Sunday, February 8, 2009

What to do with a bad Novel?




I’m a voracious reader, embracing 3-4 books a week. I alternate between my favorite authors, heavy books (the kind that require you to read every sentence twice, the prose is just that good) and mind candy (romance novels that always have a sentence like “his throbbing desire for her was only matched by her determination to enter him……..). Problem is that once I have started a book, I can’t not finish it. It’s like an obsessive-compulsive thing. No matter how much I hate it, how flat the characters are or stupid the prose is, I insist upon finishing it. My husband teases me, because I complain the whole time while torturing myself to the last page. The problem is worse when one of my favorite authors’ produces a turd.

I am currently reading a book from an author I have followed for years and adore. This one is the worst thing my mind has ever experienced. Like eating a sweet grapefruit and accidentally biting on the bitter seed. It takes all day to get the taste out of your mouth. Plus, I can only read one book at a time. This one is agony; I have been at it over a week and still am only half way thru the dreadful manuscript.

I have a stack of books waiting to be read, calling my name, and it is driving me crazy. I want to call the author and yell at him, “how dare you produce something just to fill a quota from your publisher?” I guess the problem is really mine. I should put it in the fireplace, use it as kindling, and move on the next book. At this point, my next book is going to have to be sexual mind candy to erase the taste out of my mind of this drivel. I’m thinking Nora Roberts or Daniele Steele.

4 comments:

  1. I figure life is too short to waste it reading bad books. My husband is the same as you, he will stick with a stink bomb until the end.

    I think it was Nancy Pearl that says if you're not engrossed with a book by the page number that corresponds with your age, that you should ditch it and start a new one. I'm not quite that hardcore though :)

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  2. So, trailer pig. That's a new one, and I love it because it has Texas written all over it.

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  3. What about the book club? Huh? anything more on that one we will talk Thursday. Oh yeah we are meeting same place same time.

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  4. C'mon, Teri! I have a great idea for this schlock-get into artwork. You can make collages and use cool phrases (I am hoping there are a few in this tomb) that you tear off the pages. It would feel so good and you could break the cycle!!! Your first collage could be an expression of the pain caused by bad books. Cheers!

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