The Next Best Book Club discussion

A little history...I used to hate reading and avoided it as much as possible until a few years ago. I then picked up a book and have been reading steadily since. I started working my way through the BBC 2003 Big Read Top 100 List.

I've read about 50 off this list now and these have been a complete mix - old/new, funny/sad, challenging/easy-read, etc. Many are the typical books you find on these lists. Favorites have included To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, and some children's classics (Winnie the Pooh, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty). The only one I have really disliked, until now, was Madame Bovary. I was able to pick up any book and read it, regardless of subject, genre, etc.


So, a few weeks ago I started Grapes of Wrath and hated it. I'm not sure why but I just didn't want to pick it up. I wasn't enjoying reading it. I struggled through to page 100 and then stopped. This is the first book that I haven't managed to finish. Even Madame Bovary I read even though I disliked it.

I begun to wonder if my hatred of books had returned. I don't want to stop reading but was not enjoying it. I then read A Town Like Alice (Shute) and quite enjoyed this. I decided it was just Grapes of Wrath that didn't agree with me.

Now I've started A Prayer for Owen Meany (Irving). I thought I would like Owen Meany but am beginning to get that Grapes of Wrath feeling again.

So what do I do next? Have I just had bad luck and encountered two bad books in close succession or am I losing by reading habit? Any suggestions of books I could read to rediscover my love of reading? Should I perservere with Grapes of Wrath or Owen Meany - do they get better after the first 100 or so pages?

Any suggestions appreciated. Apologies for the long message!

I wouldnt worry that you've lost your love of reading. You are probably just picking up books that aren't to your taste at the moment.

I read all sorts of genre's and tend to mix them up constantly as I read, so I don't get stuck in a reading rut. It appears you are on a classics kick at the moment... why not try to pick up something lighter and more contemporary? Maybe that will break your reading funk?

Are you a fan of humorous murder mysteries? I just finished Tarquin Hall's The Case of the Missing Servant, and really enjoyed it. It's written very well and reads quite quickly.... Plus, the author is visiting us this week!!

If that's not to your liking, take a look at Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books if you like the paranormal (vampires, werewolves). Or If You Follow Me - it's a woman's lit book about two young women who move to Japan to teach english and struggle to get used to the strange and confusing rules there. I could keep em coming.... but maybe it would be best to tell us what you types of things you are interesting in reading first!

I also find that returning to an old favorite helps clean my literary palate. For example when I'm really in a reading rut I might turn to Harriet the Spy. I think that if you worry too much about having lost the love of reading, you might just give up entirely. But if you turn to a solid standby, a book that blew you away or changed or life or just makes you happy, you'll reconnect with that feeling that got you into reading in the first place. Then maybe that'll respark the inspiration.

Sometimes books just aren't meant to be read at certain times. Maybe Grapes of Wrath is one you'll pick up later and really enjoy. Lori's suggestion of mixing it up a bit is a good one. Try a different genre or a different style. Try picking up something you've never heard of just to see if that helps jump-start your interest. I think the worst one can do, though, is to push it. Maybe you just need a little time off. But I also don't think you've lost your love for reading - you might just need a break right now.

Lori said exactly what I was going to say... you've been reading a lot of classics and literature, and probably just need something contemporary and/or light and fun to cleanse your reading palate.

Too much of any one thing is going to be tiring after a while.

I'm not sure what other kinds of books you like, but here are some that I rated 5 stars (and, sorry, I'm at work, so I can't take the time to write out full greatness explanations :P):

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
The Stand by Stephen King
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone By JK Rowling (These are amazing, and I know that a lot of adults balk at reading this series, but it is honestly one of the best I've ever read.)
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

I hope you find something you like... :) Often times, I choose my next book by thinking of what I just read and then reading a genre as different to it as possible... It keeps things fresh and helps me avoid getting into a bored rut. :)

I looked at your profile and noticed you liked To Kill A Mockingbird ,so you might want to tryThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,The Secret Life of Bees or The Member of the Wedding. These are good novels about young people and their coming of age.

Children's classic - Anne of Green Gables
Quick, riveting read: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I've checked over your Read list and you've got a wide variety of books there.
Have you tried reading another book by an author who's book you really enjoyed?
Another way to find books that may be of interest is to check out some Read and/or To Read lists. If a book interests you, read a few of the reviews to see if it's what you are looking for.
The key is to enjoy reading. With all the books out there, you're bound to find the ones that hold your interest. Let us know which you decide to read.

