Sometimes I Read Books Too

There are people who read a lot. I'm not one of those people. I read a couple of books a year, wheras some people read a couple of books a month. Maybe that makes me lame. Maybe it doesn't. I don't know. I probably would read more if I wasn't so disappointed by the things I read.

I finally caved and read the first book in J.K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Maybe you've heard of it? The writing was good enough. But reading this book was a bit of a chore for me. I couldn't wait to be done so I didn't have to be always thinking, "oh, yeah, I need to finish that Potter book." And since I've finished, I haven't had any desire to read the next one. Now if you are sitting there thinking, "Wait a minute - I LOVE Harry Potter," know this - it's not you, it's me. I've never really been into the whole wizards and warlocks and fantasy-type stuff. It just doesn't interest me that much. The things that bothered me the most were that the wizards would just cast a spell to make their fine banquets appear. That just seemed entirely too easy - I don't think they should be able to do that. Also, that Dumbledore cat was entirely too random in how he handed out points to the various halls as they competed for the Wizard Cup or whatever that Hogwarts championship was called. Maybe it's the accountant in me, but you've got to have some sort of basis for how you're allocating points. I kind of feel like those Slytherin guys were robbed, even if they were butts.

The other book chronicled the history of the famous California-based restaurant chain In-N-Out Burger. This book was really boring at first as it delved into the genealogy of Harry & Esther Snyder. I skipped at least one chapter. It became more interesting as they talked about its humble beginnings and how the rise of fast food coincided with the explosion of the automobile and suburbs in the 1950s. Harry Snyder focused on quality food and treating employees right. He never borrowed money - only building a new store when he had enough cash saved. And they didn't sell out through franchising like so many of his contemporaries did - McDonald's, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken. He wanted to retain control over his product and sacrificed the big payday.

Through the years, In-N-Out achieved cult-like status among burger fans in California. It was only after Harry Snyder turned over the reins to his son that the company really started to grow. The middle part of the book was probably the most interesting as it described a series of plot twists that seem like something out of a Hollywood screenplay.

It seemed like the story was headed for a grand climax, with plenty of family intrigue and legal battles. But it ended up with some sort of confidential settlement, so the reader never finds out exactly how the conflict was resolved. Kind of a bummer. I did get lots of material for a potential future post about the pitfalls of a family business - very interesting topic.

So those are pretty much the two books I read in 2010. Maybe I could step it up to three for 2011.