Books I Can No Longer Feign Excitement About, And Some Other Thoughts About Books

I love to read, but I must admit I have certain preferences.  Yes I do tend to read books a little bit less since I discovered the world of online writing, but believe reading articles online such as on the BBC website does count towards reading.  The print that we read does not always have to be in the form of a newspaper of book we can hold, but I still set aside time each day to read books because I will always consider that important nourishment for my soul.  I have never been a rush, rush rat race kind of gal, and I actually enjoy the leisure time I have spent reading. For years people have gushed about certain books and book series that I do not plan on reading, but this is mostly because I just find the subject matter boring.  Most of the time I try to be polite and say "oh that is nice" when people gush about the books they love, but often these same people do not spare me their opinion when I share one of my favorite books that they personally detest.  There are many great books out there that I never plan on reading, and yes I am okay with finally admitting this. 

Many people who commute enjoy audio books because these keep their minds engaged during a long drive. Other people tell me they love to listen to the audio book because of the way the reader describes the text, but I would feel deprived of eye balling the words myself. Personally sometimes I read books while I am watching TV or listening to music, so listening to an audio book is just not my cup of tea. When people ask me if I have listened to a certain audio book I have finally mustered up the courage to admit I do not like these. There is nothing wrong with audio books and these are great resources for those who love them, but I personally find these bulky and would rather carry around a small volume instead.

Back in 2002 I thought I would get closer to my boyfriend by trying read one of his favorite books to Lord of the Rings. After page one hundred I was bored to tears during the description of Fodor taking a bath, and I just wanted to throw the book against the wall. I would never do this with a book of course, but I ended up giving it away to a friend because I knew I would never read it.

Another friend was excited about the movie Lord of the Rings and we watched it, but I was extremely bored during the entire movie. She thought it was cool that I look sort of like Liv Tyler, although personally I do not think I look like her. The whole time I was so numby skull bored ( a phrase I made up) and was staring at the clock waiting for the movie to end. I know now I will never read the series or watch the trilogy, but it is hard to share my real feelings when people gush about this classic. Just because it is a classic does not mean I have to love it, and there are many classic novels such as Mutiny on the Bounty that many people grimace at when I declare that this is my favorite. Honestly I was a little happy when the obsession with the Lord of the Rings began to die down because I no longer had to feign interest in a series I find absolutely boring.

I have read many long books in my day, but I have no plans on reading Harry Potter. Some people are disappointed when I reveal I have not read the series, and others start sharing how they do not agree with the subject matter when I share I do not like the series. Personally I believe parents need to decide if they think a book is appropriate for their kids and this is a personal choice completely. J.K. Rowlings is a creative and brilliant woman that I highly respect, but I just do not find the premise of a boy warlock at private school exciting. In the eighties I used to love the movie The Worst Witch, which came out way before Harry Potter even went to the printing press. This story is similar to Harry Potter because it is about a girl name Mildred who is studying to become a witch, but unlike her male counterpart she is failing miserably. It was a cute and short movie, but I would probably not have read the books it was based upon either.

Personally I do not think a book about witchcraft is evil because this book carries positive messages messages for those who read it.  Halloween is also about witches and goblins, so if people dress up for this holiday I do not see the harm in Harry. Harry Potter is very is very popular even now, but personally I just do not want to spend hours reading about it. Do not get me started on the audio version of Harry Potter because I have no plans on listening to this as I clean my house. When I was in college and graduate school I had to spend the majority of my spare time reading texts that I did choose, so now I am out of school and free to read what I like. I am always true to my convictions and read what I find fascinating. From the age of eleven I have wanted to read stories about Polynesia and the South Pacific, so that is the fan club I belong too and often I am out of step with the masses who love Harry. The more I delve into the books I am not interested in I discover we all have our hits and misses.

One thing I think that is wonderful about the Twilight series is how it is getting teens to start reading. However, sometimes people look at me with horror and shock when I reveal that I have not read these books. Why the pretense? I just do not find a story about vampires even remotely interesting, but honestly I do not think it is evil subject matter.

Of course if parents are concerned about exposing their children to these books I do respect that as every family should do what they feel is best. When I was younger I used to read some books from the Sweet Valley Twins series, but my friend's mom balked when I gave her one as a birthday present. She said these books were unacceptable in her household because the twin sister Jessica was a twelve year old girl who had pretended to be fourteen so she could date a sixteen year old boy in The Older Boy. I had that particular book and my mom had even bought it for me in a group of book order books, but to be quite frank I do not even remember really reading that one. My friend's mom agree that she could read the book after she previewed it, which is always a good move for parents that have concerns about certain books or movies.

My mom and I looked at the book The Older Boy and laughed because we thought it was one of the more ridiculous books in the Sweet Valley Twins series. However, my friend's mom did not even think her daughter could even read any books from the Sweet Valley Twins series just because in one volume Jessica had lied about her age to go out with an older boy. Later on my friend's mom allowed her to read the book I had given her, even though it was not he one about dating, but told her how the part of the story about stealing a tennis racket was wrong and that made the book somewhat inappropriate. Personally I thought this was a little stringent as in the Sweet Valley Twins series the girls were never did anything outlandish, but every family has their own preferences and decides what is appropriate to read.

By the time I was in seventh grade I was already reading adult literature and decided to peruse Dances With Wolves. I wrote a comparison and contrast of the film and the movie, which highly appealed to me because it was about Native Americans and I am part Kansa Indian. As a teenager I was always a good kid and well behaved even though my parents had allowed me to read some books and watch movies that had adult situations. Interestingly many of my friends who were not allowed to read certain books or watch certain movies did so anyway when their parents were not around. I respect a parent's decision to keep their children away from material that they find objectionable, but sometimes it is more realistic and far easier to allow teenagers to choose. Honestly your kids will still be good people, but maybe this is just my point of view. Sometimes people are more tempted to do what is considered restricted, but I am only speaking from my experience of what I saw other teenagers do when I was that age.

Update: I did read the Twilight books this year just to see what these were all about, and the series was not as dull as I thought it would be.  The storyline is okay, but not my favorite.  If this book had came out when I was a teenager I would probably have thought Edward was not the man for Bella.  I still think she should have chose Jacob instead, but that is just my take on it.