“I’ve never known any trouble that an hour’s reading didn’t assuage.” Charles DeSecondat
“I use reading as an escape. I enjoy science fiction and fantasy. I like a strong character and delve in — it’s a way to get out of my own head and the intensity of baseball! Jerry Blevins, pitcher for the Mets
Avid Readers — what a joy they are! And how wonderful to know that they are reading everything and wherever they are. And like Jerry Blevins, they often read to “escape” and to get out of their own head and into someone else’s. A short news story recently gave a peek into Jerry’s library and showed just how wide-ranging a reader he is at home and on the road. One subject he’d rather not read about: Baseball! Here’s his take on what’s on his shelf or in his kitbag:
In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larsen: “This is a true story about the US ambassador to Germany during the rise of the Third Reich. William Dodd kept a pretty good journal and so did his young daughter, Martha. It shows how nearly everyone in America underestimated the Nazi regime and how a gentle man saw its treatment of the Jewish
people. It’s hard to fathom how any human being can do that to another.”
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas: “I thought I’d read a couple of classics. First I tried Moby Dick, which was fantastic, then this one, about a man who’s betrayed and imprisoned and so bent on revenge, he can’t see clearly. It’s really a fun read!”
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: “When a line drive cracked a bone in my arm in 2015, I spent a long time in rehab. My teammate Erik Goeddel was there and we found we’d both read this book. It’s set in a dystopian future where the main character escapes into virtual
reality, in search of a prize. It’s filled with nerdy subculture references from the 80-s and ’90s: a flashback to my childhood.”
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: This is the first of the Kingkiller Chronicles trilogy, but the third book still hasn’t come out. It has an amazing main character, Kvothe, a hero who has his flaws and embraces that. He knows he’s fallible, so he’s easy to root
for. Nobody’s perfect.”
What a varied reading list! I love Jerry’s adventurous spirit, which enjoys everything from narrative nonfiction to dystopian fantasy. Read on, Jerry! And, encouraged by this ball-playing book lover, let’s all write on!
