Although I've finally managed to finish a novel (and will write about it soon), I'm still meandering from book to book. I've got several books on my night table that have bookmarks at or well past the half way mark, but I can't seem to focus on them for long enough to finish them. Maybe part of the problem is that lately I seem to have slightly less reading time than normal and when I do find a few spare moments, they are literally--few. I'll read whatever I have on hand and am generally quite contented. But when I have another chance to read more I tend to pick up something else entirely.
The few books I've been concentrating on are probably the same few I mentioned the last time I wrote a post like this. Whatever the book, I am undoubtedly reading it slowly.
Still enjoying A Fearful Symmetry. Other readers have said there will be a certain amount of suspension of belief necessary and I was reading along happily thinking some of the characters are indeed a stretch, but nothing seemed inordinately out of the ordinary. Well, I must revise my first thoughts. I've reached a place where there is need of suspending belief, and I'm just fine with that. I can stretch my imagination when I like the story or characters enough, and in this case I do on both counts.
I really like Molly the main character in Wives and Daughters, but I feel a little bit bad for her. Although I like her father well enough and he shows her a fair amount of affection, he called her an ignoramus and seems to have tried hard to keep her as uneducated as possible and far away from any sort of romantic entanglements. Now I realize this is in part just the way things were, and Molly is a motherless child, sweet and naive, so he wants to protect her. But I do wonder if Gaskell meant any of this satirically? I'll be very curious to read the introduction when I finish. And now Molly's about to get a stepmother who's not really mean, but is certainly shallow and self absorbed. Things are going to get very interesting after the wedding.
I've been very slowly reading The Woman in Black and am enjoying it as much this time around as I did the first. The story is moving at about the pace I am, which is, yes, very slowly, but it seems to work well with my mood. I love her detailed descriptions. The first time I read it, I read it over the course of a couple of days during my holiday break. It's sort of nice spreading the story out this time around. I just hope I can finish this slender book in the coming week. I'm starting to think there is such a thing as too slow.
I know I shouldn't be bothered about reading slowly. Reading slowly is a good thing really (despite my comment above). The problem is how much my mind wanders from book to book. So much so that I'll be doing some mindless task and I'll find myself thinking about what I'd like to read. Not which book I have on my night stand that I'd like to pick up and read (well, that too really). But what new book I'd like to read. New book being one from my own stacks. I'm wondering if this is my response to not buying any books. Maybe this is my way of compensating.
You should see how many books I've gone through this week--books I've been thinking I might enjoy reading. Reading the first few pages and then changing my mind the next day. I've followed an interesting path to get here, but now I'm caught between wanting to read Ruth Rendell and Sophie Hannah. Whatever the book, it must be the kind that cliches are usually attached to. Gripping. Riveting. Unputdownable. Taut. Edge of your seat. Heart stopping. Obviously plot driven, but it would be nice if the writing was also really good and had excellent character development. I'm thinking thriller at the moment. I just need something to completely take over my mind for a while.
I know. I'm book obsessive. What can I say. I also need a vacation. Badly.