Thursday, October 27, 2011

Booking Through Thursday: A Challenging Read



What’s the hardest/most challenging book you’ve ever read? Was it worth the effort? Did you read it by choice or was it an assignment/obligation?

Anything by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row are standard fare for any English Lit class, and mine was no exception. I was force fed them until I wanted to scream.

I'm a fan of lighter books with happy endings. The deep, symbolic, depressing "Oprah" books aren't something for me. I prefer genre fiction: romance, cozy mysteries, fantasy, science fiction where the good guys typically win. I like to close a book after reading the last page and have a smile on my face and a sigh in my heart.

Steinbeck does neither of those things. Perhaps I'm edified now, but when I think of authors I would never purposely read, he is the first to cross my mind. So, was it worth the effort? I passed the class, so I suppose it was. But it wasn't fun or even interesting.

5 comments:

  1. I haven't heard about this one, but I agree with you on the lighter books with happy endings issue. :)

    Here's my BTT post :)
    Vicky @ Books, Biscuits & Tea

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  2. I like happy endings also.

    here's mine:

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/10/booking-through-thursday_27.html

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  3. I've heard the same about these, thankfully they weren't forced one me :D

    Here's my BTT - House Millar series

    Aine

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  4. I agree. I thought that all the Steinbeck books they made me read in school were depressing. I have only read one book of his I liked and that one was written as propaganda for World War 2 so it was very different from his other books.

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  5. I really liked of Mice and men, and fortunately I've also read one of the lighter Steinbeck books: Sweet Thursday. I read them as an adult though, as we're force fed different books in Norwegian schools :-)

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So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?