I really love to read. I go through spurts, but give me an awesome book and a comfy chair and I could stay at it for days. It’s why I joined two book clubs, why I have a huge wishlist on Chapters.Indigo.ca, and why getting to read a chapter book to my niece is one of my most cherished memories. I’m a huge book nerd.
But reading a boring book has got to be one of the worst things ever. While I have been known to abandon a book out of sheer boredom, I generally don’t like starting and not finishing books. In the case of book clubs then, I’ll usually finish the book just so that I know what I’m talking about when we diss, er, discuss it later.
When I started one of the latest book club selections, The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, I was intrigued. It was reading like a murder mystery which is right up my alley and really wasn’t what I was expecting… but then suddenly it became what I was expecting and I had a hard time getting through it. I really, REALLY wanted to put it down and never pick it up again. But some of the ladies had already said they’d enjoyed it so I slogged through, wondering whether I was missing something and hoping it would get better.
Well, if you’re the type who likes it when a character goes on and on about a subject but never really gets to a point, and never really answers the burning question that the reader really wants to know, then this book is right up your alley. In that case I also suggest you read the dictionary, the phone book (do these even exist in print anymore?), etc.
However, if you’re not a fan of unnecessarily expanded exposition (someone’s talking, but they’re not really saying anything, you know?), particularly about religion (I’ve never believed less in Jesus than I do after reading this), little-to-no character development (who the heck cares about whether this guy believes in anything when all we know about him is that he wallows 24/7?) then avoid this book at all costs. Seriously, if I was the type to burn a book, I’d have taken this one camping for sure – then at least I could have made a s’more with it!
I’m classifying this book in my reading challenge as #3: book in a genre you don’t typically read; goodness knows I wouldn’t have picked up a religious book on my own!
Now I’m craving a really good page-turner. Here’s hoping my next selection satisfies.
S
Life Loofah 