Comments on: You do not have to finish a book just because you started it

By: jonathan

jonathan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:56:41 +0000

Marita – thanks for stopping by. I can’t help but wonder if you finished that book while on the reference desk and whether you were still crying?

By: Marita

Marita — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:37:14 +0000

A Bridge to Terabithia made me cry. On audio[the book not me]. In the car. Sitting outside work at midday. Lucky I work in a library and we had a copy on the shelf ’cause I had to eventually go in and finish the last bit.

Love the new blog!!

By: jonathan

jonathan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:12:41 +0000

ash – I hope you have stopped trying to get through that one and moved on to something else

By: ash

ash — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:32:07 +0000

I completely agree. Particularly with the idea that books that have won awards won’t necessarily appeal to all. I recently hired a heap of ‘Booker Prize Winning’ titles, and while I have enjoyed most of them, one of them is really tedious and I just can’t get motivated to finish it. It’s about a guy with writer’s block and seemingly not much else. It’s bad enough having experienced writer’s block yourself, let alone reading about someone else who has it. It has a quote on the front from a critic who said “I read it in one sitting! I couldn’t put it down!”. Each to their own I guess, but I can’t help wondering how bored the critic was.

By: jonathan

jonathan — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:36:28 +0000

Maybe I should write a post about books that make us cry?

By: crumpet

crumpet — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:45:58 +0000

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes made me cry. On a Sydney Road park bench.

And The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Although not in public that time.

…actually, I may have read that on the tram, so it probably was in public…

By: jonathan

jonathan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:48:27 +0000

Sorry, of course the correct answer is, don’t finish it.

It may be one you come back to later. It may not. Just put it on the shelf and read something else.

Have you tried David Mitchell? You might like his stuff.

And for the record, “The sound of one hand clapping” made me cry. The only book to do so. Although Shaun Tan’s “The red tree” came very very close.

By: jonathan

jonathan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:36:45 +0000

Richard Flanagan is the exception, you should finish all of his books.

By: gizo

gizo — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:06:32 +0000

What about that Australian Literary Fiction that your brother loaned to you, that you have been trying to read for years, but can’t quite keep the momentum going because it wrenches your poor heart apart with each turn of the page?

Yes, I am ready to tell you that I just can’t bring myself to finish ‘The sound of one hand clapping’. It truly is a well written book, and a moving story, but every word breaks my heart, and I can’t bring myself to continue.

By: You do not have to finish a book just because you started it « gizo is bug

You do not have to finish a book just because you started it « gizo is bug — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:02:56 +0000

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