Since finishing On The Road a few weeks ago, I've recently finished reading two more books. It hasn't been intentional but the last few books have all been about journeys of some kind.
In many ways these two books couldn't be more different.
Me:Moir is the comedian Vic Reeves' account of his childhood and teenage years growing up in Darlington.
The Alchemist is Paulo Coelho's (now ubiquitous) book about a Spanish shepherd boy and his journey of self-discovery to Egypt and back.
It has been said that The Alchemist contains many autobiographical elements, which I hope to discover more about as I read Coelho's books further. Me:Moir on the other hand, would appear to be mostly autobiographical, but I don't believe for a moment that Vic Reeves was a ten-stone baby!
Me:Moir reminded me that my journey of growing-up is just as eventful as Vic Reeves' (drawing cartoons, playing in bands, being crap at sports, making my own fun during boring family holidays) and I don't have to think that my life has been boring and dull in comparison (although Vic can tell a better story than me).
The Alchemist showed me the importance of self-reflection - seeing how circumstances and seemingly random occurences then became pivotal moments in your life.
Vic Reeves' book is light reading for sure, but it's an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. The Alchemist has been dismissed as a mere self-help manual - but sometimes just one line from a book (or a song, or a poem) can say something very meaningful (whether profound or simple) to a person much more powerfully than a thousand words in a sermon, text book or a lecture.
1 comment:
Caught the comment you left on my blog - Good to hear from you.
I was in castlederg just last week and wee ev was asking after you! You must have made an impression on here!
Hope you doing well.
And on the spurs thing...I saw Kenny Dalglish's prediction for the final league positions he has spurs in at 4 above arsenal - well, let's not get carried away!
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