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After reading a string of books that basically did nothing for me, and then reading a book that completely enveloped me and messed with my head (House of Leaves
by tmuir 12y ago
After reading a string of books that basically did nothing for me, and then reading a book that completely enveloped me and messed with my head (House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski), I've made a a point of giving books about 50-100 pages to grab my attention, and then moving on if I'm not interested.
I do seek out books from lists like "100 greatest books of the 20th century" and similar, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest to say that War and Peace was dry, repetitive, and completely uninteresting, or that Ulysees' and Gravity's Rainbow's prose were so incoherent, I couldn't make it even 50 pages in either book. On the other hand, The Brothers Karamozov is easily one of the top three books I've ever read, so I don't think its an aversion to classic literature in general.
I think using other people's opinions of books is a good starting point for finding books to read. But I derive no enjoyment whatsoever from knowing that someone else likes the music, or books, or movies that I like, so why should I feel guilty or question my tastes when I disagree with even the most highly regarded opinions?
- acjohnson55 12y agoAt the same time, some books take a while to develop. The first third of Catch-22 was a struggle for me. I found it painfully slapstick. Once I finally got into the groove, the second third was a joy. But the final third was absolutely brilliant.
- tmuir 12y agoI think I'd rather miss out on a few slow developers than constantly hold on to false hope that something will get better. It seems to me that the latter is much more common than the former. Being more selective will result in reading more books, and hopefully enjoying more books.
- danieltillett 12y agoCatch-22 is a book where your perception of it is altered greatly by your mood. I first read it when I was 16 and thought it was the most humorous book I had ever read. I read it the second time at 20 after a bad break up (I had what I thought was the brilliant idea that it would cheer me up) and I found it the most depressing book I had ever read. I have been meaning to read it a third time to see what age has done.
- arvinsim 12y agoBrothers Karamozov...I should really get back into reading that.
- nzealand 12y agoIf you only got 100 pages in, then I think you are missing his point :)
- lmm 12y agoInteresting example, because House of Leaves was the book that finally convinced me to start dropping books after 100 pages or so if I wasn't enjoying them.
- tmuir 12y agoThis is exactly my point, though. You shouldn't put much value in what other people like to read. Maybe it's a good place to start, to find books in the first place, but tastes are inherently subjective. Even if hundreds of millions of people enjoyed House of Leaves, that should have no bearing whatsoever on your opinion of it. All that matters is if you enjoy the story or not.