I'm NOT Reading That!

OK. I admit freely that I attended a Barry Manilow concert yesterday. Of course, the tickets were free, and a cheap date is, perhaps, the best kind; so, despite the fact that my date didn't really know who Barry was or what he'd done (not being a music listener throughout the 70s), she agreed to go knowing that a cheap date was better than no date. Frankly, though, it was a bit embarrassing. Women in attendance outnumbered the men 10-1, and all the guys looked like they were attending in hopes of getting a really great gift for Father's Day. At least half of the attendees had serious difficulty negotiating the steps in the auditorium, and I expected the EMTs at any moment. On the bright side, I felt both much younger and much thinner. The concert itself was actually entertaining; I mean, this guy had 10 top ten hits during the 70s and a LOT of other recognizable pop tunes (in addition to many commercials one would recognize), but it made me think about why people are drawn to certain things: in this case, most of the women screaming and putting the free glow sticks inside their shirts in conspicuous places probably were recalling the days of being love-smitten and/or rejected. I mean, seriously, LISTEN to the lyrics! This event made me think yet again, of the line I've drawn: the line between what guys can acceptably do and should NOT do.
Imagine my horror to find on the sofa yesterday (courtesy of the neighborhood garage sale) the three-book series of The Hunger Games. I will never read any of them for the simple reason that I don't feel that this kind of dystopian literature is aimed at the middle-aged man but at teenage girls. It's the same reason I refused to read anything in the Twilight saga hysteria. Any book that convinces an audience to read is a good thing, but I simply will not succumb to the mass hysteria simply because everyone else has. That means I will ALSO not be reading Fifty Shades of Gray, described by some as "Twilight with sex." That book is designed for women with an active fantasy life but not necessarily and active sex life...something like all the fiction with Fabio on the cover, his shirt ripped open. I understand the idea of a "best seller," but that does not imply the book is good...just popular. (I guess the same could be said for popular music).
Anyway, I have Christopher Moore's latest book Sacre Bleu  to read.