Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I'm a ruthless reader these days.  If a book doesn't grab me I put it in the pile for the no-kill dog and cat shelter store, and they sell the books for $2 to $3.  I did that yesterday with two books, one of which I struggled through a quarter of it, the other, I wasn't about to try.  So much for that author!  Yes, she's best selling, great for her, but she'll have to continue her rich lifestyle without me as a fan.  I went right out and searched for tried and true authors, and found three books, and began tackling the first yesterday afternoon.  Goodness, I'm getting picky!  I used to read cereal boxes and my mom's trashy novels and reader's digest chopped up novels and anything I could lay my hands on.  Now I mainly read non-fiction and biography, with a few mysteries and my fave authors, like:  Rebecca Solnit, Dave Eggers, Louise Erdrich, Roxanne Gay and Kate Atkinson.  A new Toni Morrison is cause for rejoicing.  I've reread all James Baldwin, but had missed "If Beale Street Could Talk", so I bought that yesterday.  Yes, I love Tommy Orange's book "There, there" and Kiese Lemon's "Heavy" and Dave Sedaris' "Calypso", and I try friends' recommendations, but let's face it, I haven't got much time left and I want what I read to grip me.  I do love Lucia Berlin's stories and adored her memoir.  I'm not completely rigid.  But give me a book about trees, or crows and ravens, or Paul Kingsnorth and I'm absorbed.  Let me read poetry, new and old.  But novels, not so much.