I really have to work on my dissertation, and the “Romney thing” is become increasingly tepid and overdone in the ‘Nacle –
BUT – (this is way too good to pass up) – Romney just revealed his favorite novel, and suddenly I just might vote for him after all (okay, not really). Find out what it is below the fold:
It’s Battlefield Earth by that (in)famous founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.
Now, the movie was horrid, I will admit. The book, however, does have its charms. It’s hardly great literature, but it is entertaining. Yes, it’s over 1000 pages long, but the chapters are short, characterization is minimal, and the action is fast paced.
Basically, it’s the literary equivalent of a saturday morning serial. It has no depth, but it does have some breadth (covering everything from mining to banking to Scottish nationalism to base 11 mathematics and more). Scientifically, it’s a total joke (apparently in other galaxies, there are different elements on the periodic chart). Stylistically it’s simplistic. Artistically, it’s lacking. But I found it a fun read nonetheless (though I’d hardly put it in even my top 100 fiction list).
This likely reveals nothing about Romney other than like many people, he likes his fiction fast paced, heavy on action, and light on thought. There’s a place for that. I’d rather see his top ten favorite books before making a decision – perhaps 2 through nine are serious literary tomes. Or not.
Discuss.
UPDATE: It’s another Romney flip-flop! Apparently, his favorite novel used to be Huckleberry Finn!
UPDATE 2: Romney flips back!:
HH: Now we’re wrapping up, Governor. If someone has asked me my favorite novel, I would have said Lord of the Rings, and Eisenhower was a Zane Grey westerns addict. But I’ve got to tell you, science fiction?
MR: (laughing) Well, you know, that’s really not my favorite novel. Probably my favorite is Huckleberry Finn and I’ve read all of Louis L’Amour’s books, I think. I may have missed one of two, but all of his westerns. You know, I have a guilty pleasure in some science fiction. A couple of my other favorite science fiction, Ann McCaffrey’s Dragon Flight, and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. There’s some great science fiction out there.
HH: I hope your favorite movie isn’t 2001: A Space Odyssey.
MR: (laughing) I’ll stay away from that.
HH: And have you ever been to a Star Trek convention, Governor?
MR: No, I’ve stayed away from that, too. I must admit, but I do enjoy Star Trek.