How Much is Too Much?

I’m reading Stephen King’s 11/22/63. It’s about time travel and since I write about the same thing–time travel–I wanted to know how the master approached it.

When I picked the book up from the library, the first thing I noticed was the size of the book. I’m not a fast reader, as I’ve said before, so I worried I wouldn’t finish before the return date. I hesitated to look at the last page and see the number.

862. Yep, that’s right. 862 pages. When I see 450 I cringe. Now I had two weeks to read the book and get it back to the library. Renewing wasn’t an option. In a few days, I’d be going on vacation.

This was my first Stephen King book. As you know, if you read my blog, I’m not a fan of horror or scary writing. I watched the TV series, Under the Dome, (based on a Stephen King novel) and liked that show very much. Not all his stories are scary. Besides, this story is based on a real life event and about time travel so I was pretty sure no horror would be involved.

I can proudly say I’ve made it to page 624. And the book isn’t due for three more days. All my free time will be dedicated to finishing the book. It’s a very good book, hard to put down.

I can’t compare this book to King’s other novels or his writing style. But I can say this about 11/22/63. The author’s into minute details and did his research. I’m learning a lot about the late fifties and early sixties. I couldn’t wait to see how he set up his rules for time travel. There needs to be rules in every good time travel book. He didn’t disappoint.

Let’s get back to the real reason I’m writing this post today. The book had over 800 pages. If I didn’t really want to read this book, I may have passed. How many times have you done the same thing?

So does it matter how many pages a book is? Would too many pages stop you from reading a book? What if it’s a bestseller or famous author? Then would you read it? So many questions. So many pages. What would you do?

Three Strikes and You’re Out

This post is not about baseball. I wish it was but there was no way to tell you who won the game yesterday. Our cable was out. And our phone. And our internet. So much for getting one of those packages. When the company loses the connection, goodbye everything.

I usually post on Mondays (creature of habit) and couldn’t get on-line. My whole world started to crumble around me. No access to anything. Really? I know some may say, just use your phone. But I don’t have a smart phone yet. I call mine a dumb phone. Soon I’ll be in the 21st century. I’ve designated the phone as a Mother’s Day gift.

So in the meantime, I was disconnected from the world yesterday. The internet was the first to come back, but everything went so slow it wasn’t worth being on the computer. One good thing came out of it–no telemarketing calls to interrupt dinner. Finally the TV came back around 9 pm.

Back in the real world again…or was I? In the good old days, dad would adjust the antennae on the TV, not having to rely on cable or even know what it is. We didn’t have computers so I’d probably be reading a book or playing outside. And the phone? I don’t remember it ever not working.

My husband called the cable company and found out there was an outage. They asked if he’d like to receive a call when power was restored. This morning the phone rang. Caller ID showed the name of the cable company. I answered to hear a recorded message. My phone, internet and cable were restored. Really? I knew that last night. Welcome to the 21st century. 🙂

Sun on the Ocean

Just wanted to share a beautiful shot of the morning sun on the Atlantic Ocean. One of the rare sunny moments so far on this vacation. Regardless, it’s nice to get away and wake up to see the ocean out the window. We may not see too much sun from what the forecast is telling us. Trying not to take it too hard and find the silver lining. Hope you have a little sunshine in your life today.

 

To Finish or Not to Finish, That is the Question

I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book.”
—Roald Dahl

I love Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but don’t know exactly what he meant by that quote. Did he just want you to read for the sake of reading? Or give the book a chance?

I think if you don’t like a book and gave it a fighting chance, say fifty pages, it’s okay to give up. Not every book is for everybody.

I found this quote interesting because I also review books and will admit I couldn’t finish some. As an author, I’d prefer that method over a less than stellar review. Forcing yourself to read is like being back in school. Reading should be for pleasure. When I taught, I felt the library was one of the places children could choose. I didn’t have to tell them what to read. They could start a book and put it down if it wasn’t for them. They’d have another chance the next week to find something new.

So what do you think? What did Roald Dahl mean in his quote? Do you agree or not? I’d love to hear from you.