Today I did something I don’t normally do.
I abandoned a book after only a few pages, mostly because the style of writing didn’t appeal and reading it was hard work. Usually, I’ll give the book a few chapters before I decide if it’s for me or not, but this one was hard going from the first paragraph.
If you look at the books I read, there is an eclectic mix of authors. Many books are for kids, however those on the ‘grown up’ shelves fall in to many different styles and genre. This book had a cover and title that appealed, as did the blurb. I hadn’t heard of this author before, but that’s never stopped me in the past. It was also a traditionally published book that caught my eye in the library.
What I found a struggle was the author had chosen to use unusual words in the narrative, and many were jarring as they were ones I wasn’t overly familiar with (I have a large vocabulary). The story was set in the late 1800s and it’s possible the author was trying to copy writing style from that era, however, for a book published in 2020, it didn’t draw me in. Using those words as part of character speech or other elements would have worked better, and clearer language in the narrative. That’s not to say that this book won’t appeal to other readers, and it’s not to say it may have got easier later on in the book either, however the opening pages didn’t give me that impression.
Reading is an escape for me, it’s a hobby and what I do to relax. If a book is hard to read, then it’s work rather than relaxation. Reading this book was hard work rather than something for me to enjoy and escape to, so that book is going back to the library and I’ve started another book that had me hooked from the first paragraph.
There are so many amazing books out there at the moment and I’m not required to read books I don’t enjoy for study any more, so I choose to stop reading books that I’m not enjoying. The wonderful thing about these books are they are so varied, just like their readers. I know that if I find a book, like this one, that really doesn’t suit me, I know there will be others who will love it and think it’s fantastic.
This book that I started will be going back to the library next time I visit, and I’ll be curling up with a book that I’m enjoying much more. I also give you permission to abandon books you’re not enjoying, after all, there are so many books to read, life is too short to be spending time on books that aren’t engaging.
