Not all books are created equal
The other day I was speaking to a friend who said 'I read a 600 page novel yesterday because I didn't want to revise.' My response was 'Ooh what was it?', our other friend responded 'why would you do that?'
I find it rare these days to have the time to just sit and pour over a book for an entire day. Other parts of life get in the way and they are unavoidable such as working or studying. Our friend's reaction isn't a bad one though. Some people don't like books. Some people do like books but have never found one that they have NEEDED to read. I like reading books and I have to say that it is hit and miss with me. I have experienced that need to read, to devour a story, but the majority of books I have read haven't done that. That doesn't mean they were bad books! A lot of them I thought were amazing in many ways but they didn't trap me in their covers.
Some books grab you and wont let you go until you've read them cover to cover (and that's including the publisher page and dedications). These books drag you into their worlds or the hearts of their characters so their struggles are yours. Others are for when you have the time. You'll flick through a few pages whilst you are waiting for dinner to cook or when you're drinking your tea in the morning. They're okay but they don't immerse you in the story. Those books are more like windows. You can look outside for a bit when you feel like it but at the end of the day you draw the curtains and go to bed.
This lead me on to another thought so here is a question for you all - do books deserve second chances?
A lot of us have been there where you pick up a book and you just don't like it. Maybe it's the writing style, maybe it's the layout or maybe it's the characters. Whatever it is you dislike it and thus you either discard the book never to see the light of day again or you begrudgingly finish it then fling it as far away as possible.
Do these books deserve a retry?
Many people have said that sometimes the second read is better so should we give these books the chance of redemption. I've seen online that some people operate by the 100 page rule. The rule is that if after 100 pages if the book doesn't work for your needs you give it up. Do we then take on this rule for the re reading of books? If they cannot tempt us back within that first critical 100 pages do we condemn them for all eternity as our hated books?
Isn't it funny though how the books we hate someone else will love. Not every book is for every person and that's okay. Sometimes writers, myself included, feel the need to please everyone with their stories. They are effectively your literary children so of course you want people to love them as much as you do. So of course it stings when people dislike it. That's okay though and I think it takes a long time for people to learn that.
I find it rare these days to have the time to just sit and pour over a book for an entire day. Other parts of life get in the way and they are unavoidable such as working or studying. Our friend's reaction isn't a bad one though. Some people don't like books. Some people do like books but have never found one that they have NEEDED to read. I like reading books and I have to say that it is hit and miss with me. I have experienced that need to read, to devour a story, but the majority of books I have read haven't done that. That doesn't mean they were bad books! A lot of them I thought were amazing in many ways but they didn't trap me in their covers.
Some books grab you and wont let you go until you've read them cover to cover (and that's including the publisher page and dedications). These books drag you into their worlds or the hearts of their characters so their struggles are yours. Others are for when you have the time. You'll flick through a few pages whilst you are waiting for dinner to cook or when you're drinking your tea in the morning. They're okay but they don't immerse you in the story. Those books are more like windows. You can look outside for a bit when you feel like it but at the end of the day you draw the curtains and go to bed.
This lead me on to another thought so here is a question for you all - do books deserve second chances?
A lot of us have been there where you pick up a book and you just don't like it. Maybe it's the writing style, maybe it's the layout or maybe it's the characters. Whatever it is you dislike it and thus you either discard the book never to see the light of day again or you begrudgingly finish it then fling it as far away as possible.
Do these books deserve a retry?
Many people have said that sometimes the second read is better so should we give these books the chance of redemption. I've seen online that some people operate by the 100 page rule. The rule is that if after 100 pages if the book doesn't work for your needs you give it up. Do we then take on this rule for the re reading of books? If they cannot tempt us back within that first critical 100 pages do we condemn them for all eternity as our hated books?
Isn't it funny though how the books we hate someone else will love. Not every book is for every person and that's okay. Sometimes writers, myself included, feel the need to please everyone with their stories. They are effectively your literary children so of course you want people to love them as much as you do. So of course it stings when people dislike it. That's okay though and I think it takes a long time for people to learn that.
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