false 185218 I appreciate fiction as an art form, and wish I could do it, but I don't like reading it.
I'd rather read about real life. My friends try to tell me, fiction is about real life ideas. Well, then just SAY those ideas, don't hide them behind fake people.
Of course, I say this, and I LOVE the Harry Potter series. So all this crap about not liking fiction isn't even true.
But most fiction feels like a waste of time to me. So much of it is so bad. Last week someone gave me "Trading Up" by Candace Bushnell- utter trash. They also tried to unload "Little Children" by Tom Perrota? Terrible character development. An affair sounded like a cool topic, but WOW, what a sucky book.
Maybe I'm reading the wrong books, but tell me about a REAL Afghani person, not a fake one in Kite Runner. I have to read that for a book meeting with a friend, so maybe that opinion will change. I doubt it, bc I already skimmed the first 50 pages and found it grey and depressing- actually, I bet I'm gonna like it. But as an ART form, not as a story- just gimme some facts about this world so I can have an intelligent discussion. In discussing world politics, I can't say, "Well, the boy in KITE RUNNER, a made up story..." This is my problem with fiction. It's just not TRUE. It's fun and engaging and interesting, but it's not TRUE. I just cannot get past that.
If forced to, I'll read fiction and maybe even love it, but I do have a philosophical problem with it.
Well-written non-fiction, to me, is one of the best things on the face of the earth. ]]> female Stamford, CT 07/2007 09/2007 ]]> 10 30 27 true 5775797 read 1 true 384590 currently-reading 2 true 384589 to-read 5 false 384593 favoritestorecommend 2 false 398563 unremarkable 0 false 384599 personalfavorites http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2953708 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R8AA8QEVL._SL75_.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:44:17 -0700 There's a book written by a Mom who was po'd that all the books the books her kids were reading were all depressing, and she questioned the school's motives and judgment. I cannot remember the name of the book- I suppose if I googled it maybe those keywords could help me find it. It looked good- but I only read a little of it. It seems like it's something you might be interested in.
(For goodness sake, the theme of our 8th graders is the HOLOCAUST. An important thing to learn about of course, but man that's heavy. Even 9th grade might be a better audience. Who knows!)]]> Circling My Mother: A Memoir (Hardcover) by Mary Gordon]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5128583 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NRB9W2lYL._SL75_.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Sun, 26 Aug 2007 06:24:56 -0700 Easter Everywhere: A Memoir (Hardcover) by Darcey Steinke]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5128542 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174369141s/389350.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Sun, 26 Aug 2007 06:23:26 -0700 A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (Hardcover) by Ishmael Beah]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3496205 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169961441s/43015.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:23:50 -0700 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4670634 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255690510s/1618.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Sat, 18 Aug 2007 07:51:30 -0700 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/154-difficult-dogs http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21WJGBBGBYL._SL75_.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:43:25 -0700 I did DIE laughing when Marley was in that movie!!! What a great, great scene.

Have you all read "A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me" by Jon Katz?

It's short, but I thought the author had a more complex view point than Grogan. I got a couple of good laughs out of it, too. The dogs in it were cool- they were difficult like Marley, but not in such a goofy way- they were clearly rescue dogs, who, as well all know, have some... INTERESTING ways! Like my hound Ruby. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/168-bear-with-it http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H215HG0ML._SL75_.jpg 185218 Kristine http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1187450858p2/185218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/185218-kristine Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:36:28 -0700
I also loved the comment by Gil: "The first half is worth reading. When it starts to drag, and you will know it by its velocity, stop reading it. It doesn't get better."

You Shall Know Our Velocity by Eggers (is that the title?) was also... shall I say, a lot of words for no reason.

And talk about self-serving... that title is so grand.

Both titles are so grand. Why does he do that? To get our attention? Well, he got it, and most people on the thread weren't able to sustain the attention.

Of course, I say this, and I certainly have not produced a full-length book, so I don't want to complain too vociferously (I think that's the first time I've actually used that word in my own writing.)]]>