Have you ever read The Catcher in the Rye? I'm trying to read some "classics" and of course this is supposed to qualify as one. I started reading it on Tuesday and have gotten to Chapter 17, which is a little more than halfway. I'm struggling to decide whether I should keep reading or not, though. The language is pretty bad. I was actually kind of stunned. At first practically every sentence contains a swear word, then it kind of mellows out some. It was written in the late 40's in the point of view of a 17 year old boy, so I suppose that sort of explains it... but there's just so much unnecessary cursing! It's like the guy wrote the manuscript, then went back in and shoved a foul word in every place he thought one might fit- and even in places they don't! It bugs me. As I'm reading I have to make a conscious effort to jump over those ugly words and try not to pay attention to them. I don't know anything about the story or how it ends, but at this point I could probably put it down and never think about it again. I'm not hooked at all. Anyway, if you have any feedback about this book I'd like to hear it. Just writing this, though, has made up my mind.
I hate wasting my time on a book, which I seem to be doing quite a bit lately. Of the last 5 books I've read, only one has been really enjoyable. Sad, right? Why do I feel compelled to finish a book that I'm not enjoying? I used to have a bad habit of giving up on a book if it didn't grab me by the first chapter or so. That started to make me feel kind of silly and guilty, so I've tried to change that and give things a chance. But lately it hasn't been paying off for me. Take A Room of One's Own for instance- it's actually an essay and is totally boring. I mean, there are a couple of sections that weren't too bad, and it even made me chuckle a couple of times. But for the most part I was only reading to get to the end. Then I realized that because it's an essay and has no plot whatsoever, how can the end be at all satisfying and possibly justify this slow, tedious reading that I've been struggling with for the past couple of weeks?? So, I put it away. Probably won't ever pick it up again either.
What I'd like is some suggestions. My sister-in-law Jessica introduced me to a website called Good Reads where you can make a list of books you've read, rate them and even write a review and read the reviews of others. I've added some of her suggested books to my "to read" list that I carry with me for when I'm at a bookstore. If you decide to join in please let me know so I can take a look at your list. I really like having books recommended to me by people that I know. :)
Maybe I'll take a break from the classics for a while and read something like Wicked or The Secret Life of Bees or Chocolat... maybe a biography... John Lennon.... Martin Luther King Jr.... Queen Elizabeth?
3 comments:
I hear ya. I have tried to read so many classic and few are as enjoyable as everyone says they are supposed to be. If you like a good clean romance you should check out the LDS author Marcia Lynn McClure. Honestly her books I own them all and I can't put them down when I start them. Good adventure and clean romance you can't beat. Do a search online and you can find her site. Hope that might help.
i'm sorry to hear about your book issues... unfortunately, i'm pretty sure i dont have anything to suggest that you'd like! but i do know that i can recommend that you do NOT read Wicked. personally, i think it is one of the greatest things ever to hit Broadway. i've never read it, but from what i've heard, it's got way too much extra garbage that almost ruins the play for anyone who reads it. i just thought i'd throw that out there before you wasted your time on a book that you wont want to finish. haha
i have a question for you. today in my government class, i my teacher said something about fruitland, idaho and i said "hey, my sister lives near there." and he told me to ask you how the water is? apparently it used to taste like sulfur, and he wants to know if it still does. haha
love you!
My mom actually blacked out all the swear words in Catcher when I read it in high school. If you want a good classic, I suggest Count of Monte Cristo, any Jane Austin or Tale of Two Cities. Those are just off the top of my head. Don't read Hawthorne or James Fenimore Cooper "Last of the Mohicans" series. Both are way too flowery and wordy to truly be appreciated today. Rent the movies instead:)
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