Books

[sekari]

I had a somewhat tiresome experence when I stopped at a bookstore on my way home from breakfast.
I've been in somewhat of a literary rut lately, and I decided that I would take the some advice I once heard from a very well known author whom I have no intention of name dropping. 
That advice being: Read something that you wouldn't normally read, and

Comments

[a_bean_in_pdx]

I totally recommend Catch 22. I just recently read it myself, as I've been going through a "discovering the classics" phase lately. Of all the things on your list, I'd definitely say that's ones a good read!

[sekari]

yeah, I've been wanting to read that one for a while. It's so ingrained into modern culture that I sometimes feel that my awareness of the world is incomplete as long as I go without reading it. Fortunately I have also heard that it's a great read, thanks for backing that up.

[a_bean_in_pdx]

It's weighty... it took me a little longer than normal to read, because I was so engrossed I really wanted to absorb what was happening. It's also just straight-up funny.

[hearingincolor]

The book you ended up buying looks to be something that I'll likely end up asking to borrow when you've finished...

[saltatoria]

That happened quite often in my Literature classes. We'd be assigned some book that made me think, "Meh," but then I'd read it and think, "OH MY GOD THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER! Thank you, mandatory literature assignment!"

It worries me that there are other great books out there that I haven't been exposed to because I think, "Meh," instead of picking them up.

The book you chose looks pretty interesting. It certainly fits the "different perspective" mandate. One of my favorite authors sets her mysteries in the South, and I've learned quite a bit about the history, culture, and lifestyle since she's a southerner herself and, therefore, lends quite a bit of her voice to the stories. It would be like me writing mysteries set in northern Michigan.

Hmm... *ponders*

[kolibri]

Re: writer-acquaintance's suggestion - massive life changes always seem to compel me to do exactly what you found yourself doing in that bookstore, hunting for something I would not normally choose to read.

The last one was Hitting the Jackpot: The Inside Story of the Richest Indian Tribe in History by Brett Duval Fromson. Bought it on Amazon, eventually, taking advantage of the used book prices (only set me back a total, with shipping, of $5.00).

[sekari]

yeah. I've just been in a rut with a ton of books that I just can't seem to make the time for. But a lot of that is going to change soon. Things in life need reordering.
btw, you might want to reread the entry to make sure you didn't miss anything, I just finished re-editing it for the seventh time as right before your comment.

[saltatoria]

Oh look. MORE LINKS. *shakes fist at you*

I started reading House of Leaves in 2004 and enjoyed it, even though I had to read at a pace much, much slower than I'm used to. There are several strategies for getting through it, all of them argued in forums and the like.

I've not finished it yet (school got in the way, and then I simply lodged it in the back of my brain as "will finish someday").

[sekari]

yes, more links.
I think that's pretty much everything that I have with me. There are many more, but I think they've been packed away in my storage locker.
I'm still not sure what to do with House of Leaves. I want to read it, but just paging through it is a mindfuck. It's not something I could just skim through while I'm at work, and I have my doubts that someone will ever put together an audio book version.

[saltatoria]

My trick was to read the "main" story and ignore the "secondary" story. (I think the secondary is in italics or something... I do know it was easy to separate them). Most of my friends went back and read the secondary story once they'd finished the main story.

It really did bother me at times, since it was all over the place and didn't make much sense structurally, but it was an interesting enough plot to keep me plodding through. Still, putting it down didn't feel like any great loss. I haven't had this much trouble since the 23rd time I attempted "Ulysses". (I still loathe that book.)

I may see if there's a SparkNotes version, or something similar, so that I can at least get a sense of the author's intent before I attempt it again.