Still on the subject (but also not quite..) June 7, 2009
Posted by paddyfields in when i simply don't get it.trackback
Lent the collected short stories of Roald Dahl to a colleague about two weeks ago as he had the misconception that Dahl only authored children’s stories. A couple of days after that, he told me that the book didn’t engage him very much, and hence, had been reading the book very slowly.
Told him not to waste his time reading it if he doesn’t like it. There are too many good books out there that we will never be able to read in our entire lifetime, so why waste time on those that you know is not your cup of tea? But despite mentioning this twice to him, I still haven’t gotten my book back.
Strange isn’t it? Holding on to something when you know that it is not worth the effort or that the returns will be far less than what you put in. Why are we preoccupied with the idea of one more try or a second chance? Some things don’t change – even with the passing of time.
Such foolishness.
hmm..look at this way. Since the recommendation came from a well-read and trusted source, perhaps it is worth a second shot. Plus it’s ROALD DAHL!
Btw, have you read any Neil Gaiman books? Any thoughts? Been meaning to pick up a copy…
LOLZ. Perhaps you colleague thinks that by not being able to appreciate Dahl’s works, which are classics, means his taste is books are not so ‘attas’.
My wife, a voracious reader herself, has always tried introducing me to some of the classics. Well, I just pick up the recommended book, and if I don’t get past the 1st chapter (or even pages) with my interest intact, it’s the end of the read for me, classic or not.
Personally, I will read anything that appeals to me rather than choosing titles based on their ‘popularity’. A timeless classic would be wasted on me if I had to plod through it and at the end of it all ask “that’s it?”.
Anyway, you must be estatic with NLB’s extension of loan limits.