Here is the excerpt from “The Tender Bar” I promised in Monday’s post.

On Friday afternoons Bill and Bud would quiz me about what I’d read that week in school. They would then cluck with disgust and take me around the book store, filling a shopping bag with coverless books. “Every book is a miracle,” Bill said. “Every book represents a moment when someone sat quietly–and that quiet is part of the miracle, make no mistake–and tried to tell the rest of us a story.” Bud could talk ceaselessly about the hope of books, the promise of books. He said he it was no accident that a book opened just like a door. Also, he said, intuiting one of my neuroses, I could use books to put order to chaos. At fourteen I felt more vulnerable than ever to chaos…….My days were controlled by teachers, my future was in the hands of heredity and luck. Bill and Bud promised, however, that my brain was my own and always would be. They said that by choosing books, the right books, and reading them slowly, carefully, I could always retain control of at least that one thing.

A couple of weeks ago I finished “The Tender Bar” by J.R. Moehringer.

It is a memoir that Cam read as part of her book club. She thought I would enjoy it since it was a story about a kid growing up who wanted to be, and eventually ended up being, a writer. For those of you who don’t know me well, and for some of you who do, it has always been a dream of mine to be a writer. That’s one of the reasons i enjoy writing these posts, it gives me a chance to practice and explore different ways of writing.

In many ways it is a sad story with lots of struggles, disappointment and pain for a kid growing up. But his experiences and relationships growing up were very rich and interesting (although not always very emotionally and spiritually healthy). Early in the book J.R. got a job in a bookstore working for a couple of interesting characters, Bill and Bud. They loved books, didn’t appear to like people very much, but shared a lot of wisdom and knowledge and their love of books with J.R.

I enjoyed the book very much and definatelty recommend it. Check in to this site later this week and I’ll share one of my favorite passeges that give a glimpse into the insights of Bill and Bud.