never got into Clive Cussler and Ian Fleming. I started several of their books, but I couldn’t finish a single one. I really wanted to read the James Bond and Sahara books. It was clear they were well written and had a strong plot. They just never held my interest. The characters were too arrogant and the heroes did not act like heroes. I wouldn’t even classify them as anti-heroes.
There are complete genres of book that I avoid. Mysteries, horror, romance, cowboy, comic, poetry and travel. I never walk through those aisles at the bookstore. Fortunately, there are many authors with many books. Next on my reading list is “So, Anyway...” by John Cleese. Will I make it through the first chapter? Stay tuned to find out.
In high school and college, I read several required books. Most were enjoyable, but I disliked a few. Shakespeare, for example, was terrible. I hated his writing style and I felt the plot was overrated. To me, it seemed to be an antiquated verbal puzzle. Granted, I am fully aware that it’s very challenging to write in prose and Shakespeare is considered to be the best author ever. Still, I have absolutely no interest in any of his works.
I found some books too complex to get into. For example, I was never able to finish any of Stephen Hawking’s works. They were difficult to comprehend and the writing style was arrogant. I was given a set of his books and they remain my bookshelf to this day. I have donated many other books to Goodwill since I got the set.
James Michener is an epic author. Tales of the South Pacific, Space, and Hawaii. These are fantastic books, but they simply did not grab my attention. To me, the plots were too bold, to epic and impossible to relate to. l like plots that are more down to earth and I can connect to the characters.
At present, I am reading the book Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Like all of his books, it has a complex plot with lots of characters. From the start, it was clear that this was not his best work. While the story has a great premise, the execution, setting, pace, and characters let it down. I think Ken put too much effort on the history and not enough into the flow. Overall, there is too much filler and not enough solid story. I am about half way through and while I have decided to finish it, the review is going to be poor.
Despite a lot of effort, I never got into Clive Cussler and Ian Fleming. I started several of their books, but I couldn’t finish a single one. I really wanted to read the James Bond and Sahara books. It was clear they were well written and had a strong plot. They just never held my interest. The characters were too arrogant and the heroes did not act like heroes. I wouldn’t even classify them as anti-heroes.
There are complete genres of book that I avoid. Mysteries, horror, romance, cowboy, comic, poetry and travel. I never walk through those aisles at the bookstore. Fortunately, there are many authors with many books. Next on my reading list is “So, Anyway...” by John Cleese. Will I make it through the first chapter? Stay tuned to find out.
I Wish I Read More
Literature and media provide us with a rich diversity of time travel stories. Of course, physics explains that time travel formulas require a substantial amount of energy. Plus, the predicted result wouldn’t fall in line with popular plots. At best, our bodies would be frozen in a single moment without the ability to feel or interact. At worst, our bodies would be disintegrated.
Placing physics aside, it would be amazing to see dinosaurs and meet famous people. Teddy Roosevelt, Tesla, Columbus, Einstein, Creaser, and Pocahontas. How about having a beer with George Washington?
From my own life, I would like to meet my young grandparents. Recently, I became aware that my grandfather had been a badass OSS agent. What adventures did he have? Our family has a minor mystery. My great Grandfather got dementia and took out a large loan with his company as collateral. Where did the money go? He couldn’t remember and the company folded.
Growing up, I made many mistakes, and I have wondered what it would be like to go back in time and correct those mistakes. For example, I didn’t regularly brush my teeth until the age of 10. Of course, by that age, I had a mouth full of fillings. However, there is a problem with this scenario. Let’s pretend 50-year-old Bill meets 6-year-old Bill. “Brush your teeth!” “No way. Old man!” I remember 6-year-old Bill. He’s a kid in the 1970s who did his own thing and wouldn’t listen to anybody. I see the same behavior in my daughter when I try to get her to brush her teeth. That’s the problem with lofty ideas about changing the past. What happened, did so for a reason and simply desiring to make a change is not as easy as it might sound.
In the ’70s, my mother took us to the library, and I selected the typical books like the Hardy Boys. Unfortunately, I didn’t read beyond boy’s fiction and reading didn’t occupy much of my life. Part of the problem stems from the poor selection of 1970’s books. Another issue involved the tedious task of returning them.
