Moving On...

I was trying to read The Adventures Of Augie March by Saul Bellows but every time I tried, I'd fall asleep. The first time I tried reading it was right after I finished the Twilight books for the first time. After 3 sentences I put it down and ran back to the first of the Twilight saga again and re-read them. I couldn't get them out of my head, that's all I wanted to read. So after reading them the second time, I tried for Augie again. That time I got through about 3 paragraphs before I fell asleep. When I tried again the next day, I had to re-read everything I had read the day before, because it didn't stick at all. It turned into a cycle. I'd read the first few pages, fall asleep, and then have to re-read them all over again.

After a week of this charade, I decided that I'm just not into Augie March or any adventures he may have. There is no point in trying to force myself to read a book that I'm just not into. So for now, Augie will have to wait.

So now, my new book that I am reading is Earnest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. When I bought the book I didn't even know it was on the Top 100, but it is :) Score! Mostly I wanted to read this book because I figured I'd gain back some of my reading snobbery that I lost from being so addicted to the Twilight books if I could add a Hemingway to my list. It's working, I already feel like more of a book snob.

When I read the reviews of the book, a few critics mentioned Hemingway's "spare" writing style. I didn't understand this at first, but it's becoming clear. The way he writes isn't filled with details and back stories. So much is left to the reader to just assume and fill in the blanks as they wish. Two characters can be introduced as strangers and then go to a party and be introduced as long lost friends. Your mind has to go back and kind of make up the rest of the story that Hemingway didn't tell you. It's different, that's for sure. So far I'm enjoying it.

After I finish The Sun Also Rises, I'm moving on to Catch 22 :)