January 6, 2013
Rejected
Last week I made the decision to spend the month reading from my stacks. These books have been in my possession for close to a decade, if not longer (and have moved from Lincoln to Texas and back to Lincoln again!). With fairly strict adherence to my 50 page rule, I've managed to toss five aside. The good news is I finally found something I'm enjoying. These are the losers.
Read two dozen pages. No interest at all.
Bought this one at Powell's in the Portland airport. Isn't the cover art beautiful? Unfortunately, the coming-of-age tale didn't do anything for me.
I loved A Fine Balance and was anxious to finally give this one a read. Judging by the ratings on Goodreads, I'm in the minority, but after 40 pages it simply didn't appeal to me.
It's been such a long time since I read Big Stone Gap that I'd pretty much forgotten the entire back story when I picked up Trigiani's follow-up novel. I didn't even make it past 30 pages. With that said, I'm well over a 100 pages in Milk Glass Moon (the third in the series). Go figure. I may have to come back to this when I'm finished.
Another sequel that failed to pull me in. These Is My Words is one of my all-time favorite epistolary novels. I've read it twice and have hand sold well over a 100 copies. Unfortunately, Sarah's Quilt feels slow and plodding. I read over 50 pages and found I was beginning to check to see how much further I had to read. Not a good sign.
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That's one way to clear out your stacks! I did love Big Cherry Holler.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how sometimes a certain book can be a total winner and then a sequel can fall flat? I think you are smart to move on to another book. You could always return to these at a later date, but you may not wish to. There are just too many good books out there and it isn't really our job to read them all. Even though it feels that way sometimes. LOL
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm not really surprised that you're trying a compromise. I'm certainly the queen of the "try it again" bloggers. That being said, I'm content with stopping. :-)
I recall not liking Big Cherry Holler quite as much as Big Stone Gap and Milk Glass Moon...kind of like a sandwich made of very tasty bread with a mediocre filling.
ReplyDeleteLove it! One of the benefits of reading off your shelves is that you don't have to worry that you need to read the whole thing. I need to get better at this.
ReplyDeleteSmart move on Sarah's Quilt. I loved These is My Words but even after forcing myself to the end of Sarah' Quilt it wasn't worth it.
ReplyDeleteFamily Matters is one that I've been meaning to read as well.
ReplyDeleteI liked both of the last two. But soetimes you just have to be in the right mood!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like a good sort through for the beginning of the year. (For me, it was putting order to my earrings. Sick of digging through a tangle every single morning I finally invested in an ugly ass earring tree. However, it does keep them in pairs and in sight.)
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read A Fine Balance as I've heard nothing but good about it. If it's any comfort at all, my mother read it, and didn't like Family Matters so you're not alone.
So glad to see you posting again, no matter how (in)frequent it may be.
I love your 50 page rule. Okay, I'm totally listening to you about Family Matters. I will not bother. How could it top A Fine Balance any way??? I loved all of Trigian's Big Gap books. Hopefully, if you go back you'll enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteKathy & Janet, I'm thinking about possibly trying Big Cherry Holler now that I've finished (and enjoyed) Milk Glass Moon. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteKay, I know you're content, but I still miss ya! :)
SuziQ, good to know (about Sarah's Quilt). I was afraid I might have given up too soon.
Bellezza, I love the fresh start of a New Year. I've been reading from my "older" shelves and while I've given up on a few that I thought I'd enjoy, there's something nice about clearing space for those new books that suit my current tastes. And, it probably won't surprise you, but I organized my jewelry, too. I received a beautiful jewelry box (Pottery Barn) from my daughter for Christmas. I love being able to see all my pretty jewelry. :)
Staci, I gave up on a few this past week after only reading a dozen or so pages. Sometimes you just know! Of course, I wonder why I ever even brought them home. Maybe a good deal at a library sale?
Good for you! :) LOL at "the losers."
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