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| Picture I forgot to include in my original post of this series. |
I came to a realization today about my summer reading challenge.
Lately I've been trying to read two books. One, a classic (Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen) and the other, a fiction (The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta). However, both books are kind of a challenge for me for different reasons, and yet they are both enjoyable for different reasons. I am working on explanations for this for a separate blog post.
The thing is this whole time I was concerned about actually finishing these books in order to write about them. I mean, I know that is the ideal way of reading and it is my goal to actually finish reading more books, but like I said, it depends on the book to keep my attention alive.
I've begun thinking that because these books are kind of annoying me to an extent, perhaps I should move on to another book in my collection. There are certainly many to choose from. Then it hit me. This could be my summer reading challenge. Isn't that what reading is all about too? Just having fun reading randomly? I could sample a bit of every book to see what I do and don't like, to make for a very successful reading experience. And, if I really am engaged in it, I will continue reading it of course. That way I can say that I read a bunch of different books during the summer instead of the few I struggle to get through. That way, as a reader I can feel more accomplished in my reading agenda. If a person struggles to complete reading a book, is it really worth it? Shouldn't the experience of just reading be enough?
Or is it that the ultimate goal of reading with always be to complete the material? What should matter? Should the fact that I am reading anything at all and getting something from the material be what matters or is the whole reading experience considered a somewhat failure because the reader does not finish his or her reading material? Will the experience be incomplete and will the reader him or herself feel incomplete?
I'm definitely someone who gets sidetracked really easily. I'll start reading one book and (well depending on how well it grabs my attention) I'll eventually get distracted and start reading another one. Sometimes it gets to the point where I'm reading four or five books at once.
ReplyDelete"The thing is this whole time I was concerned about actually finishing these books in order to write about them."
The thing I have about this is that it seems like you're almost rushing through the books so you can write about them. Obviously that's fine, because it's what you want to do, but I almost feel like you're kind of missing out on really enjoying the book because you're so eager to finish. I mean, maybe that's not the case and I'm misinterpreting but I think maybe you should be less concerned with getting to the end and just try to enjoy it more.
Which is kind of what you were getting at in the end. I think reading should be more about enjoying and absorbing, and while sometimes I feel like a failure if I don't finish a whole book, I get over it. If I don't like it, I don't like it. In the case of some books, the beginning might be slow and you have to struggle through it to get to the good stuff, but if you're not feelin it, then you're not feelin it.
Haha I guess I'm kind of pulling for both things. You won't REALLY know if it gets better if you don't finish it, but if the beginning ain't doing it for you, then maybe the end wouldn't either. LOL it's all personal choice in the end, I suppose.
Hey leahcar! Well the reason why I am so anxious to finish books is not to rush through them, for I do want to enjoy them, but it's kind of rare for me to finish reading a book so it's a goal of mine to do so. If I don't focus on finishing it, chances are I may not lol.
DeleteAnd yeah my Dad pretty much told me the same thing you commented here. :)
"I'll eventually get distracted and start reading another one. Sometimes it gets to the point where I'm reading four or five books at once." This is what I'm questioning too. Is it good to juggle a few books or should a person just focus on one book at a time?
I think juggling a few books at the same time, or just focusing on one, is really all personal preference. Depending on the book, I can easily handle three or four at once, and some I really need to focus on or I'll forget what I already read when I come back to it after, let's say, a week or so.
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