Basket.

Because I am currently going through books at a tremendous rate (2-3 of any given size and/or thickness per week, due to the fact that I have just about, oh, nothing else to do), I had to drop by the library again today. I confronted its shelves of history books and realised that I've just about read (and in many cases, re-read) every single one there worth the reading. Tempted by Hobsbawm's enormous semi-autobiographical account of life throughout the 20th century, I drew back due to its great size and weight. That's not a book I would be lugging to camp. Khruschev's biography drew my attention, and I've read some of it - I brought it to camp the week I suffered my accident. Then there were the various volumes of "HITLER". Or "HITLER & STALIN". I didn't even touch those.

Then again, I've never been big on biographies/autobiographies. Maybe it's because I believe history as a subject is so much more than just one person, no matter how great. In the end they just bore me.

I also do not just voraciously devour any and all history books I come across (as some might believe). I pick and choose my material with some care. I'm into military history, but technical details of weapons bore me. My interest is skewed towards the narrative side of history, but I've come across some excellent analytical authors - the genius, of course, being Eric Hobsbawm. In the end I simply read what I enjoy the most.

Jurong East Community Library also has a very impressive comic/graphic novel collection. I would be a little more enamoured yet if most of the comics it stocked was not worthless shit like Cathy collections or funny local Asiapac series like "The Celestial Zone". Not to mention all the manga. I'm just no fan of comics which are not either a) funny or b) thought-provoking. Or hilariously violent, for that matter, which is why I love(d) The Authority despite the fact that most (all?) of what they do entails smashing huge invasions of creatures hostile to Earth and humanity, and cracking terrible jokes while they do it.

This is why the RJC library still has/had the best comic collection in all Singapore. Because it's not cluttered up with all the pitiful excuses of comics like "Herman" (whatever the fuck it is, because I've never heard it any place else, it isn't funny or thought-provoking or thoughtlessly violent, so it is trash).

Speaking of comics and libraries, someone wrote to the forum page that day complaining that her son brought home a comic book from the library that had gratuitous violence and nudity inside. Oh shit, obviously it's the library's fault that your 10-year-old borrowed an adult comic book that was in the adult section and obviously not meant for children? Why, I certainly am not going to have the nerve to suggest that maybe you ought to practise being responsible for policing your own children, madam?

Of course, it's not like I don't already know that for most people, the easier path out of a problem is blaming others, rather than admitting their own mistakes and taking responsibility for the consequences.

And to the idiot who wrote about Arafat and the terrorist exhibition: Arafat was a terrorist. For most of his career, at least. There is nothing wrong with sticking him up there.

People.