I've been on the hunt for a good book for months. I've tried several and tossed them aside. I've read others, though not with complete enjoyment. But the search, aided by a little visit to npr.org, has finally paid off. Last night I started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The first paragraph of this book reminded me that you really can love a book from the start:
"Mae Mobly was born on a early Sunday morning in August, 1960. A church baby we like to call it. Taking care a white babies, that's what I do, along with all the cooking and the cleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime. I know how to get them babies to sleep, stop crying, and go in the toilet bowl before they mamas even get out a bed in the morning."
I read that paragraph and I knew this was a book I'd read all the way through. Thank you very much Kathryn Stockett.
My best friend is an english teacher. She has all these rules for living, and I used to live by them all. She probably lived by mine too. Probably one of her worst rules was developed in college: you had to go out at least once with anyone who asked you out. I can tell you from experience that this is probably not a good way to live. But another one of her rules may have been worse: you've got to finish any book you start. As you can imagine, a bad date takes a lot less time than reading a book you hate. Because I used to live by her rules, my ability to give up on a book after the first chapter is an acquired habit and one I love dearly. Such freedom! Now I regularly give up on books after the first chapter or two. I figure that's plenty of time for the author to grab my interest. If it doesn't happen in that time span, then there's a whole library full of options just down the road.
7 comments:
Oh, I so agree! I feel slightly guilty if I don't stick with a book, but what a colossal waste of time! I need a good book at all times; it is a huge stress reliever for me.
Usually a book has to be pretty awful for me to give up on it before the end. Consequently, I read a lot books that are passable at the time, but afterwards I realize that they were formulaic and/or unbelievable. I find the latter particularly annoying in "tech" fiction. Nothing worse than reading a book in which computers figure prominently and the author gets the tech wrong.
The latest book I gave up on was Little Drummer Girl. I thought, "Even though the movie made from this book wasn't that good, there must be something interesting in the book!" Not worth the effort.
Glad you found something good! I'm currently reading an anthology of "Best" science fiction stories. It's OK.
Emily, I think it's awesome that you have a good book going at all times! I think you should recommend some here.
Peaj, sorry the "best" stories are only okay. Maybe you should move on to something else...
You know me Nina, I just keep reading, rarely finding anything awesome. My most common comment is probably "It was okay." Then, sometimes I find a book that I really enjoy reading, like Twilight, and feel a little guilty because it's not "literature". What to do???
I have to have a book at all times, too--it makes life so much better and I actually get really sad whenever I finish a book that I loved reading.
I just finished a very interesting memoir of two young women who hiked through Communist China back in the 80's. It was fascinating, actually. It's call Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, if anyone's interested.
the most recent one that I would actually recommend was "The Glass Castle", a crazy memoir about growing up with nomadic and quite radical parents. My mouth was hanging open for most of it, in shock that a child could have this life and live to tell about it so eloquently.
I loved the Glass Castle - loaned it to someone, and haven't seen it since!
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