Pulitzer Indeed
A couple months ago I got tired of reading what they call "non-fiction." Nothing I was reading was doing anything for my soul, and the more I tried the worse it got. I even bailed on a second trip through The Divine Conspiracy, so you know it was bad. It was discouraging until I realized that what I needed, and missed, were stories. I don't need one more opinion from some guy I don't know, I need stories. I think that watching Big Fish reminded me. So I decided to put away the "non-fiction" for a while. I also decided that I'd make it a kind of a long-term project to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels, and that's off to a pretty good start, but I'm hip-deep in an absolute dog called The Known World, by some guy. I hate it. I hate it so much that I'm less than a hundred pages away from the end and I can't even tell any of the main characters apart (or distinguish them from the more minor ones, for that matter). I'm just putting words behind me, trying to finish. (I can't check it off my list if I quit early.) It's dreadful.
7 Comments:
Ben, I took the same detour from nonfiction a few years ago, so I feel I can relate. However, I discovered fairly quickly that forcing my way through a book that I hated merely because it had been lauded by others usually wasn't worth the investment. Read broadly, and read well, but too many great stories have been written to bear that cross. Put that dog to sleep and go read something better.
Good advice, Nate, and well taken. Thanks.
Forget the list AND the book.
I think the list is going to be fun, but have you read that book?! Awful.
I think the list is a cool idea, but you've got to reserve veto power. There is no value in wasting time on a bad book, time is much better spent reading something positive. Just my opinion. Ma
I've put that one down. I think it was worse than Hakeem Olajuwon's autobiography, "Living the Dream," which heretofore had been the Worst Book I Ever Read.
Haven't read it. Have to pick it up to see if it's worse than Cold Mountain.
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