You remember high school where you had to read the book the teacher assigned
whether it was Silas Marner, The Old Man and the Sea or Cheaper
by the Dozen? You remember having to finish reading it no matter how boring
the tale or how dry the writing? I admit, I loved the idea behind Great
Expectations, but there were passages when I wanted Dickens to just get on
with it. In other cases, it was Shakespeare that I dreaded reading –
Shakespeare was a playwright, his work was meant to be seen and acted out, not
read. But that’s assigned reading, what happens when you’re reading for fun?
Reading Books: The Struggle
Reading for fun shouldn't be a struggle, but sometimes, even the best books have
their moments. I have occasionally come across books that I thought I would
like, but when I got into reading them, I found it hard to sink into the
character, the setting or the story. Those books aren’t a struggle to read
because if I can’t get invested, I’m just going to set it aside and reach for
another book.
But what about the books that I am invested in? What happens when the characters
I love and I’m invested in get stuck in long scenarios that I don’t like, that
I’m not supposed to like and I just want it over? I’ve had this experience
twice recently and both with authors I absolutely adore. I loved both books,
genuinely and I’ve re-read the first one at least three times, but the section I
struggled to read the first time did not improve in any future readings. Not
sure about the latest book, I haven’t had a chance to re-read it yet.
What Books?
The first book was BONE
CROSSED, the fourth Mercedes Thompson book by Patricia Briggs. The book
was great, advancing the storylines and deepening the relationship between Mercy
and Adam. There were some seriously beautiful moments in the book and the
writing was top-notch as always. So why would I possibly struggle with it?
There’s a section where Mercy is taken prisoner and well, to be honest, those
couple of chapters were just unpleasant to read for me and I had to force myself
not skip through until that sequence ended.
In the more recent novel, FROSTBITTEN by Kelley Armstrong, we are
once again joining narrator Elena and her mate Clay as they deal with a
convoluted mystery in Alaska. The narration by Elena was intriguing; so much has
changed in her life since our first journey with her in Bitten. Of course, this
is the fourth Women of the Otherworld narrated by Elena and I love seeing
inside her relationship with Clay and how it has matured. But there is a very
long sequence where Elena faces the very real possibility of rape and it just
seems to go on and on and on and on. It was a very real struggle to make it
through that portion of the book, though there was an ultimate pay off later.
So Why the Struggle?
So both Armstrong and Briggs are top-notch writers and I am totally a fan. I
pre-order all of their books sight unseen and I’ve yet to be disappointed, so
why would I find it a struggle to read sections of those particular books? I
think it was seeing these two really powerful women put into situations where
there was just no escape, no matter what they did or how well they reacted,
things kept going wrong – particularly for Elena. I was frustrated and worried
for her and frankly, I did not want to see her abused in any way shape or form.
And to be fair – Elena and Mercy are both more than capable of looking after
themselves. But I have no problems with Clay or Adam shredding what threatens them.
I’d recommend these authors and these books in a heartbeat. Because the
characters are wonderfully rich and textured and I struggled with those parts
because I was so invested in those characters.
Have you ever struggled to finish a book?
A lifelong writer turned author, Heather Long's first book
Remembering Ashby is
available for purchase at Sapphire Blue Publishing. Coming soon is the urban
fantasy: Prime Evil. The
Daily Dose explores books, television, writing and more -- all topics
that Heather enjoys.
Heather Long: Thank you for your article. I know only too well what you've talking about.
Usually I can spot early on whether I want to finish a book. The first chapter, at most two, should be enough. How much of a fish do you have to eat to tell whether it's rotten?
If I'm deep into a novel and run into a problem, it depends on how big a problem it is.
If, say, a lead character I've emotionally invested in turns into or is revealed to be someone I can't stand, often because he/she does something I abhor, I'm through with that book. There's no point in reading more because there would be no payoff for me. And I certainly would not be interested in finding out what happens next to that character.
What if the author goes wrong in a small way? E.g., an obviously contrived fight scene results from a misunderstanding and could have been cleared up in a few lines.
I figure the editor told the author to add the scene so there would be more conflict between the characters and drama in the story, even if it's clearly artificial and therefore ineffective. Or the novel had to be longer to meet the required word count. I just shrug it off, hope that doesn't happen again, and keep on reading. (Mary Anne Landers 8:01pm November 2)
I've definately read a book where I had to struggle to finish it. I think it was the authors writing of a certain section also that turned me off. I can't remember which book it was I struggled with so, it was fairly recent, but I have memory problems and a few books away and all I can remember is if I liked a book or not, not the specifics, blame it on age, medication and a bout with meningitis. Any or all. So, yes, I really do try to finish the books, they are fairly pricey, and I hate to put the book down and not finish, if it is an author I usually like. Like you I will try to get past the struggling part and get through to the ending. I have only once or twice put a book down and absolutely not finished it.
Have a great day!
dancealert at aol dot com (Brenda Rupp 3:02pm November 3)
When I reach a passage where I want to put the book down - for whatever reason - I skip to the end. If I like the ending, I will endure the passage. If I am not happy with the ending, the book goes to the bottom of my to read pile. Maybe another day I will be in the right frams of mind for it! (Karin Tillotson 3:06pm November 3)
Charlene Harris's "Dead and Gone" was one that I struggled a little to finish. In general the storyline did not advance much and the continuity errors were very jarring. I have loved and laughed out loud while reading the rest of the series and was so disappointed after waiting so long for a new Sookie book( I actually had and read the first 8 books back to back).It felt as though this book had been rushed and not edited very well. Even though it had been about 6 months since I had finished the earlier books I noticed error after error in the continuity. Usually if it has been awhile since I read the last book I am less likely to notice these errors, but these were big ones and they made me stop and question myself. Now I love Sookie enough to give the next book a chance but this next one holds Sookie's life in its hand. (Lisa Richards 9:11am November 4)
I don't mind reading long-winded, explanatory passages as long as they serve a purpose. Often I actually need to see inside characters' minds to see why they act or react the way they do in a story.
Actually I'm really glad that I found this blog entry: I was unaware that there was another story about Elena and Clay. I went to one of her book signings about 2 years ago and at that time she was doubtful whether there would be another story about them. Thanks for the heads up. (Sigrun Schulz 1:39am November 5)
