Blogs About Books (and Stuff) Part 1

This is the part 1 of a planned two-part series of blogs on the subject of books. Part 2 is in the planning stages; expect it in time for your Christmas stockings.

I was moved to write this when I received my water bill this month. Usually, receiving bills in the mail prompts me to put them into a large folder and ignore them, but this bill had a letter from our local mayor included. Generally I skim such letters before recycling them into a large box I call "Stuff I don't care about" but something in this letter moved me and I knew I had to write about it.

There is a spot on the form letter that deals with recycling various household items to local nonprofit agencies -- an idea I fully support. There is a subsection "BOOKS" that reads as follows: "only morally appropriate books accepted".

I've been mulling over that phrase; I can't stop myself really. Do I even own a "morally appropriate book"? I don't know if I have read a "morally appropriate book" since third grade. I'm not sure I would know what a morally appropriate book is and whether I would want that poison in my home.

I'm fairly certain that this blog (and all of the shit contained herein -- see, there I go) is not "morally appropriate". I'm writing a book -- yeah, I said it, I am writing a book and I am really, really certain that it is not "morally appropriate". I hope that it is funny (above all) and maybe a pinch thought-provoking about matters of love and sex and friendship and sex and a bit of sex, but I certainly hope that should it one day grace the shelves of our local bookstores that it will not be picked up, browsed and purchased because it appears to be "morally appropriate".

I know, I know, I am treading down well-worn paths here since I already did a blog extolling the virtues of porn. Still, if there comes a time that one of the morally inappropriate books currently on my shelves needs a good home, I shall not donate said book to the local nonprofit agencies. Oh, no. I will lovingly stick it in an envelope, carefully address it and mail it off to you, dear reader.

You will take good care of it, won't you?