How Long Do You Give It?
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How Long Do You Give It?
Sometimes I break books like that up with other books that I like better, which helps. But I hate to give up on them altogether. Is anyone like me, or do you read a bit and decide that if you don't like it, you're not going to waste time on it?
- Gannon
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- Bowlie
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Are you not enjoying A Prayer for Owen Meany? I saw you were reading that on the Currently Reading thread.
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Actually, when I think about it, it's only the classics that I care if I finish reading. Like, I had a Piers Anthony book I didn't finish because it bored me to death (he's my favorite author, but I don't like some of his series). But I haven't been able to get through A Tale of Two Cities, 1984, or...Moby Dick! I've actually read that a lot of people didn't like Moby Dick. It's on some online list of classics not to bother reading, lol.
Bowlie, The Scarlett Letter is actually pretty good, although I admit that it's slow. What did you find unreadable about it?
- Bowlie
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I think I found the Puritans rather boring in school. It was a long time ago that we had to read it for class, but I haven't bothered to pick it up again. I probably should because it's so short, but I just haven't yet. heheLainey1978 wrote:Bowlie, The Scarlett Letter is actually pretty good, although I admit that it's slow. What did you find unreadable about it?
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There are people who didn't want to finish A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Letter, or Moby Dick??? I loved all three of those! But, perhaps that was because, when I read A Tale of Two Cities, I had just gone through a french revolution phase, when I read The Scarlet Letter I was going through a religious phase, and when I read Moby Dick I had just finished The Iliad (and Melville made several parallel's throughout the novel with The Iliad).
Now that I think about it, I think a book is enormously more enjoyable if it is read in conjunction or in addition to a previous interest. As in, if you relate one passion to another, the two combine, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts...
Or, if you find a character admirable, and begin trying to emulate him, or if you find a struggle similar and begin to draw comfort from the empathy being telepathically transported to you through the text. If a book makes you think, it needs to make you think about something you want to think about to hold your interest, if a book does not make you think then it simply needs to hold the capacity of providing an escape from those thoughts which you do not need to think about. Both kinds of books are good, but the first builds the mind, the second simply releases pent up stresses of the mind...
And, I think that is why I can find A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Letter, and Moby Dick un-put-down-ables, to whereas others can find them as give-up-ons.
- Bowlie
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I think that I found the Puritans boring because I grew up in the Southwestern U.S. In school, U.S. History is primarily taught as Colonial U.S. History and there is so much history in the Western U.S. that is completely separate from the Colonies. I felt a disconnect when all that was taught was the history from the British in America. I don't really identify with that part of U.S. History since I'm of Hispanic and Asian decent.Dolphin wrote:What!?
There are people who didn't want to finish A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Letter, or Moby Dick??? I loved all three of those! But, perhaps that was because, when I read A Tale of Two Cities, I had just gone through a french revolution phase, when I read The Scarlet Letter I was going through a religious phase, and when I read Moby Dick I had just finished The Iliad (and Melville made several parallel's throughout the novel with The Iliad).
That being said, I have come to appreciate Colonial U.S. history and it might be worthwhile for me to pick up the book now since I'm older.
On a side note, I read Moby Dick in high school and really liked it. It's a book that I'd like to read again someday.
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