My wife and I had an interesting conversation yesterday about a book that has been a bestseller for quite some time. Someone, her daughter I think, bought her Guns, Germs, and Steel. We were talking about books in general, and she mentioned trying to read this one and at work. Several people saw her reading it and commented they had tried it as well. My wife didn't finish it, and knows of nobody that has. She didn't know that I had listened to it, and I told her the only thing I remember about the book was that I got little out of it. She thought it odd that it could be a bestseller for so long, with so many people getting so little out of it. Did I say she never finished it? I suggested that we try again, taking turns reading it and discussing it as we did so. There was no response, I suspect the idea seems to out of the ordinary for her.

So, when a book makes the bestseller list, does that mean it is really a good book? One would think. But the list just reflects sales, hence the title of the list as 'best seller'. So the possibility exists a book could make the list but still not be all that great. I've read nearly everything by Stephen King, and it is safe to say that anything he puts out will be a bestseller, but there are a couple I thought were sort of ho-hum. Not that I can qualify a book as bad, it's just another example of how a book on the list doesn't necessarily equate with being good.

I have a list to the right of books I thought were worth the time it took to read them. It is not complete, but there are countless others I thought were not worth the time for one reason or another. Walden is supposed to be good, but it is a very slow read and I may or may not finish it. The Will to Power puts me to sleep, but that is understandable since most of it was not meant for publication. The Poisonwood Bible is also supposed to be good, but I started it and never finished. I'm guessing less than half the books I read I would consider worth the time.

Anyway, I picked up Guns, Germs, and Steel again, to see if I maybe missed something. That is entirely possible, when I listen to nonfiction my mind tends to wander if I'm not focusing on the book because I'm doing something else. It is good timing, I just got through the third book of the audio bible I'm struggling through. In Leviticus, there are so many offerings mentioned as "made by fire for a sweet savour..." it practically begs one's mind to wander. I did find it interesting how this third book is inundated with primitive sacrifices. People who live by the bible would scoff at any modern civilization that practices sacrifice as primitive and uncivilized, I can't understand how the reconcile the two things.

The book also talks about sin offerings, which I think may be the justification for the selling of indulgences in the 14 & 1500s. There was something else I meant to discuss, but I've forgotten what it was...