I read a book today and a book yesterday and one I ranked because the Kindle asked me to, and one didn’t bother asking, and I think I know why. Why I kept reading it is the real question. The first book was okay, but I was really in a mood to read and I had read books by this author before and my eyes scampered over the words.

When the BEFORE YOU GO thingie popped up, I was startled and gave it four stars because, hey, I liked his other books quite a lot. But this wasn’t his other books, and that dawned on me after I had clicked the stars. Actually, I guess it was a “you had to be there book” and what I mean by that is that you had to have read many, many, many books about the era and the subject. Otherwise, it was a blend of first grade’s Dick and Jane and Where’s Waldo?

Was the boy’s name Dick? I don’t remember. Jack and Jill went up the hill, but who was the boy in the first grade reader who didn’t do anything memorable. I can see the illustration; I can see the actual book; I can see my front of my dress with nicely turned collar and the poofed sleeves; I can’t see his name. I can see, however, the typeface, which was big – like I use now that I need cataract surgery.

The typeface of life: Big and clear for very young eyes and then in high school the tiny print in long books where the publisher wanted to save money, then back to BIGGER print. My parents used to yell at me for reading “in the dark” but it seemed fine to me, although I did use a flashlight some nights under the covers. I remember once I had a conversation with Suzy Wolff about how, depending on which side you were lying, you had to read the even or odd pages like they were on a ceiling. This was a serious subject to us, worthy of nuances about flashlight position and book size and so forth.

Once in McNutt Hall, I almost roasted myself in a hair dryer because the book was so racy I couldn’t put it down. (I think my eyes were open pretty wide then.) I doubt that they still have hair dryers in McNutt anymore – the beauty parlor kind. Girls probably don’t run around with rollers in their hair in the evening, either. We used to sleep on them. Holy Moses.

So, what the heck was I going to write about perspective?  Oh, yeah, don’t trust my ratings, although when I type BARFY,  you have to realize it’s one bad book. Barfy you can trust.