Last year I started reading novels at a somewhat intense level for a neophyte. In this website I'll share my experiences as a reader, list and rate the books I've been reading, and generally just promote reading as something super cool to do (nerd alert!). Happy reading!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Good books and bad spelling

So it was recently brought to my attention (by guess who? my mother) that I don't proof-read my articles so much. It's never really a shock when my mother is right. I just found a "you're" when it should have been "your". The horror! I couldn't feel sillier.

Something that I was also discussing with my mom (She's an avid reader too) is whether it's cool or not to not finish a book. I used to be of the opinion that I should finish it if I got far enough along, but I'm 276 pages into "Mary Anne" and for the life of me I can't seem to get motivated enough to read the rest. My mom was telling me about some woman who decided when she turned 50 that if a book didn't catch her interest in 50 pages she would move on. This woman also said that as she got older she would reduce the amount of trial pages to 49, 35, 30 etc. She's now about 80 and says she gives a book about 20 pages. By the time you're 100, she says, you can pretty much judge a book by its cover!


I guess I'm 25, so 276 pages should be enough of a trial! I felt because I had spent the money on "Mary Anne" that I should finish it, but I'm not curious enough to keep going. Who cares! I don't have time to waste! Life is short! So read good books! :D

Status update: Still reading "Yankee". It's one of those books that's got small condensed writing on each page so you think you're getting to the end, but you're not. So! Didn't finish it yesterday. But it gets better and better! Loving in!

9 comments:

  1. So close, Lhiadan, oh, so close! You know me... I never criticize, I merely observe. Your proof-reading is almost perfect, but perhaps like a sprinter at the finish line, you let up a split-second too soon... the VERY LAST LETTER of your post! OHHH, DAMN!! Anyhoo, keep up the good work!

    I think that most people at some point in their reading career feel that they should slog through to the bitter end, no matter how tedious the book. I decided a long time ago that if an author can't hold my attention, then TS! That's his or her problem, not mine... end of story (literally).

    May I suggest Letters from the Earth, by Mark Twain.

    Keep on reading, LR!

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  2. Thanks buddy! But clearly, I meant to write "Loving IN". It's one of those cool new sayings the kids are using nowadays...

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  3. As you know, Lhiadan, I am one of those manly, masculine men one is fortunate enough to meet now and then... why, sometimes, in quiet moments when I'm not busy practicing aerobatics while flying my jet or taming lions (just for fun, of course!), I swear I can hear my beard growing! Makes power napping tough, I tell ya! Boy... that testosterone, eh? Sometimes I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse (trust me... it's a blessing! Wink, wink!! Ha!!)!

    But here's my point, LR... just because "I am what I am", as my good buddy and home-boy Popeye says, doesn't mean that I don't have a gentle, and, dare I say it, sensitive side. I've read (and enjoyed) more than a few books that (I assume) were written with women in mind. I guess that's just the way I am! Well, anyway, maybe these titles will be of interest to you, being a lady, don't you know...

    In no particular order, Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden), Snow Falling on Cedars (David Guterson), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith), and The Photographer's Wife (Robert Sole). Happy reading!

    And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some alligators to wrestle... please don't worry! I won't hurt them!

    Best,

    Anon.

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  4. Anon, you're quite the wordsmith...have I read your stuff anywhere else? Just curious, cause it sounds familiar.
    Thanks for the nod to my "rightitude" or "rightness" or however you'd like to put it, Lhiadan ( I still can't fathom where you got the name, and it's not rolling off my tongue too well, but I'm sure it will in time), but I know for a fact that my writing does not always stand up to close scrutiny so please don't throw it in my face during some future argument!
    Of the books Anon recommended I will add my backing to Memoirs and to A Tree Grows in B., both fine reads. I may have read the Photographer's Wife too, but I don't remember it, I'm afraid. Enough for now! Keep up the blogging!

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  5. Well "Viv", if that's your real name (!!!), recently, I did write a little "number" for GQ, about what the smart young man is wearing this Spring... did you see it? It's all about the latest rage... kangaroo-scrotum leather hat-bands on Panama hats! Very stylish, indeed!

    And since this is a literary blog, may I say that I've always had a fascination with the American South... William Faulkner, William Styron, Thomas Wolfe, some F. Scott Fitzgerald, Erskine Caldwell, it's all great stuff, LR!

    Btw, Lhiadan is a lovely name!! Sounds vaguely Welsh to me...

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  6. How could I have forgotten??? To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee...

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  7. I agree that it's ok to give up on a book if you get 60 pages in and decide it's not for you. Though I've been told that you have to give 90 pages to Life of Pi - it's on my list, I'll get to it eventually. I also agree with the suggestions provided by the comedy duo above. At the moment, I am reading two books, Fight Club (which has me intrigued as well as grossed out) during the day and Bill Bryson's At Home is my bed time reading. I quite enjoy Bill Bryson,very good if you want to learn about things you always take for granted.
    I was recently given a kindle and it's really a lot of fun. It will never replace real books, but it's enjoyable to read. It might be worth having for a trip because you can bring along several books in one, lightweight device. Just a suggestion.

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  8. Hi Nelly! You are indeed welcome as a relief from the comedic duo, as you so politely put it. I have been told as much about the kindle, but I honestly can't see myself getting one until books are obsolete. I like the feel of a book in my hands--call me old fashioned! Thanks also for the book suggestions! I will have to come down here and read the comment sections after I'm finished reading every book to get new ideas :)

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  9. Sorry to keep jumping in, but I must agree that LIfe of Pi is absolutely worth barrelling through if you find the first part a slog. I actually loved the whole book, but I've heard people complain about the beginning.
    Also, Anon is right (hard to admit in print) about To Kill a Mockingbird. Excellent read!

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