David Bond's Blog: Not By Sight

I mentioned I download digital "talking books" from the NLS, which is the National Library Service, which is, the government. I am able to access the BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) web site, but until the staff returns to work, there are no new books.

All right, so I have over 100 books sitting on my hard drive I have yet to read. The thing is, I haven't read those books (yet) because, one, they haven't jumped off my computer's hard drive onto my reading device, or two, I haven't had time to read them, or three, after grabbing them from the BARD site, and reviewing the annotation, I just can't generate enough interest to "crack" open the cover and read.

Poor little ol' me...

Reading "Super Immunities," by Joel Furhman, and connected with most of what he said. At least, initially. Apparently, he's a vegan, which threw me for a loop. In some ways, I agree with the essence of the vegan philosophy, but I don't think totally eliminating animal protein is crucial.

I do like his emphasis on eating plenty of nutrient packed vegetables and fruits. I have been attempting to do this for a while now, but more so in recent months. According to his research, certain green vegetables are key to improving the body's immune system in fighting illness and even cancer.

He also points out the problems most Americans have with fast foods and processed foods, rightly stating Americans make very poor eating/life style choices.

I'm still reading this book, and since it's not my normal fare, I'm "nibbling" at it )(yes, pun intended!). It might take me a couple months to get through it, but even though I'm only part-way through, some of what he's saying has already impacted me.

I will admit to a moderate fascination with Steven King's books. Some of them at least. I found 11/22/63 quite good, and one other (forgetting the title) which featured King's imagination at his best (or worst?). Characters turning into creatures and all that stuff! So why do I (we?) read books like this?

If you read my bio, you know I am blind and read audio books produced by the NLS (National Library Service). Several years ago they moved into the digital realm and I can now download digitized audio books. And boy do I download! The problem is, I find it difficult to finish a book, since I have so many others to choose from, and I wonder if I'm a little too picky.

I haven't tracked my download to read ratio, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were something like 50 to 1. That's, 50 books downloaded (and either been partially read, or still waiting to be "tested"), for every 1 book completely read. I guess it's not all that much different than what sighted readers do when they peruse the shelves of a bookstore or library, peeking at the first few pages (or the last pages!), and then deciding not to go any further with it, but moving on to the next one.

Too bad you can't see what my experience is like. Only registered patrons of the NLS are able to log on to the NLS talking digital book site (called BARD, for Braille and Audio Reading Download), so you could understand what my world is like. The only complaint (a little strong, but it's essentially the word) is, the selection is quite small. There are approximately 33,000 books in the collection at this point, with anywhere from 100-200 books added each week. But if you consider how many millions of books are out there, well, it's a pretty small piece of the pie.

I guess this post was supposed to be more about wasted reading time, i.e. reading books like Steven King's "The Stand." Did I mention this is the book I'm trying to figure out if I want to continue reading? That is, continue wasting time reading?

What books are you reading, or have you read, that you found to be a waste of time? Are you struggling with your current read? Come on, fess up! I did!

Thankfully, I am able to download and read (and delete) books at no cost. I'd probably be a little more reluctant to discard a book if I'd paid hard cash for it. Still, free or not, the bottom line is, I dislike wasting time on a book if it doesn't cut it. Which, as an author, is a pretty strong statement. How many of my books don't get going until the, say, 8th chapter? 20th chapter!

Okay, let's hear about those horrible books. What criteria do you use to help determine if you will stick with a book? What kept you going in a book you were ready to quit, but ended up finishing and were glad you did?

This last question is a hard one. I'll have to give it some thought!

I'm a walking marvel, but not of the desirable type!

I'm 58, going on 158!

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent) in 1967 at the age of 11, lost my sight in 1988 (age 33) thanks to diabetes, was diagnosed with epilepscy during the 1990s, learned I had chronic kidney disease (again, thanks to diabetes), and finally, last year (2012), was diagnosed with life threatening cancer.

I've ben a Christian all my life, but it's been a bumpy road at times. You may be a Christian who had a similar experience. There were times in my 20s when I wanted nothing to do with God. Amazingly, God remained faithful, despite my unfaithfulness.

Enough about me and my "marvelous" life story!

I've tried blogging in the past and found it difficult to keep up with. I think I have a better platform, a more interesting point of view now, and if if possible, I want to use this opportunity to expand on ideas and events relative to the challenges in my life, along with some general discussion about books I'm reading (or quitting!).

Bottom line is, this newest venture will perhaps be a means for me to offer encouragement, while also making connections with people who want to know a little more about what makes me tick!