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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Abandoned

I finally abandoned When the White House Was Ours after reading a little more than half. The characters made me want to knock heads. I'd hoped to enjoy a book about opening an alternative school, but dear Lord, the adults needed more supervision than any students.

I've finished a couple more books that need to be reviewed, fiction, of course. The nonfiction moves as slowly as ever, shunted aside like a stepchild. We all know about reading moods, and I'm definitely into fiction right now, though it shames me to neglect some of the books that await my return.

Received an ARC copy of The Map Thief by Heather Terrell which I hope to enjoy. Not too long ago, I saw a special on The Discovery Channel (?) about Admiral Zheng He and his remarkable naval exploits during the Ming Dynasty. I'm always interested in missing maps and manuscripts, so the combination of good historical facts with the present day search for a missing map sounds appealing.

7 comments:

  1. Sometimes you just have to let go of books that aren't doing it for you right? I'm contemplating abandoning Toss of a Lemon. It's not awful but it just hasn't lived up to my great expectations of it.

    Anyway, hope you enjoy The Map Thief.

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  2. Too bad that book didn't work out - the premise sounded promising. I hope The Map Thief is a better read.

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  3. iliana - Sorry to hear that Toss of a Lemon hasn't lived up to your expectations. Still, there are so many books to be read that spending too much time on one you don't enjoy is a waste.

    Lesley - It did sound good, and some people will find it a satisfying read, I'm sure.

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  4. I'm sorry you had to quit one of your books. I know you have to set some books aside, but I still feel a little guilty when I do, especially if it's an ARC. I may yet decide to set aside Guernica, though. I've been working on it for over two weeks and I'm only halfway through. Craziness.

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  5. Jena - Reading to the bitter end is something I've done way too often. It is an old habit and one that dies hard, but the last few years I've gotten a little better. When I'm not enjoying a book, it takes forever to read, making matters even worse; if I begin consistently avoiding a work of fiction, it is probably time to move on.

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  6. I agree with abandoning a book if it's just not doing it for you. Maybe if we only had access to a few books, but we are blessed with so many good, great choices.

    I've started reading The Map Thief and am enjoying it so far. Wish I would have seen the special on Zheng He. I'll be checking to see if it will be showing again. Look forward to your thoughts.

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  7. Cheya - I started The Map Thief, too, but have put it aside and have finished a couple of books that I couldn't wait on. I was finding the switching between the stories a bit abrupt and the lectures about cartography interesting, but not too well incorporated. And, of course, I had some books that needed to be read calling at the same time. I'll get back to The Map Thief soon.

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