So, here's the problem. I've been reading a couple books lately that just don't have sustained reading power. You know the type. A dry opening, numerous characters (or few), a story that drags on or one that is filled with profanity, guile and lewdness. Do you get my meaning?
Facing this conundrum, trying without success to read two best-selling books, one of which is nominated for a prize or two, I've reached the point where they better improve very soon or they are about to receive the proverbial "toss over the shoulder."
What do you do? How many pages or chapters do you give a book before you declare it a waste of time. Reading should be enjoyable after all, right? That's my purpose in reading: to find enjoyment, enlightenment, entertainment. However, I am finding none of the above with either of these books. I've even set one of them aside to read two other books before returning to it to see if there is any promise there that I overlooked.
Friends and co-workers have suggested that time is too short to read something I don't enjoy. That if it doesn't captivate me by chapter five, then give up. If I have repeatedly picked it up, put it down, tried again and again; then it's a lost cause. Another told me to read only the last few paragraphs of each chapter and I would get the general gist of the book without having to read all the nitty gritty that is like a dust storm irritating my eyes and clogging my respiration. (I took liberty here.)
Do you have a rule of thumb when reading books to be reviewed in a virtual tour? Do you read them regardless of the enjoyment factor? I know some books better suit one person than another and perhaps these are a couple of those. Any ideas?
