That's me at the moment; reader of many books and finisher of very few of them (I've got a couple ready for review but the number of partially read books outweighs this right now). Do you have this problem? I really wish I could settle on just one book at a time...
This post then is about some of those books that I've started and then put down to move onto something else entirely. This should give you an idea about what to expect over the next few weeks, if I ever finish them off...
'Neuromancer' - William Gibson
I put this one down thirty eight pages in when I realised that I wanted to read something where the air of cool felt natural instead of being so forced. What? Don't tell me you don't feel the same... Look, it's a re-read so the plan is still to go back and see if the actual plot is as good as I remember. I'll see if I still feel the same then.
'The Emperor's Knife' - Mazarkis Williams
I made it through all of thirty nine pages here when I realized that the book was just that little bit too bulky for commuting on the Jubilee Line. What I was really after was something smaller, probably a mass market paperback of some description. What I read though looked very promising indeed and it's not as if I'm commuting at the moment... :o)
'Brimstone Angels' - Erin Evans
I was really enjoying this 'Forgotten Realms' novel (I made it fifty four pages this time!) but wanted to read a couple of shorter works, for the blog, before my job ended. I'll be back into 'Brimstone Angels' before you know it :o)
'The Call of Cthulhu' - H.P. Lovecraft
If there was one lesson that I learned last year it's that a man can only read so much Lovecraft before all the stories (short and otherwise) blur into a squamous mass of tentacles and you can't tell the difference between 'The Picture in the House' and 'The Rats in the Walls'. I bailed out at page one hundred and seventy this time round, just as 'The Colour out of Space' was about to begin... A title like that means I will be back to find out more; I just needed to read something different.
'Giant Thief' - David Tallerman
You know what? I have no idea why I put this book down at page fifty one. Let me get back to you on that one...
'A Dance With Dragons' - George R.R. Martin
I know exactly why I put this book down (at the end of the first 'Tyrion' chapter)... It's simple, I wanted to read a book that I didn't have to do warm up exercises in order to be able to hold for any length of time! Don't get me wrong, I love reading 'door stopper' fantasies but damn 'ADWD' is heavy!
Would you like to see any of these books reviewed here? Would anyone care to hold 'Dance' for me while I read it...? ;o)
12 comments:
I think half of your problems (weight/size issues) would be solved easily with an e-reader. For me, that was one of the biggest surprise advantages I've had since I switched to e-format.
{I have the Kobo Touch and I'm perfectly sattisfied with it)
That Mazarkis Williams looks interesting and I haven't heard overly much otherwise.
Also, I'm curious to see what you will make of ADwD, once you get there.
I do the same thing you do, but with non-fiction - I've about 5 non-fiction books that I started (over the last year) and then moved on. I promised myself I'd try to finish at least one a month. We'll see, right?
Antonakis - I'm coming to the conclusion that getting an e-reader is the only way forward. Just need to find a job first...
Bill - No promises (I always seem to break my reading promises...) but I'm hoping to pick up ADWD very soon. I'll let you know how it goes.
I was such an anti e-reader person... till my dad got me a Kindle for my birthday last year. His excuse was that he wanted one but wanted to test it on me first. Result? We now both have one. I love mine. I love the amount of really good cheap/free books you can get for it.
However. Don't for one moment think it will stop your pile of unfinished books... they just wont be such a visible reminder. I now have two piles - the huge one on my shelves... and the huge one hiding in my Kindle *g* I'm like Bill though mine is mixed between fiction and non-fiction.
Id also like to see what your thoughts are on ADWD i enjoyed it but found it dragged in placed. Though my opinion of a AFFC was changed for the better.
I used to be terrible with this sort of thing. Read a book for a little while, put it down, pick another up, rinse, repeat, forget the plot of the first book so I'd have to start from the beginning again. It was awful, and essentially meant that I'd rarely, if ever, read anything new.
One of the biggest things that broke me of that habit was actually starting to do book reviews. I figured that people couldn't wait around forever for me to finish 5 books at the same time in order for me to write reviews, so I made myself stick to only a couple of books at a time, at most, and really focus on them. It did wonders to cut down on the pile of half-read books!
I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of Giant Thief :)
I'm Kindle-obsessed these days, after whinging about them for years! Only trouble is..the reading in the bath issue...sometimes that's the only part of my day I have time to read, and I daren't!
Yes! I have that exact same problem. I have 3 plus an audiobook going right now and I keep wanting to pick up at least 5 more. It drives me nuts, why do I do this?
It's like I'm a kid with candy, look at this candy, mmm, oh, there's more over there, mmm... now I'm sick. :)
I often have several books going at one time (which also gets me in trouble when I should be readying for my next blog!). The thing is, each book has a specific mood, a particular taste--or it does if it is any good. I don't have one mood or taste. One day I might feel driven to dive into something extensive and epic, but the next day I might feel gritty and urban, or prone to reread Dracula again. I feel it is a sign of a person with healthy, diverse interests.
Speaking of diverse, or just weird, I'm spreading the love on my first vid promo: My Little Ponies Massacred:
Nothing really preaches but the credits. Mainly it is gory stop animation fun. If you want to catch why it has anything to do with the book, you'll have to read the blog attached to my web page:
Didja ever finish Prince of Thorns? I think it was this time last year you were posting about it?
I'd like to see a review of Giant Thief, I've heard some good things there. Good luck finishing those off - I know how you feel :)
From the list, the one I'd like to read a review of is Mazarkis Williams' The Emperor's Knife. Maybe I've not clooked hard enough, but I've not seen it reviewed elsewhere.
The others I have either read (Neuromancer), will definately read (ADWD), am also on a break from (Cthulhu), or don't interest me as much.
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