When I was a little reader, I read books my mom read. What did I know about books? Lots and lots of gothic novels. Good girl meets bad guy. Falls in love with bad guy. Finds out bad guy is not really bad. Lots and lots. Every single gothic novel, maybe.
I will never read another awful book. I will never finish another I-know-on-the-first-page-how-it's-going-to-end book. I don't care if you send it to me free. I won't read another dull textbook. I don't care if you loved it and gave it to me to read. I don't care if it is on the bestseller list. I don't care if I paid full price. I don't care if my best friend wrote it.
I'm not going to read another bad book.
I like this manifesto! Did you run into some bad books lately?
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I started reading. After Dr. Seuss and Nancy Drew I read whatever my mom read. I read a lot of Agatha Christie and Perry Mason because that is what she had. I also devoured the books in our one bookcase, many of them very inappropriate for my age. I didn't understand some of them until I was much older. And gothic novels. Yech. I never read that stuff now. Of course I went on to college and grad school and was introduced to real literature. But I am with you. No more bad books. Not enough time to waste.
ReplyDeletelove it! :-) what a great resolution!
ReplyDeleteLast year I got three books in a row that authors offered to send to me; all three were awful. I had a friend (a once a year reader) rave about a book; it was awful. I decided it is not worth it to force myself to plow through a bad book. From now on, if it is not a book I'm mad to read, my dance card is full.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar view. It has caused some resentment in my book club.
ReplyDeleteAmen sister! With that, I think I'll put aside The Hour I First Believed! LOL
ReplyDeleteYou tell 'em! I'm still working on being able to stop reading a book I'm not liking, but I'm better at it than I used to be. Luckily, I've had a streak of good books lately.
ReplyDelete