Who Knew? You’re Smarter When You Sit In Front Of Books

News coverage of the Coronavirus. Information on COVID 19. You can't get away from it, whether on the radio, on television, social media. It's everywhere.

You can pretty much go up and down the television dial (wait, dial? How old am I??) and there's someone on with someone talking about what we need to do, what we don't need to do, what we should do and what we shouldn't. How things are looking up, how things are looking down, how all this will end soon, and how it will never end.

There's no end to the opinions cloaked and disguised as expertise. And one thing these 'experts' have in common?

They're sitting in front of books.

Have you noticed that most of the guests on most of the shows pick the one spot in their home that has a filled bookshelf in the background? You won't see a so-called authority on our current situation lounging by the pool in the backyard with a margarita and a cigar. Nope.

There they are. sitting in front of at least two shelves of books. And these aren't the latest bestsellers from Stephen King or Dean Koontz or John Grisham. You won't find a classic Dr. Seuss or the Little House on the Prairie series on these shelves. No sirree. You better have some American History tombs up there, some Founding Father biographies. And if you can squeeze in a few leather-bound editions, all the better.

It shows you read a lot, and I don't mean the fun stuff. I mean the hardcore hardcovers, my friend. You see the books back there? That means I know a lot. I mean a real lot.

I don't know. I'd like to, maybe just once, see one of these talking heads say 'Howdy' while sitting at the kitchen table putting together a jigsaw puzzle with their kids.

But not a historical or political puzzle, please. maybe a nice big 'old red barn on a farm. You know, just a breath of fresh air.