Reading Pt. 4
I made the statement last time that life is too short to read bad books. Which begs the question: how do I know when I’m reading a bad book?
I have a confession to make. I’m a person who likes to finish what I start. Whether it’s a TV series, painting a room, repairing something on my truck, breakfast, or whatever, I’m one of those weird people who doesn’t like to leave things undone. Including books.
This character quality, or flaw, whichever way you look at it, means I’ve stuck with some bad books all the way to the end. Let me give a couple of examples where I got burned by some bestselling authors.
Look, I’m not a literary critic and I am hardly one to tell somebody how to write. All I’m saying is that these two books didn’t work for me. Both authors wrote plenty of other books I enjoyed, which maybe goes to show not everyone bats a thousand.
The first that comes to mind is Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. In the vein of most of his early books, this one was long. And ultimately anti-climactic. It’s about a failed assassination plot against the Pope, and I remember finishing the last page and thinking, that’s it? I spent hours and hours reading and that’s it? I think part of the problem was that I knew how it was going to end early in the story, and that’s never a good sign. I like endings with twists and that avoid cliches. I never read another Clancy novel after that experience.
The other is from John Grisham, a book called The Chamber. It’s about a man scheduled to be executed and how his attorney grandson tries to free him. Overall, good elements for a good story. Except in this case it read more like a pamphlet from the anti-capital punishment crowd. I wanted to read a good story, not feel like I was being preached to. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I read a book and the author’s bias on a certain issue comes through blatantly. Books are entertainment and when I find someone trying to convert me to their way of thinking, as subtle as it might be, I stop. Or in the case of that book, wish I’d stopped. I read a few more Grisham books over the years but always with a wary eye.
Ultimately, I think the definition of a bad book is more subjective. Trust your gut. You know it when you find one. Whether or not you want to finish it is up to you.