The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It wasn’t terrible by any means. But I kept being told how-fast paced and gripping it was.
The fastest the pace went was the main character ducking behind a barrier in a very brief firefight.
I’m not one of those action junkies, but I was kind of expecting more.
I wouldn’t say I disliked it but Harry Potter just seemed like an ordinary story with nothing special about it in terms of writing or plot to me. Made me wonder if I was missing something since it seems to have had a huge an impact on popular culture.
I think a lot of it is being at a certain age. When you’re young you’re configured to see magic everywhere. The video games you played when you were a kid, the places you went, the stuff you read… it’s all important. It’s wide and magical. It has this quality that’s not replicable. I talked with people about the games I played when I was about 10 years old, and they felt exactly the same way about the games they played when they were 10.
Sometimes it’s true. The Lord of the Rings books are still magic as an adult (actually more so). But I had the exact same experience reading HP; it’s fine. It’s perfectly serviceable, but I think I missed reading it at the age where it would have triggered the pure magic response, so I don’t get it the same way.
Dracula, I suppose?
I’m fond of some of the vampire lore the story created that pop culture has completely forgotten… but after Dracula goes on a cruise, the book becomes criminally repetitive and goes absolutely nowhere.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (no, I’m not reading anymore Donna Tartt), Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl wasn’t good for me either
Had to read Little Women at school and found it unbearably boring. So boring I almost forgot everything in it, which is unusual. Only thing I remember is that Jo was an interesting character. My classmates seemed okay reading it and some even liked it, but for me every page turned was “oof there’s still more pages still, oof”.
The Old Man and the Sea. A junior high teacher assigned it as an individual project, and I was bored out of my mind. After one of my own university students recommended it a few months ago, I tried it again. Forty years has not improved my opinion of it.
Come to think of it, even teaching an intro lit & philosophy course, I still think any book that’s only in print because it’s on a reading list is probably garbage.
I do beg to differ. I went through a period when reading “reading list” books was about all I wanted to do.
Pearl Buck “The Good Earth” Zora Neale Hurston “Their Eyes Were Watching God”
Just two faves if you want to try them out.
I should’ve noted that YMMV. :)
Thanks for the recommendations. When there’s time to read for fun, I’ll try to check them out.
Oh, well you did say that’s only in print because it’s on a reading list. I think these books would be in the print regardless so… your point stands.
