That's Just Wrong, Page 21

Where do I start this blog? Let's start with my buddy Howie Mandel here on the right.

I can relate to Howie in more ways than one. I have an understanding of his OCD. From the obsessive thoughts that are sometimes hard to get out of my head to the compulsive behavior and heaven help me, the germ phobia.

Now segue into my love of the library which can sometimes be the antithesis of my need to protect myself from germs.

Has anyone gotten a book from the library? No one knows what people do when they read public books. I have had pages freakin' stuck together. For real, I do NOT read the kind of books that you would expect to have pages stuck together. I have found what I believe to be pubic hair between the pages of library books as well as other bodily fluids and excretions. Ugh. From someone suffering from her own form of germ phobia, this is NOT good.

Anyway, I have a list of books that I want to read. I have a dozen or so authors like John Sandford, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell and David Baldacci just to name a few. I have lists printed on the works of each author I am currently reading and order them from the library in the order that they were written. I would never read an author out of order! One of my compulsions. Anyway, in between the authors I read, I come across a book that I hear about on line or on TV and I order it from my local library.

One of these books was the one shown above by Howie Mandel. It's a memoir of his life struggling with his ADHD, OCD and of course his germ phobia. I'm telling you, I could so relate to many parts of this book.

Anyway, I picked this book up from my library on Friday. Now, a book about a germ phobic being read by a fellow germ phobic should NOT be is this condition:

I have no idea what in the heck was spilled on this book but I actually had to argue with myself on whether or not to walk out of the library with this book! This is not one to read in bed since there is no way the bottom of this book is touching my bed, bedclothes, blankets, or even me. I read it sitting up while holding it away from my body. And, I washed my hands . . . A LOT.

I give this book two clean thumbs up. It was a good read that had some comedic parts but was a touching story of a man trying to live his life and raise his family in spite of the obstacles set in front of him. Howie Mandel's "Here's the Deal, Don't Touch Me". Get it from the book store, order it from Amazon, just don't order it from the Lorain County Library.

Defacing any book, let alone a library book, is just wrong.