Catch-22: For Those Reading Through

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Use this thread if you are reading through the book and you want to talk about it. For example, if you are anything like me, if something crazy happens in a book I always want to talk about it right after it happens! It's also nice to discuss with others who are reading through it. Please make sure at the top of every thing you post you have a Spoiler warning and say up to what page you are on.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

I'm excited to read this! I have put it off for so long so now I have a good reason to read it!

[Lori]

I hope everyone likes this book. I know it can be frustrating to some people because of the style. But push through; it's worth it.

[Lynnie]

I've only read one chapter but I am so confused... :[

[Jessika]

I loved this when I had to read it for a class last year! I'll have to re-read it again soon!

[Lori]

Lynn, The book doesn't follow a linear pattern like most books. Each chapter is an event and then the story moves forward or backward to an associated event. It's kind of like the word association thread--seeing one word makes you think of another, which makes you think of another. (If anyone else can think of a better way to explain that, please do)

[Tenderine]

I'm stuck right in the middle of the book =( I really enjoyed the first 300 pages but now it seems I can't push through the rest.
Does any of you guys have the same problem?

[Priscilla]

Actually, that happened to me and it took me a few attempts to get through it. I think it's because that is where the book starts to take a more serious turn and there's less to laugh about. I have to tell you though, you don't really get the full experience of the book until you finish it. Good luck and happy reading!

[Lynnie]

I had to set this one aside, but since it's on the 1001 list, I'll definitely make another attempt at reading it sometime.

[Tami]

I am only about half way through it, but was wondering if anyone else was "imagining" MASH like scenes while reading this? So far so good!

[Lori]

I read this book before I started watching MASH, but I totally see what you mean.

[Tami]

Did anyone else have times that they are reading along, and then think, I did not just read that right, so you went back and you had read it right?

That seems to happen to me about every other page. So entertaining, but half the time, I think there is no way it was meant to say that.

[Lori]

Tami, definitely! That's part of its charm. It's supposed to show how ridiculous the bureaucracy can be, so all of these unreal things keep happening. I love it!

[Tami]

Still not finished but almost. How hilarious is it, General Sheisskompf. :) They are fighting the germans and the name of one of their guys means Shithead in German. Still laughing about it.

[Natanya]

I'm only about 80 pages in, but I love it so far. It's kind of hard to read a lot at once since each chapter is so disconnected, but it's great to read chapter by chapter. It's also fun when at the beginning of the chapter something is mentioned that makes absolutely no sense, and then later we find out the whole story and there's just an "ah" moment...haha.

[Priscilla]

Ha Ha! I had no idea that Sheisskompf = Shithead. That's hillarious!

[Tami]

In 9th grade, our beginning German class had it in the text. Someone asked the teacher what it meant, and he sortof hesitated, then said "silly head". A kid in the class spoke German with his grandparents, and of course, at 14/15 years old, the bad words are the first you learn, he corrected the teacher. It was funny.