Monday, October 25, 2010

I cheated...


I finished this book
But I cheated...
I really could find an interesting thread...
But it kept getting covered up in gobbly guck...

I was on page 350 - 100 pages from the end and I was seriously about to give up...
But I thought "if I give up now all of this effort and time will be for nothing!"
Plus I really hate quitting...If I quit would that mean I just wasn't intellectual enough?
So I cheated... ;)

I thought of "Sparknotes"
I looked up Sparknotes and found chapter summaries
I skimmed the summaries for the next two chapters...
found something that looked interesting and then picked up my book and began reading again.

I really found Sparknotes to be helpful.  I read the characters bios, plot and summaries of some chapters before.
There is so much in this book it is very hard to keep track of.

And you must keep track of it because all of those disjointed  story lines come together.  And that part really was interesting.

But it was a tremendous time investment on my part.  I get impatient at the end of a book...
I want to know how it will end..
And I start thinking about the next book on my list...


I have several books waiting for me...

Happy reading!

Frychik


2 comments:

  1. I think that's a good trick, using Sparknotes. Anything that helps you enjoy a classic is a great practice.

    I wonder if I'd be brave enough to post my waiting-to-read pile. I don't mind people knowing about most of what I'm reading, but some of it...

    Sometimes at the bookstore, I'll chose a weird sci-fi novel with a non-too-subtle cover. Then I'm embarrassed to buy it. The sales clerk will give me that "ooo, what a dweeb" look. So I'll add a couple other books to my purchase. Throw in a programming book or some literature or science -- something nice and intimidating. I figure I'll gain back the respect that the novel will cost me.

    Now, I'm aware that this is stupid, immature, and reveals insecurities that I hardly admit even to myself. But, on the other hand, to punish myself for this behavior, I always read those books. So, my insecurities are actually helping me educate myself.

    Now that I think of it, maybe I should throw in some self-help books next time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are too funny Steven! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete