Books, books, so many books, just floating around in my life, yet not a single one is good enough to push me to read it until the end, or make it to my “ Top 20 Best Books” list. All of these books are too slow and just not my “cup of tea”. I’m guessing you’re wondering what these “so, so” books I’m talking about are. Well, if you were, then they are Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, about a boy named Craig who is depressed, Youth in Revolt by C.D Payne, about a teenage boy writing a diary about his average life and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, about a young boy clockmaker who lives on his own. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was my most recent discovery, and it seems as though it’s going to turn out just like Its Kind of a Funny Story and Youth in Revolt: good in the beginning, but then just plain boring. I guess I’m not the type of person who is into teenage boy novels. In my opinion, it’s because I can’t relate to them, and if you can’t relate you can’t make any connections. Connection is important, because if you can’t connect to something, it becomes unimportant to you.
Connection, to me is, something that makes you jump when you encounter something that reminds you of an event of your past. If you can connect with a book, you understand the purpose of characters actions and thoughts because you’ve felt the same way before. However, when the character is dealing with something you have not dealt with before, it’s harder to understand the characters logic, and the book becomes boring to you, making your reading experience harder. All three of the books, Its Kind of a Funny Story, Youth in Revolt and The Invention of Hugo Cabret , are all books about teenage boys, which are to me, the most complicated thing in the world, so I guess that’s why all these books are not appealing to me. However, I did hear great comments about them, from girls! So is it just me being a picky reader, or is teenage boy novels just really not my genre? Do you need to connect to a book to like it? Or are you picky reader? What do you look for in a book?
I know exactly how you feel. EXACTLY how you feel because I didn't finish any of these books either. Well actually, you stole Youth In Revolt from me, and it took me about 2 years to read It's Kind of a Funny Story.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of those weekday nights when there's nothing on and I flip on Americas Funniest Videos. In every episode theres a montage of crotch-shots and other clips of people getting hit in that area. And while my brother laughs and writhes in the pain he imagines those guys are feeling, I just sit and wait for some farting babies or somethign I'll enjoy.
What Im tryign to say is that I couldn't connect to those clips, like the books, and so they didn't interest me. So I agree, you have to have some connection, and if you don't the book needs to be very very interesting and descriptive to keep interest. And those books don't happen to fit the attention-keeping criterea.
Exactly, for me there too slow, and about things that I would NEVER do. They're good, it's just not good enough to keep reading until the end.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said in this post. It's very hard to read something you can't connect to. That can apply to many things. I think that is why we mostly have young adult novels at our school, because those are most relatable to our age group. I guess the same thing goes for gender, boy or girl. I don't think all books; but a lot of them are mainly focused for a certain person. That may also be something that separates a good book from an amazing book. Can anyone read it? Or just a boy?
ReplyDeleteAlso yeah they're mostly about boy topics, like sex and boners. I mean, I'm sorry but I don't wanna know that. And yeah, daisy, it'd have to be an amazing book to be about that and still make people who can't relate be interested in it.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it's the same for guys? Can guys read about girls "finding new friends", "stressing over boys" and their periods?
ReplyDeleteI think Hugo Cabret is a little different than the others, though I totally understand what you are saying about the others. HC is about childhood and wonder...when I read it, it seemed magical and took me back to a different time of my life. Maybe you are just much closer to childhood than I am, so it didn't have the same nostaglic ring?
ReplyDeleteI think boys may read books for a different reason than girls, or maybe are looking for something different in a book that girls. What if they some books are written to appeal to some and not others? How do boys and girls think differently? It could be that many boys are similar and can all relate to these books that way. How do girls connect to books? What do teenage girls think?!
ReplyDeleteI think I agree. Maybe I was wrong in what I said in my post...maybe it's not about who the main character is it's about the audience. I actually did end up reading the end of Hugo Cabret, and loved it...even if the main character was a boy. Ha...I learned something about books today!
ReplyDelete(used this as one of my blogposts i like)
ReplyDeleteSee, I have the opposite problem. I think I read too few girl books. My favorite types of books are the ones with narrators who are sort of Holden Caulfield-esque (King Dork, Looking for Alaska, and Catcher and the Rye itself.) I have more interest in reading Dickens over Jane Austen. Actually, I can't judge, since I've never picked up a Jane Austen book. But I did have a difficult time getting through Little Women. I've been criticized by my great aunt for having a too "male" taste in books. Shmph. Perhaps I will attempt Jane Austen, one day...
ReplyDeleteAhh! I'm not sure about anything I say anymore, everyone seems right! I think though, this time I'm sticking with what I'm saying...that it depends on the person, and who the book is directly targeted too...but most of all CONNECTION. Maybe Amanda connects more to stories about girls and all boy problem stuff but you connect to more guy stories, which is great!
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the time of boy book also. I agree with Hannah, I love certain boy characters-- like Pudge from Looking For Alaska. And also true, sometimes girl characters seem sort of frivolous and shallow- no offense to the girls who love her books, but all of Sarah Dessen's characters bore me, and the Shopaholics series seem really reall silly.
ReplyDeleteBut I also agree with Ninja that a lot of times I can't relate to "boy books". I kind of skim some of the pages when they're -for example- describing the beauty of a girl's boobs (Twisted, which was an amazing book, was full of pages like this)
Yeah this is late but I just read your little comment conversation, and I have to say that I'm not sure I agree with any of you. It could be about a boy/girl thing, but I don't like any of those types of books! I don't like the guy books about "sex and boners" (thanks amanda) but I don't like the teenage girl books about "stressing over boys and periods" (good job nina) either. Who knows though, maybe I'm just weird...
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