Books of Doug: Mission Statement

Books are pretty damn important to me. One might go so far as to say they are my life. I work in a bookstore, I have a Masters degree in reading books, and as a writer and aspiring author I seek to create even more books. Yet above all else I enjoy reading books. I cannot even remember the last time I went a whole day without reading at least a few pages of something or other. What a horrible day that would be.

There are a select few books which I return to, year after year, sometimes every few years, which if they do not define me as a person, certainly define me as a writer, define me as the type of published author I wish to be. Recently I've decided to revisit, yet again, some of these titles that i know practically by heart. If you are wondering why on earth I would read a story I already know inside and out, then you are missing the point, and this series of articles I am about to post is not for you. But if you are the type of person who has slowly cultivated a private collection of dear, dear friends, 'desert island' books if you will, books you'd save from your burning apartment if you only had time to grab a handful or so, or you are curious as to what stories I've sewn myself together out of, then read on.

Some of these stories are masterful compositions, canonical works of literature with characters, dialogue, plot points embedded in the popular psyche of the modern mind. Some are obscure. Some are blatant rip-offs of other, perhaps 'better' works, and still others most would consider meaningless tripe, airport novels, or just plain bad writing. But the point is, they all mean a good deal to me. I love them for their faults as well as their beautiful moments. In short, I wouldn't have them any other way.

If you want to continue on to the first article in this series, you can do so by clicking here.