Give yourself a present—you deserve it

Wisdom from books on the brain, even as the pile gently grows [READER]( Went to a bookstore to buy myself a Christmas present. Don't even celebrate Christmas—really just looking for an excuse to buy more books. It's not like I need more books. My house is overflowing with the ones I have. Run out of shelves to hold them. So they’re piling up on top of the bookcases. Weeks ago I made a resolution to stop buying books. Decided to only check them out of the library. But I broke that resolution soon after making it. And the pile keeps growing. You might say I have a problem. But I don't see it that way. I like to surround myself with the books I’ve read. Even the ones I only skimmed, just to appreciate the effort. I like to look at the books and think—man, I’ve read a lot of books. Not everyone has the same attitude. Some people have no problem getting rid of books almost as soon as they’ve read them. I’m thinking now of my dear friend Milo—one of the most voracious readers I know. This story goes back to the early 1980s when another guy—call him Jim—put together a book review show for public access TV. A real enterprising fellow, Jim was. He convinced publishers to send him advanced copies of newly released books, and then he'd assign them to friends and associates to be reviewed on camera. Through me he met Milo, who was up for the game. Milo read the books Jim gave him and then recited his reviews in front of the camera. And the whole thing was aired on cable TV. All was well in their relationship. And then . . . I got a call from Milo. He said: “Benny, that guy is driving me crazy.” Only instead of saying guy, he used a word that just may not be appropriate for a family newsletter. Especially one coming out around Christmas. Let’s just say it’s got a “mother” in it. Milo grew up in a blue-collar section of Gary, Indiana. As a result, he knew all the curse words, including a few choice Serbian ones about goats. He was especially proficient with the m & f word. Not just saying it, but spelling it. “Always, remember, Benny—it’s two words. Never one.” In fact there are those who say that no one says the m & f word as well as Bernie Mac, Samuel L. Jackson, and Milo from Gary. Well, I may be the only one who says that. But more people would say it if they only knew Milo . . . Back to our phone conversation about Jim. “You know those books I’ve reviewed for his show?” Milo continued. “Yes.” “He wants them back.” “So give them back.” “I can’t.” “Why?” “Cause I sold them.” Turned out that when he was done reviewing the books Jim gave him, Milo sold them to used bookstores around town. As he saw it, selling those books was fair game, since Jim wasn't paying him for the reviews. Eventually, Jim demanded that Milo retrieve the books from the used book stores he had sold them to. Said they weren’t his to sell. Not sure what Milo said in response. But I’m pretty sure it included a “mother.” Or two. I guess there’s no point in keeping the books around the house, so long as the wisdom you got from them stays in your brain. Still my book pile gently grows. Anyway, merry Christmas, everyone. Give yourself a present—you deserve it. [Five Decembers]( by James Kestrel. A war novel. A love story. A detective book. And a murder mystery. And wonderfully fast paced. [Janaya Greene]( on Bonyfied by Ebony [Ben Joravsky]( on MAGA using Jussie Smollett to raise money from suckers [Alejandra Cancino and Raymond Richard]( betrayal of Cabrini-Green residents [David Faris]( biggest lies of 2021 [Michael “Skeet” Horton]( in the game [The Ben Joravsky Show]( [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( We've wrapped up season one of CQN! Listen back on all ten episodes [here]( or wherever you get your podcasts. [DONATE TODAY!]( To continue bringing you the stories and perspectives of the community and neighbors that matter, we need your help. [Your investment in the future of independent media is an investment in the future of our city.]( [Ebony’s first and only album still Reigns]( The late Ghanaian’s 2017 release Bonyfied remains a gift to the Afrobeats genre. by [Janaya Greene]( [Four years ago, Chicago indie rockers the Walters broke up just as they were getting big—then TikTok found them]( by [Leor Galil]( [Prop Thtr finds new places and plans]( The company gave up its venue in 2020, but has a bold vision for fostering new work. by [Kerry Reid]( [Issue of Dec 9 - Dec 22, 2021 Vol. 51, No.]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2021 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616