1. A poll:
Do you ever give up on a book you're reading? And if so, do you feel guilty afterwards, or freed? I just gave up on a book. Halfway through (and "halfway" = about 250 pages) I not only didn't want to keep reading, but if the book had disintegrated in my hands and ceased to exist entirely, I would have felt nothing but relief. So why am I still thinking about it?
2. Here is a book on which you should not give up*: 
Beach, by Elisha Cooper
I must admit I am partial because
1. it's dedicated to the North Avenue beach in Chicago, where I spent many a run,
2. I sort of know Elisha from college, which is why I picked it up, and
3. we are about to head to the beach for a quick spring break and I can't wait.
But my bias aside, you really should check it out. It is a gorgeous, simple, charming story starring the beach on a summer day, and it captures that hot, sandy, relaxed, salty mood perfectly, so much so that Destructo sighed contentedly at the end and Tink said, "Mama, he is really, really good at drawing people doing things."
3. If you haven't been obeying my linky commands and checking out GottaBook daily during National Poetry Month, you have been missing out. As I commented there, it's like getting a present every day. I loved today's, OWL, by Ann Whitford Paul for its ending.
* up on which you should not give
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sunday bits
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4 comments:
I hate hate hate dumping a book. It's a stupid thing to resist doing, because with so many good books out there why waste time on a bad one? But I just dumped one last week that I'd picked up on the advice of the NYTimes Sunday Magazine. And I'm glad I gave up, because instead I picked up The Book Thief and read it this week and LOVED it.
P.S. Jacqui - This is the first time I've commented on a blog anywhere, ever! Congrats on being responsible for stripping me of my lurker status. (That sounds rather lurid, doesn't it?)
Beth, I'm so proud!
Yes, exactly, life is too short and all that, and yet I read on.
But The Book Thief is fabulous -- such a good reward for giving up,
So, you're not gonna tell us which book it was? I know you want to be nice and all, but what if I pick it up and waste my time, too? Can't you protect us poor, time-starved writers from straying too far?
Amber, it was 2666 by Roberto Bolano. It was published posthumously, so I don't have to worry about his feelings. :)
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