Ayn Rand on the downlow

Partaking in my Sunday ritual at Larchmont before I head off to my other Sunday ritual -- lunch with mom. Iced latte in one hand and an apple crisp in the other, I spot Neal from my sidewalk bench. He had the cover of his book well hidden under the table but I could make out "The Fountainhead" through the slats. I am later told that he tends to hide the cover of this book as much as possible because he doesn't want to start controversy. While sitting at other coffee shops, particularly the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Hillhurst in Los Feliz, he constantly hears people debate about the book's subject matter. So in order to avoid heated conversations he hides the cover from watchful eyes. Alas, my eagle-eye honed in on it!


He bought this book from Border's in November after his brother recommended it. His brother happens to be studying philosophy in school and thought Neal would enjoy Rand's works. Before "The Fountainhead" Neal read "Atlas Shrugged". He absolutely loved "Atlas Shrugged" though he says it took him longer to get through it. "It took me a year to finish it because I needed the time to digest everything." With "The Fountainhead" he's had it since November and is nearly finished! "I think it's because I am now used to Rand's writing style so you can consider me a seasoned pro..." Along with finding this current read quicker to get through Neal can say that he enjoys this book more than the former. "I can really relate to what she's saying in this one."

Neal sets as much time to read as he can but finds himself doing this on weekends or on his travels by plane. "I try to read as much as I can whenever I can. Hell, it sure beats smoking pot all day at work, right?" We both laugh but then he shares that he, in fact, works at a medical marijuana store. Being the silly goose that I am i found this as a segue to referencing the Showtime series "Weeds". I have started watching the DVDs through Netflix since I don't have cable and we both bonded over a few episodes!

Anyway, Neal was never really big into reading and whenever he does read it is usually non-fiction works or self-help books. What's Neal going to read after finishing "The Fountainhead"? He's not sure. "I'm actually waiting for my brother to recommend another book to me because I honestly have no idea what to read next. I am so out of the literary loop. I don't know what's good and what's not." But he thinks he may try to read more books by Ayn Rand since he seems drawn to her works.

I personally have yet to read any Ayn Rand yet. I know, I've totally been putting it off all these years! If he had to pick an Ayn Rand book for me to start off with Neal recommends "The Fountainhead", hands down. I'll keep that in mind.


Which Ayn Rand book do you prefer: "The Fountainhead" or "Atlas Shrugged"? How long did it take you to read them?