Banned Together.

Yes. Dear Reader(s). It is not news that I have been to many book launches in my time. They are funny animals. I love them, but that is because, frequently to always, I love (Love!) the people involved in them, either writing, producing, or promoting said books. 

I do find them a bit incongruous with my nature, the actual reading parts that is, as I am a pretty traditional reader as it were (alone, in the comfy chair, with the book). I don't like being read to, I can't register the words properly, I feel like I'm being cheated somehow, can't tell you why.

BUT.

Tonight I went to a reading sponsored by PEN of books that have been banned. Banned Banned books. And Derek McCormack read from Are you there God, It's Me, Margaret and Michael Helm read from Charlotte's Web and Dennis Lee (BLESS HIM) read from his own highly offensive children's poem about murder and cannibalism (Lizzie's Lion), and other passages included the talking asshole passage from Naked Lunch (YES) and the opening page of Lolita, and I.Was.Enraptured. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE BOOKS. LOVE them.

Years ago I had a boyfriend who had some excessive addictions. And when the shit hit the proverbial fan, he pointed out to me that porn and booze would always be there for him, while I could not  make the same guarantee.

And he was right. He treated me like shit, and I dumped his ass less than a month after that disagreement. 

To this day though, this comes up in my mind. I had No argument for it. I have No argument for it. It was utterly impossible to prove him wrong. (Nor did I want to, really. You treat someone like shit, they dump you. Simple math. Sad and simple math.)

Every so often I worry about arguments like this though. About mathematics like this.
Why, you might ask? Why, dear reader(s)?

'Coz Books don't dump you.