I started reading The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad earlier this week. It’s not normally a book I’d choose but it’s the July choice for one of my book groups. It started off okay but after about twenty pages I really wanted to give up on it. Normally I would have but because it was for book group I wanted to try.
Well, today at lunch I’m reading the book and I swear I must have read 10 pages and had no clue what was going on. So there I was with a yummy turkey and avocado sandwich but I couldn’t even enjoy my lunch hour because I wasn’t liking my reading material. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Anyway, I give up on this book as I’ve got tons of others that I am much more excited about reading.
One in particular is Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner. I am thoroughly enjoying this book but of course I have to wonder what took me so long to finally discover her. Well, at least she does have a long backlist so lots of titles yet to be read.
I did finish Volk’s Game by Brent Ghelfi tonight so stay tuned for a review. Another book that’s not my typical choice but one that will probably appeal to fans of action/adventure/thriller type books.
So hope you enjoy your weekend. I know I will be wishing for some sun.
Sun would be nice! It was kind of sunny today, but it rained too 🙁
Hello I’m trying to post my comment at the Chunckster Challenge home to say I’ve completed but blogger hates me and doesn’t want me to post a comment ever again apparently. Would you by any chance do me the favour of dropping by on my behalf and leaving the comment below before 30th?
“Hello I’m just checking back to announce that I’ve completed my Chunckster Challenge books over at http://snowslices.livejournal.com/
I’m really glad I participated. Thanks for thinking of such a cool challenge! My book shelfs are definately a little lighter now:)”
I loved Hotel du Lac! I’m glad too that Brookner has written lots of novels, so it’ll be a long time before I completed all of them.
I hate it when that happens! I hope it picks up, and soon!
In the past year or so, my bookclub has come to the consensus that if you give something a try and just cannot stand it, stop reading it. We used to be sticklers about finishing, but life just takes over and as you said there are just too many books to be read, to read ones that you don’t enjoy or at least ‘get something’ from.
Kailana – We have sun today!! Granted we are also supposed to be in for more bad weather through next wednesday. This is so not the Texas I’m used to. Hope you get some sun!
Jodie – Yay, you finished your challenge. No problem. I’ll go over to Nancy’s and post your comment for you.
Dorothy W. – I think it was one of your recent posts on Brookner that prompted me to finally pick up one of her books. I stayed up late last night to finish it. It was so freakin’ good 🙂
Stefanie – Well, it didn’t pick up. Sigh. It’s now in my donate pile.
Tara – Exactly. I have a 30 page rule but for a book group I really do try to make the effort so I can discuss. Oh well, next month’s choice looks much better!
It is frustrating when you can’t get into a book, especially when it’s something that you want to like and enjoy. I try about every 3 or 4 years to read George Eliot’s Middlemarch. As much as I want to read this, I never have been able to! I agree with Tara–there are too many good books out there. Why waste time making yourself miserable with one you don’t like?
I must say Conrad is one of the few writers (William Golding being another) who’s finished me off after a few pages. I find him unreadable. And I loved Anita Brookner’s Hotel du lac. I read it years and years ago and it’s one of the few books I’m really tempted to reread. Guess we must just have very similar tastes 🙂 !
I had exactly the same experience with Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’, which I read because a friend of mine was writing about it for her Masters and I wanted to be able to discuss it with her. I’ve never tried anything else. I loved ‘Hotel du Lac’, but I do find with Brookner that she tends to cover the same material over and over again.
Oh, good! I just got Hotel du Lac in the mail. I kept trying to use Book Mooch and they never had anything at all that I wanted (or someone else beat me to mooching), then I realized Anita Brookner was on my mental wish list of authors to read and went for a look. There were plenty of copies. Now, I have to decide whether or not to “unmooch” myself, as I have no books up for grabs and nothing I want is coming in, anyway. I think I’ll unmooch.
Ooh, I’m glad you reminded me about Hotel Du Lac–I’ve always wanted to read that. Maybe I’ll try to mooch it…
Kelly – I agree completely!
Litlove – I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found Conrad confusing 🙂 I did finish Hotel Du Lac and loved it. So good and now I want to read more!
Ann – Do you have another Brookner you liked a lot? I’d love to hear.
Nancy, aka Bookfool – Yay, I hope you enjoy it! I have had a couple of Brookner novels on my shelves forever and just now got around to it.
Gentle Reader – Go for it. I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂
I love Victorian England as well, but I’m very fussy when it comes to my mystery novels. 🙂 The next mystery I read-Some Danger Involved-I absolutely adored. Do you like either of the Anne Perry series? I really enjoy her rendition of Victorian England.
I am glad that I didn’t bother with The Secret Agent. It just wasn’t sounding appealing. The Anita Brookner does, on the other hand, sound interesting…will be interested to hear what you think when you finish…
You want sun? Come over here. But you also have to contend with the humidity.
Don’t feel bad about Conrad. He’s a tough read. I read Heart of Darkness in high school, and another one for college and that was enough for me.
Funny that you mention two books that are sitting on my shelf. I’ve been pushing The Secret Agent back simply because I don’t feel it yet. There had been huge media frenzy about its shedding insight to post-9/11 issues but I appreciate his form, style, and writing more.
Hotel du Lac is lovely–very enjoyable and touching. Even the landscape described in the book was so captivating that it made me want to go to Switzerland! I thought the ending was remarkable.
Awww, that is a lunch killer to find that the book isn’t working out. I finally put Blood Meridian aside (for now) because it was sucking the life out of me. I’m on to Shopgirl, by Steve Martin.
Here’s wishing you better luck with other books!
I haven’t read The Secret Agent but Victory by Conrad is in my top five favorite books. I hate to think someone has a bad impression of Conrad. If you email me your mailing address I will send you a copy of Victory FREE for you to read, and to keep, because you will love it.
I hate having duds back to back. Bummer!
Sorry about the Conrad book. It happens. But, oh, Brookner — lovely writer, but I found her such a downer. And I can usually take downers. I mean, reading, not ingesting.
Eva – I have read a couple of Anne Perry novels and couldn’t warm up to the characters much but I’ve her that her Thomas Pitt series is a good one so I’m going to try that one instead.
Christine – I think you’d love Hotel Du Lac. You should try that one.
Isabel – Still no sun. I am freakin’ out over here! 🙂
Matt – Yes, the ending of Hotel du Lac was absolutely perfect. Actually I felt like I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. I didn’t expect to feel that way at all.
Andi – Oh books that suck the life out of you are no good. I’ve moved on to some better reads 🙂
Kelly – Oh no, I always worry I’m bad mouthing someone’s favorite book 🙂 Thank you for the offer of Victory. I’ll email you!
Kelly – I know that’s even worse isn’t it. At least you can always look forward to what next.
LK – hee,hee. I’ve been thinking about it and now I’m thinking that it was actually more hopeful than what I first thought. Definitely looking forward to more Brookner.
Yuck, I feel the same way about Conrad. I don’t like anything I have ever read by him.
Alisia – It’s good to hear I wasn’t the only one 🙂