Hmm.
No, nothing to do with looking in the mirror, since this isn’t about me. Or at least, only peripherally. 🙂
I was considering an anthology that I’m reading, in fact, I have a story in it. It’s called “Hellhounds” and it just came out the other day.
See, in reading it (I’ve only read 8 of the thirty-plus stories in it) I’ve already found two or three authors that I MUST follow up in looking at their body of work. I think they’re well suited for what I’m looking for in a good book.
What does this have to do with reflections? Well, part of it is that we’ve gone down the Amazon path (or I have, maybe you’re immune) of reading what Amazon tells me is what I’d like. And Amazon continuously refines what it thinks I like, until at some point, I’m reading this tiny narrow strip of books that completely ignores anything adjacent to it.
So, from this, two thoughts.
First off, read more anthologies. I haven’t been reading many of them, lately, for no good reason. Or perhaps, it’s because Amazon is likely confused by anthologies. Too many choices. Too many potential genres. (The Hellhounds book is about dogs. Fine. But it’s about dogs in science fiction, fantasy, the past, the future and just right here in real life. How does Amazon classify that to tell me I’d like it?) So, for 2022 – more anthologies.
And second, libraries.
Remember libraries?
Those largely-silent halls of knowledge and pleasure. That smell that can’t be duplicated. The feeling of being surrounded by all the condensed intelligence (and fun and sadness and pathos and anger and and and) of the world.
And you know what else?
The Library is an anthology. As you wander the shelves, you’ll wander past all kinds of books you never knew existed. Never cared existed.
It’s time to go back to the library.
Time to revisit our roots.