that is not a fish, this is a fish...

Call me a speed reader but as soon as I dropped lord of the flies I picked up Mr Hemingway's 'Old Man and the Sea'.

It must be said I'm a Hemingway groupie from way back. He makes me swoon the way most girls experience facial paralysis and loss of body control when they perve on Channing Tatum in 'The Vow.'

He, Hemingway that is not Channing, creates prose that is like literary porn for book nerds such as myself. In the words of Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough.

The old man and the sea has always been a perennial favourite of mine so it was like taking a bath in chocolate to read it again. Every line reminds me of childhood fishing adventures. Casting a line, the rocking of the ocean, the silence, the beauty of just becoming part of the landscape.

While small, it is an epic book. One man and his enduring battle. Against the sea, against odds, against himself and against a magnificent fish.

With every page you can practically hear the lapping of the ocean against his boat, feel the film of salt against your skin, the sting of the line cutting into your palms and the sense of apprehension and excitement that comes when a line screams off the bow.

Every man, woman and child whether they are a fisher or not should read this book.

Has there ever been an author like Hemingway? I'm not sure, it could be why five of his books are on the top 100 list.

So with Easter around the bend, rather than indulge in a chocolate binge I'm going on a Hemingway gorge fest. Next up is The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls and A farewell to arms.

Let the overdose begin!
x
J