Books

One of the rules of thumb that I've had for a while is that it's not necessary to finish a book that hasn't grabbed my interest.  I don't immediately toss it aside -- I'll skip a few pages, perhaps a chapter - but if after that, I'm still thinking man this is dragging-- I'll stop. Off the book goes to the pile that we keep of books to be donated to the next book sale --because someone might like it -- and I'll start another.

But lately I've been trying out a modification of that rule, which is: if a book hasn't said something of interest in the first chapter, it's not likely to get better.  It can -- my wife and I each recently read a new novel in the Vorgosigan series, and though it didn't grab our interest, much as we wanted it to, there were some interesting parts before each of us tossed it aside-- but it's not likely.

Thus, I've been slogging my way through the books that are on the living room bookcase, and a few out here in the kitchen.  These are all books that I wanted to read; something about them grabbed my attention, and so I bought them. (Times when I ignored my own rule: only buy a book when you have less than two left to read, no matter how compelling it sounds.)  And slogging is a good way to put it, because, of the four that I've opened thus far, three were well, that was ...interesting, and only one was why, that was really good, I'm glad I read it. 

I still have a way to go, though.  There are about ten books here in the kitchen, and a few on the book case.  One of them is Team of Rivals; the other is This Time Is Different.  I really want to like each of them, but so far -- not so much.  Which is likely a failing of me, not the books.  So I'm leaving them until I have nothing else to read, and then we'll see.