I only have time for the truth.' Fiction is the truth, fool! Ever hear of 'literature'? That means fiction, too, stupid. And for God's sake, don't let me ever hear you say, 'I can't read fiction. Pick 'hard books.' Ones you have to concentrate on while reading.

More apt to understand your friends' insane behavior, or better yet, your own. You should never just read for 'enjoyment.' Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. Is anything better than waking up after a late-night read and diving right back into the plot before you even get out of bed to brush your teeth? If a book is good I can't go to sleep, and stay up way past my bedtime, hooked on the writing. But couldn't they at least reward us with frequent reading points like the airlines? I'm always amazed at friends who say they try to read at night in bed but always end up falling asleep. Like all avid readers, I sob about the death of my favorite bookshops in each city I visit, but I'm secretly thrilled at how easy and cheap it is to order from. Each week I read Publishers Weekly not so much for the business news but to see what books are coming out and when I can buy them. I have, as of the day of this writing, 8,425 books, all cataloged but no longer in complete order on my shelves. Nothing is more impotent than an unread library. Of course, you have to read the books, too. Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own it's the freedom to buy any book you want without looking at the price and wondering if you can afford it. He was a millionaire at twenty years old, but he never wanted to be anything but a good singer.I've jitterbugged with Richard Serra, eaten Thanksgiving dinner with Lana Turner, had tea with Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, gone out drinking with Clint Eastwood, and spent several New Year's Eve parties in Valentino's chalet in Gstaad, but what I like best is staying home and reading. He was embarrassed around jazz people to be known for romantic music, and he wanted to be a jazz legend.

#4 Johnny Mathis, the famous singer, was born in San Francisco in 1938. My Johnny Mathis lunacy was way beyond that anyway. I didn’t want to come to him with any agenda, sexual or racial, and I wasn’t. #3 I wrote a letter to Johnny Mathis explaining why I wanted to meet him. I had always followed the careers of Clarabell and Princess Summerfall Winterspring, hoping that I could someday have an extreme career in show business. I was happily guilty to yearn for virtue. I wish I were Johnny Mathis, and I believe that we all secretly idolize our imagined opposites, yearning to become the role models for others we know we could never be for ourselves. Sample Book Insights: #1 I have always had a fascination with Johnny Mathis, a legendary singer who is almost never mentioned in gossip columns. Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Role Models by John Waters