An underlying time travel goal has been to ask my younger self to read more. Why? I feel it would have made me a better person and improved my English skills. Plus, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time watching the 70’s television.
Let’s explore this concept. Old Bill convinces young Bill to read more. The result would be a more educated adult Bill with better English skills. Now, hold on. Part of childhood is wasting time doing kid things. Riding bikes, talking to friends, watching useless TV, sleeping in and annoying parents. This change would alter the balance between reading and doing kid activities. As a result, present Bill’s social skills would be less evolved. Would this tradeoff have made me a better person? I cling to the belief that it would and yet my heart disagrees.
Childhood is difficult, and the playground taught us more lessons than in the classroom. How does a boy deal with the bully? How does that boy become the bully? How does a shy boy ask a pretty confident girl out on a date?
Let’s do another time travel experiment. Young Bill’s family is transported to the present time. Life has changed since the ’70s. We have more books and they are easy to obtain. The playground is understood and more forgiving. Yet, cell phones, the internet, and modern pressures have made modern children social introverts. There is certainly more to read, and it’s easy to download books. Now, kids get their “social” over their cell phones. Would future 50-year-old Bill wants present 6-year-old Bill to read more?
I suspect future 50-year-old Bill’s social skills would be reduced, he would read more and he would have a better education. Our modern age no longer requires social skills. Is that a sad reality or an improvement? The present Bill needs to read about this topic and decide in private.
Placing physics aside, it would be amazing to see dinosaurs and meet famous people. Teddy Roosevelt, Tesla, Columbus, Einstein, Creaser, and Pocahontas. How about having a beer with George Washington?
From my own life, I would like to meet my young grandparents. Recently, I became aware that my grandfather had been a badass OSS agent. What adventures did he have? Our family has a minor mystery. My great Grandfather got dementia and took out a large loan with his company as collateral. Where did the money go? He couldn’t remember and the company folded.
Growing up, I made many mistakes, and I have wondered what it would be like to go back in time and correct those mistakes. For example, I didn’t regularly brush my teeth until the age of 10. Of course, by that age, I had a mouth full of fillings. However, there is a problem with this scenario. Let’s pretend 50-year-old Bill meets 6-year-old Bill. “Brush your teeth!” “No way. Old man!” I remember 6-year-old Bill. He’s a kid in the 1970s who did his own thing and wouldn’t listen to anybody. I see the same behavior in my daughter when I try to get her to brush her teeth. That’s the problem with lofty ideas about changing the past. What happened, did so for a reason and simply desiring to make a change is not as easy as it might sound.
In the ’70s, my mother took us to the library, and I selected the typical books like the Hardy Boys. Unfortunately, I didn’t read beyond boy’s fiction and reading didn’t occupy much of my life. Part of the problem stems from the poor selection of 1970’s books. Another issue involved the tedious task of returning them.
An underlying time travel goal has been to ask my younger self to read more. Why? I feel it would have made me a better person and improved my English skills. Plus, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time watching the 70’s television.
Let’s explore this concept. Old Bill convinces young Bill to read more. The result would be a more educated adult Bill with better English skills. Now, hold on. Part of childhood is wasting time doing kid things. Riding bikes, talking to friends, watching useless TV, sleeping in and annoying parents. This change would alter the balance between reading and doing kid activities. As a result, present Bill’s social skills would be less evolved. Would this tradeoff have made me a better person? I cling to the belief that it would and yet my heart disagrees.
Childhood is difficult, and the playground taught us more lessons than in the classroom. How does a boy deal with the bully? How does that boy become the bully? How does a shy boy ask a pretty confident girl out on a date?
Let’s do another time travel experiment. Young Bill’s family is transported to the present time. Life has changed since the ’70s. We have more books and they are easy to obtain. The playground is understood and more forgiving. Yet, cell phones, the internet, and modern pressures have made modern children social introverts. There is certainly more to read, and it’s easy to download books. Now, kids get their “social” over their cell phones. Would future 50-year-old Bill wants present 6-year-old Bill to read more?
I suspect future 50-year-old Bill’s social skills would be reduced, he would read more and he would have a better education. Our modern age no longer requires social skills. Is that a sad reality or an improvement? The present Bill needs to read about this topic and decide in private.
