I have real trouble reading the last chapters of non-fiction books. I don't know what causes it. It's with science books, history books, pretty much any subject that I read non-fiction in.
Sometimes, it feels that the author is just restating what they already made clear in the rest of the book. Other times, they're trying to reach some grandiose conclusion, when I'm not really interested in hearing about it. Other times, I might just be tired of the subject, even if I'm interested in the book itself. I figure that nothing much new is going to be brought up in the last chapter, so I can safely skim or ignore it.
With the Dawkins book, I'll probably try to read the last chapter in a month or so, when I'm a bit more distant from the material.
But, in the meantime, I am now TOTALLY without an unread book in my "to read" pile. This is rare for me. So, I have to decide what I may want to re-read. Here are some options:
- I may jump into a re-reading of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Or the Simirillion. Always worth an extra read.
- The Gunslinger books of Stephen King. Granted, it's a 7 book series, that I just finished reading about a year ago, but it could be interesting to re-read at least the first novel.
- Asimov, Clarke, or Heinlein short stories: I really enjoy the short story as a format, and I cut my teeth reading some of these science fiction master's shorter works in my youth. I'd be interested to see what still stands up, and what doesn't quite cut the mustard anymore.
- I could re-read some of my books from grad school... Oh wait, that sounds like work. Scratch that.
- A variety of my favorite SF authors have books I could re-read. Those authors include David Brin, Gordon Dickson, Gregory Benford, the aforementioned Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein, or a variety of others...
So, any opinions? LOTR is an old favorite, which I actually haven't re-read for a few years, so it might be nice to take this opportunity to jump into that world again, but it may also be nice to revisit some other works I haven't thought about in awhile.
Opinions are welcome in the comments section...
NP: Mike Keneally - Dyin' Day
4 comments:
I'm thinking of re-reading the gunslinger series myself-one of my favorites. I know it's a bit lighter, but what about Harry Potter? Books 4-6 read like one continuous story. And in the SF vein, how about Fahrenheit 451? I only just read it in the last year or two, and how I missed that gem I'm not sure.
Also on the Stephen King tip-how about The Talisman and Black House? The Talisman is my all time favorite Stephen King book. Or the version of The Stand with all the extra stuff put in? Or some of the Stephen King short stories-Night Shift and the other one that I can't remember the name of? And newer Stephen King that I found really scary was Everything's Eventual.
Sorry. If you couldn't tell, I like Stephen King...
The Historian- a novel about vampires that's pretty thoughtful. Slightly cheesy ending, but no one wants a sad ending these days. Also the Conjurer's Bird was great- about the naturalist who traveled with Cook around seas. And you might like Saturday by Ian McKewan.
If you would like to read some REALLY EXCELLENT historical fiction I recommend "The Lymond Chronicles" by Dorothy Dunnett. It is a series of six novels; the first is "The Game of Kings."
I did really enjoy The Talisman, but Black House, I bought, and couldn't get into. I think I left it at my mom's house. I keep meaning to pick it up to try it again, but I can never find it when at home.
Post a Comment