With my reading challenge continuing this year, I am always on the lookout for more books to read. While I love most of my selections, there have been a couple that probably were best left in the idea stage: They did not live up to their full potential.
When I first heard of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, I was all over it.
I loved Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, so I was all set for this type of adventure – a classic being seen through a new lens. The first few pages were wonderful – the story, all in iambic pentameter, slowly started to unfold. Then I realized that this was going to be a scene by scene reenactment of the entire movie in this often forced poetic style. Ugh. I put it down.
The other book, S, by J.J. Abrams, was perfect for me on paper.
It is a book, Ship of Theseus, with a twist: The real story actually takes place in the margins, where two strangers are holding their own separate conversation. My heart went pitter pat at the idea of it!
It took a couple months for my turn to come up in the library queue. I was so excited!!! I got home and immediately sat on my reading couch – yes, I have a designated space in my tiny condo for reading – and opened up the book.
I made it through the first chapter, then I closed it up and put it in the “return to the library” pile. This action was done with a heavy heart.
It was not the right time for me to read it. Trying to read the book plus the notes – some of which referenced the text and others that did not – required more patience than I have right now. I will definitely keep it on my list for the future. At the moment, though, the ability to jump back and forth to catch the underlying stories required more mental effort than I currently have to give.
Have you had a book that you were looking forward to reading that ended up being a disappointment? or Anyone know where I could find/buy more patience?
Grown Up, Now What? 
Yes I have. And like you, I don’t wait them out, sludging through text and chapters that don’t engage. Some were recommended by friends or my sister (who I usually am spot on with) and some just sounded great but disappointed. Patience? I don’t think with reading we should have to have it. I love the kind of book that I start reading slower, in pieces, like a yummy, rich dessert because I don’t want it to end. It’s that good.
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We are sisters!!!! I also slow down towards the end of a really good book to savor the last few pages because I don’t want it to end!!!
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It’s so disappointing when you finally get a chance to read a book you’ve always wanted to read and it just doesn’t click with you. Luckily I’ve been on a good streak lately. Book after book have been great. I actually started a book recently called Into Thin Air that I wasn’t sure if I would like, but I ended up enjoying a lot. So I guess the opposite can happen too – you can start a book not thinking you’ll like up, but do.
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Like you, Steve, I’ve had several books that I was on the fence about turn out to be really good. It really does balance out the disappointing ones. I also need to remember that most of the books I look forward to reading do live up to my expectations for them.
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I usually have good intentions about books that I want to read or think I should read, and they usually end up being disappointing. Take the four months it took me to read a biography of Cleopatra. Or the six it took me to get through Les Miserables. Yeah. I categorize THAT one as “Books not worth reading.” What was I thinking?
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You are definitely persistent! For me, reading about enjoyment. If I’m not enjoying it, I’m moving on. There are some books that I would like to be able to say I read and I wish I liked, but I’m not willing to force myself through them.
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Do you buy books from Amazon?
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I’m a big Paperbackswap and library girl. It’s been years since I’ve bought a book that wasn’t a gift.
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