The Best Way to Write Is to Read
Last night, I re-watched one of my favorite movies, “The Manhattan Project,” co-written by Marshall Brickman. It is a fictitious story about a teenager who builds an atomic bomb. Despite being filmed in 1986, the story is still relevant and does not look too dated for a high-tech film.
After the movie, I watched the special features, and Marshall Brickman described writing the movie and provided some advice. It was amazing to learn that he had his own wacky outline process, similar to the flower method.
In the video, he stated, “The best way to write is to read.” I partially agreed with this statement and wanted to explore it as a blog topic. I advise other writers to read at least one hour per day. The primary benefit is improved writing mechanics (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and flow). A secondary use is to inspire a writer to create, and a third is a source of ideas.
Reading also provides examples of what not to do. When a writer comes across a scene that does not work, has poor dialog, misses plot connections, contains logic errors, and other apparent mistakes, it will help them identify their own writing mistakes. Granted, I have become a jaded reader and now hate when I come across errors.
However, I caution my four blog readers, who might be potential writers, not to get their core ideas from existing books. For example, my third book is a spy novel, and I enjoy the spy novels by Tom Clancy. Why not write a book just like his? After all, my other favorite author, Alex Berenson, has made a career of writing Tom Clancy styled books. True, but Alex’s novels will always live in Tom’s shadows. This limits success and will lead to bad reviews comparing Alex to Tom Clancy. Getting your ideas also limits “dynamic range.” Alright, this might not be the correct term. The goal for any writer is to create something new, which cannot be accomplished by copying.
Primary inspiration should come from your heart and not somebody else’s work. So, does this blog count for my one-hour recommended time? Umm, yup.
After the movie, I watched the special features, and Marshall Brickman described writing the movie and provided some advice. It was amazing to learn that he had his own wacky outline process, similar to the flower method.
In the video, he stated, “The best way to write is to read.” I partially agreed with this statement and wanted to explore it as a blog topic. I advise other writers to read at least one hour per day. The primary benefit is improved writing mechanics (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and flow). A secondary use is to inspire a writer to create, and a third is a source of ideas.
Reading also provides examples of what not to do. When a writer comes across a scene that does not work, has poor dialog, misses plot connections, contains logic errors, and other apparent mistakes, it will help them identify their own writing mistakes. Granted, I have become a jaded reader and now hate when I come across errors.
However, I caution my four blog readers, who might be potential writers, not to get their core ideas from existing books. For example, my third book is a spy novel, and I enjoy the spy novels by Tom Clancy. Why not write a book just like his? After all, my other favorite author, Alex Berenson, has made a career of writing Tom Clancy styled books. True, but Alex’s novels will always live in Tom’s shadows. This limits success and will lead to bad reviews comparing Alex to Tom Clancy. Getting your ideas also limits “dynamic range.” Alright, this might not be the correct term. The goal for any writer is to create something new, which cannot be accomplished by copying.
Primary inspiration should come from your heart and not somebody else’s work. So, does this blog count for my one-hour recommended time? Umm, yup.
Reading For Fun Is Plummeting
Growing up, my mother took me to our local library at least twice a month. I recall reading the Hardy Boys, the Mad Scientists Club, choose-your-own-adventure books, Dr. Seuss, Willard Price, Jack London, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Douglas Adams, and anything related to Nikola Tesla.
As I became an adult, I gravitated towards authors like Tom Clancy, Alex Berenson, Ken Follett, Neal Stephenson, and Homer Hickam. It seems like a normal reading environment for someone my age, but what about today’s kids? I was reading Slashdot and came across this:
https://www.sciencealert.com/reading-...
It seems that things have changed. No kid wants to read the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when they could be watching a fast-paced TikTok dance routine. And if, for some reason, a kid was interested in Nikola Tesla, they would select the most popular influencer’s take on this historical figure. The result is “accurate,” easy, and straightforward. Books? Those silly things are a massive waste of precious time.
What does this mean for me? (an up-and-coming author) I have known for years that hundreds of new books are released every day, but the number of readers is shrinking. There is no escaping the fact that all present and past authors face a bleak future where books are declining in popularity. Bummer.
What about society? Unfortunately, the non-reading trend is depriving our youth. There are many fantastic stories in print, and much to learn. Yet, short attention spans are the new reality, and it is only getting worse.
