Saturday, April 18, 2009

Read-a-Thon - Six-Hour Update

Six hours into the Read-a-Thon now, and I'm still using the "slow and steady approach" to pile up a few more pages. I reached the point where I needed a change of reading material in order to give myself a little boost - the Atkinson novel was starting to drag and I found myself actively disliking two of the book's main characters (not something to make me want to keep turning pages).

I went back to the Cheever collection and luckily chose a really good thirteen-page short story of his called "The Sutton Place Story" in which a little rich girl wanders away from her babysitter and gets lost in NYC. I tell you what - Cheever packed more emotion and great characters into those thirteen pages than I found in over 90 pages of Case History. The man was definitely a master of the short story form and I think many of them are better than any of his novels.

I've also dipped into Saints in Limbo and find its style to be an easily read one but, after 2o pages, I'm still not hooked by the plot.

Anyway, after six hours (and eighteen to go!) I have read a total of 141 pages that includes segments of two novels and two John Cheever short stories.

Here comes hour 7...

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like you are doing well, Sam. I agree it is best to "move on" if a book isn't doing it for you during the Read-A-Thon. Keep on going!!!

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  2. Your reaction to Atkinson is interesting. But you're hanging in there! That's the important thing!

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