Books, Books, Books

Boomer reader Phil Perkins values books. He values reading, especially friends’ books. He values writing. The problem? Making time for books.

I like books. Now, by books, I mean the kind you can hold in your hand. The kind that have pages you turn one by one. The kind you read by the pool and sometimes get wet when little Marie from next door does a cannonball right in front of your lounge. Hey, it’s all part of summer. Live with it.

I like books so much I have hundreds of them. I like books so much I actually write books.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Many of my friends, like me, are authors. Out of respect and admiration I buy each of their books, fully intending to read them. I belong to a writer’s group. All lovely people and accomplished authors. I have all of their books. I have all of the books of one of best friends in high school. He’s a PhD and writes historical fiction. I’m dying to dig in. And by the way, my brother and sister are also authors. Here’s the problem. I can’t find the time to read all of the books I have, even those written by my own family. What a sad excuse for a brother and even friend I am.

But as I told a fellow writer who asked me what I thought of his new book, “If I’m reading, I’m not writing!”

How does that excuse play with you? I suspect not very well. Nor does the fact that I have a full-time job.

My problem is that as an author I’m not very disciplined. I write when the mood hits me. I write when the next twist or turn of the plot line becomes clear. In the meantime, I’m always presupposing what my characters might be doing or thinking or planning. For that reason, my mind can be somewhat cluttered with storylines. And as another author shared with me, it’s just difficult to add someone else’s storyline to that cacophony.

Depending upon who you talk to, either Stephen King or Ray Bradbury recommended that authors write 1,000 words a day. I have to assume the idea was, just write that many words and move on with your life. So, if I followed that model and could compartmentalize my thinking in the same way I could actually enjoy the writing of others.

Hemingway took it to the next level of organization. He got up around 6 in the morning, wrote his 500 words (standing up by the way) and cleared the rest of the day for whatever adventures he could cook up. Based on the historical record it likely wasn’t sitting down with a good book, but he’s not here to clarify. I do note that with all the deep-sea fishing, foreign wars and womanizing he couldn’t squeak out 1,000 words. But who am I to judge!

Right at this moment I’m sitting at my desk staring at three piles of books, some written by people I care about. Many thoughts are going through my head. Can I reorganize my days so that I produce a reasonable wordcount and create some time for other endeavors like reading?  Can I clear my mind so that I can enjoy the stories and characters invented by others?

And at the same time another thought crosses my mind. Are my friends and siblings sitting at their desks staring at stacks of books, some of which are my novels wondering how to find time to read them? Hmmm.

Phil Perkins is an author, businessman and musician who lives in Richmond, Virginia, and Hilton Head Island with his wife, Sandi, and their pooches, Skippy and Jeter. Perkins is often making time for books and has written both business books and fiction but particularly enjoys writing in the mystery and detective genres. His love of the Lowcountry resulted in a series of books culminating in his latest novel, “BLUFF: A Mac Burns Novel,” which was released on May 28, 2024.

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