The result is low English test scores and a lack of creative storytelling in children. As a writer, I understand how difficult it is to craft a story and present it in written form. Gaining this foundation begins with reading many books.
What about stories on television, in movies, and on other video platforms? There are indeed many great stories outside of print, but they are not as in-depth. For example, in one of my books, I spent an entire chapter on FBI characters planning a raid on a compound. There were twists, dead ends, false hope, inspiration, intense personal interaction, and finally, detailed organization. Yet, if this fantastic book, Cable Ties, were made into a movie, um… Two minutes of screen time would be all that would be required.
I have seen this decline by observing the dumbed-down entertainment targeting kids. How? I enjoy animated movies like Shrek, and they often play on the young audience television channel, Nickelodeon. The network has commercials on its live-action shows. The premise, story, and acting are over-the-top awful. Yet, kids obviously like that kind of entertainment; otherwise, Nickelodeon would not make money from advertisers. Tragic.
Is there anything that can be done to revive the enjoyment of reading? There are some considerable hurdles to overcome. Schools no longer encourage reading, and low test scores may prompt a change in reading attitudes. “Hey, let’s bring back reading. That might help.”
Another is that publishers and online retailers do not actively seek out children. I cannot recall having seen an advertisement for a young adult book since the 1980s. There is a lot of money to be made there, and they might eventually see this opportunity.
Finally, hope. Books like White Fang are timeless and will remain so. Perhaps kids will get bored with low-quality entertainment, and reading for fun will make a comeback. Why, just yesterday, I saw somebody wearing bell-bottom jeans. So, anything is possible.
You’re the best -Bill
September 17, 2025
As I became an adult, I gravitated towards authors like Tom Clancy, Alex Berenson, Ken Follett, Neal Stephenson, and Homer Hickam. It seems like a normal reading environment for someone my age, but what about today’s kids? I was reading Slashdot and came across this:
https://www.sciencealert.com/reading-...
It seems that things have changed. No kid wants to read the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when they could be watching a fast-paced TikTok dance routine. And if, for some reason, a kid was interested in Nikola Tesla, they would select the most popular influencer’s take on this historical figure. The result is “accurate,” easy, and straightforward. Books? Those silly things are a massive waste of precious time.
What does this mean for me? (an up-and-coming author) I have known for years that hundreds of new books are released every day, but the number of readers is shrinking. There is no escaping the fact that all present and past authors face a bleak future where books are declining in popularity. Bummer.
What about society? Unfortunately, the non-reading trend is depriving our youth. There are many fantastic stories in print, and much to learn. Yet, short attention spans are the new reality, and it is only getting worse.
The result is low English test scores and a lack of creative storytelling in children. As a writer, I understand how difficult it is to craft a story and present it in written form. Gaining this foundation begins with reading many books.
What about stories on television, in movies, and on other video platforms? There are indeed many great stories outside of print, but they are not as in-depth. For example, in one of my books, I spent an entire chapter on FBI characters planning a raid on a compound. There were twists, dead ends, false hope, inspiration, intense personal interaction, and finally, detailed organization. Yet, if this fantastic book, Cable Ties, were made into a movie, um… Two minutes of screen time would be all that would be required.
I have seen this decline by observing the dumbed-down entertainment targeting kids. How? I enjoy animated movies like Shrek, and they often play on the young audience television channel, Nickelodeon. The network has commercials on its live-action shows. The premise, story, and acting are over-the-top awful. Yet, kids obviously like that kind of entertainment; otherwise, Nickelodeon would not make money from advertisers. Tragic.
Is there anything that can be done to revive the enjoyment of reading? There are some considerable hurdles to overcome. Schools no longer encourage reading, and low test scores may prompt a change in reading attitudes. “Hey, let’s bring back reading. That might help.”
Another is that publishers and online retailers do not actively seek out children. I cannot recall having seen an advertisement for a young adult book since the 1980s. There is a lot of money to be made there, and they might eventually see this opportunity.
Finally, hope. Books like White Fang are timeless and will remain so. Perhaps kids will get bored with low-quality entertainment, and reading for fun will make a comeback. Why, just yesterday, I saw somebody wearing bell-bottom jeans. So, anything is possible.
You’re the best -Bill
September 17, 2025
