Books Everyone Should Read, Really

The Shining by Stephen King

Disclaimer: I have watched the movie The Shining starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.

Okay, so this book veers from the list of books compiled by members of the College Media Advisers listserv, but I’ve never read The Shining and a girl needs some entertainment every now and then.

And entertaining this book is. A hotel that basically comes to life, including blood, guts on the wall and murdered gangsters and their girlfriends (and sometimes boyfriends too). Hedge animals that move, bite, tear and grab, but ultimately fall prey to gasoline and fire. But scariest of all, the tightly-wound father who comes unraveled based on imaginary liquor and over-inflated sense of self.

Of course in the movie, the tightly-wound father is the character to watch, so aptly played by Nicholson, but the true focus of this book is The Shining, those people with the ability to read minds and see the future. In this case, Jack’s son and namesake, who sees and hears much scarier things in the book than he does in the film. I’ve found this to be the case with all Stephen King book’s I’ve read: They’re much scarier than the movies.

I’m not a big scary movie, scary book person, but Stephen King is one of the best writers of our time. He’s also one of the most prolific, delving into the psyche and plumbing the depths of what makes each of us get the skin-crawling sensation that gives us bad dreams, or keeps us up at night.

As usual, King’s writing is something to be emulated by all good communicators. Direct and descriptive, King cuts to the heart of the matter.

The story, while creepy, is a bit out there as believability goes. However, it still induced a couple of wide-eyed nights as I read some of the most supernatural and unbelievable parts.

Recently, I told several students at Texas A&M University, that the best way to improve as a writer is to read. Well here’s a chance for students to read something that may be of more interest than their textbooks. While you’re reading, enjoy the entertainment, but pay attention to the writing. It’s so good, you’ll forget to pay attention. Now that’s what I call a great writer.

The Community You Know

Last week during Spring Break, I made a trip back to my hometown, the community I know. Or maybe it is the community who knows me. It seemed surreal since I ran into people I had worked with many years ago when I was a reporter. They were a bit older, and of course, so am I, but they really hadn't changed.

Because we shared something for several years, we had a common bond, and that common bond made it easy to talk, share and catch up on what life has handed us. But in talking with these people who had been such an integral part of my life in the 1990s, I discovered that I had changed.

While we will always have our shared experiences, our lives have diverged. I no longer live in the small town where I grew up, and I no longer have those shared experiences. Now, my experiences involve a different city and a different way of life.

Sometimes when I go back to the town where I grew up, I fondly remember the community that I had then. It was a bustling hub of newspaper, softball, city, county, College Station, Bryan and Texas A and M connections. But when I return home I realize that I have just as much bustle in my life and just as much community.

This week, I attended an IABC Fort Worth professional meeting with some students, and we were welcomed with open arms to the community of communicators. It felt just like "old home," so I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the company of my current community.

What this says to me is I guess your level of comfort is in direct proportion to how well you know the community and how well the community knows you, no matter how close or far away that community might be.