Tuesday, November 13, 2007

i'll take everything but the hype. to go.

I've been an enthusiastic member of several failed book clubs. I'm not sure why they don't seem to work out, but I haven' t been to a single gathering at which every person has actually completed the reading. Maybe it's never meant to be for me. That's probably because The Universe knows that if there's one thing I love, it's to tell other people what I think.

So I've accepted that I'm alone in this reading thing. I just tell my notebook what I think instead. But I'm always trolling around for something new, trying to find something good and engaging that's either mostly undiscovered or old enough that I've missed out on all the hype. Because during that window in which everyone is all about it (I'm talking about you, Zadie Smith's White Teeth,) good books are like helium balloons with a slow leak: By the time you get around to them, they are doomed never to live up to all the rave reviews, and by that last page you're left with a limp piece of rubber and a resounding sense that you would've better spent that time watching a countdown on Vh1.

You'll see a little book on my sidebar from now on. It's linked to Shelfari, a new way for me to hunt around for something good to read. I've listed some titles that I've loved and if you're in the market for something to read, I recommend them (just click "next"). But that's all I'll say. I don't want to set you up for a letdown.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeeaah... that was me who just sent you a Shelfari friend request. I didn't realize it would so dramatically truncate my name, rendering it unrecognizable. (And if you don't want Shelfari friends, just ignore it. I have ignored, like, 5,000 Facebook friend requests because I DO NOT WANT TO GET ROPED IN. Not that I'm that popular, but... oh, never mind. I get it, is all I'm saying.)

Lia said...

What a great website. I don't need another time-waster, do I? But that one is so up my alley that I might succumb. Not till December, though.

Jon said...

I'm the same way when it comes to too much hype... That's why I have this unnatural desire to be first to see everything. Book hype rarely reaches me though.

WORDofRYE said...

I'm ALWAYS looking for something good to read. I will definitely be checking out your recommendations!

Anonymous said...

thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. at this point in my life I am just grateful for the wonders of audiobooks! unabridged of course!

Beenzzz said...

Shelfari is a good place to share ideas and build your bookshelf. In person book clubs would drive me crazy. At least this way, I can sit in my pajamas and type up reviews of what I've read and not have to deal with fixing finger foods and cleaning my house. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Sorry about the wordpress registering! I'm spam-sensitive.

Like your blog and will be stopping by to read often! Good luck on NaBloPoMo!

omar said...

"...good books are like helium balloons with a slow leak: By the time you get around to them, they are doomed never to live up to all the rave reviews, and by that last page you're left with a limp piece of rubber and a resounding sense that you would've better spent that time watching a countdown on Vh1."

I love it.

justanothersarah said...

www.bookswim.com = netflix but with books...

I haven't tried it yet, but hope to join soon.

Uncommon Blonde said...

I too have failed at several book clubs. I don't think it's meant to be for me. I've decided to just read by myself. I look forward to your recommendations, I just finished Here on Earth which was pretty good.