Cathlamet Library: Reader's Fave

Recently, I interviewed Sheriff John Mason of Wahkiakum county for our fifth installment of Reader’s Fave, a casual talk with someone who shares their favorite book.

As we chatted, John shared that as a young boy he enjoyed watching an animated T.V. series which was an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, The Hobbit. However, at the time, he didn’t have any idea about the book upon which the series was built. During these younger years, John also liked going to movies and watching various fantasy-type flicks similar to The Hobbit.

Later in middle school, he was introduced to the actual book, The Hobbit, as a gift from his step-dad who was an avid reader. “It really sparked my love of reading,” John said. “I read the book within a week.” He was truly hooked and became an avid reader of fantasy-type genre and other related fiction books.

John spoke about having very robust reading classes in middle and high school and greatly appreciated being challenged and exposed to the great classics. Books, however, usually didn’t capture him in the same way. Rather than something he truly was interested in or discovered on his own, he referred to the books as “an assignment.”

John went on to read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and greatly enjoyed each of them. “Tolkien builds a world and characters to inspire my imagination in a way I could quickly comprehend and run with,” he said.

Today, John has found that his time and interests have changed. He usually will be reading non-fiction of some sort for his work and responsibilities as our Sheriff, but he did mention enjoying listening to the audio book Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain a few years ago. He also has his eyes set on reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, a novel about the 300 Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae.

As a word of advice in regards to books and movies, John said, “Read the book before you watch the movie.” As he mentioned, the book will inspire your imagination in a deeper way. Until our next Reader’s Fave, may you Wahkiakum readers be inspired by a good book.