I checked out that BBC list. Without checking your list to see what you've read already, some books that are fun to read: Memoirs of a Geisha, Of Mice and Men (Way easier than Grapes of Wrath!), the Stand, the Twits, the Godfather, Animal Farm, Little Women.

It happens to everyone sometimes - you try two or three books in a row that aren't for you and all of a sudden you're all, "Maybe I should just go back to watching TV, this book stuff sucks." It's like picking the wrong restaurant three times in a row. It doesn't mean you don't like going out; you're just having a bad month.

Don't get frustrated. No one is going to like every book they pick up. If you are really dreading a book, don't force it. Find something else or take a couple days off from reading. Try different types of books depending on your mood at the time. You may go back someday and find you like the Grapes of Wrath at that time, but if you still don't like it...thats ok!

Thanks for your suggestions. The Stand stood out as it is on the BBC 100 list and I haven't read it yet. The length has put me off up until now. I'm wondering if I should read a few shorter books which I may find a bit easier first.

Although working from the BBC list was helpful when I was new to reading, i'm wondering if this may be part of the problem now. As i'm working through the list, the choice for what to read next is getting shorter and I've read the ones which appealled the most already.

Perhaps it's time to breakaway and read something off-list. I have done this occassionally but usually they were books I already owned or from friends and family. I'm always a little daunted when I go onto Amazon....so many books, how do I choose which one to read!

I've read and enjoyed some of your suggestions already (Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, Memoirs of a Geisha, Little Women) so I am hopeful for the others. I will look these up on Amazon and let you know what I decide. I'm thinking something modern may make a change. I just want to make the right choice and find a book that inspires me again.

Meanwhile, I'll carry on with A Prayer for Owen Meany if I can bear it. It may get better.....

Miss Mondegreen, do not feel bad... I couldn't get into Irving either. I tried "The Cider House Rules" and was bored to tears. I barely made it 1/10th of the way through before I gave up.

Some modern books that I would recommend are:
Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls
The Last Chinese Chef
The Year of the Flood
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (sarcastic, witty humor)

Maybe one of these may interest you. I tried for a variety of genres.

Olympia said:Meanwhile, I'll carry on with A Prayer for Owen Meany if I can bear it. It may get better.



It didn't for me. I hated that book.

Yeah, I don't really trust lists. Good point that that may have been sorta training wheels that you no longer need.

(I got back into reading after a long absence a few years ago, and like you, I was...not in shape at first. Had to work my way up.)

If you hang out in these threads - check the "Currently Reading" thread, for example - you'll end up really excited for a bunch of books. It's inevitable. This site is great for getting ideas.

Hi -

Life is short - don't read boring books! Put them down and move on. I seem to always have way more books to pick up. I am not a heavy weight reader like some of the readers in this book group - but they have great suggestions....

A couple of things I have found. If I start it and it doesn't clink - I push a little - and then it is down. I might leave it in the to read section but if it doesn't entice me - out of the house it goes - someone else will love it.

I try to mix up my reading - mystery, thriller, heavy thought, light popular fiction etc. I use historical fiction as palate cleansers (no disrespect meant) but in between books that are fun, quick and do not require great amounts of thought and time.

I checked out your list and you have some lighter ones to read and enjoy - but check out what all of us have on our to read lists. Compare your books with our books....

Book Page puts out a monthly newspaper on new books to enjoy. Book Browse puts out a reading list of new and interesting books. The independent book store in my town also has lists that the independent books sellers suggest for new books.

Good Luck... Every day there are a gazillion choices to make ... choose beyond the BBC list

I agree with Marti! Don't sweat the boring stuff or a book that doesn't speak to you. Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a torturous book to read, mainly because of the subject matter being so difficult. I would steer away from downer books and go for something more light-hearted.

As has been suggested, go to "currently reading" and find some books that peak your interest. Read one and if you find your taste runs along the same lines as another member then become a "friend" and you can feed each others tastes.

Sometimes I feel attempting to read/complete books from these "Top 100" or other high-brow book lists can take you right back to high school and the feeling that you are never good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, cool enough, etc. Life is too short for book torture!!

If Stephen King is someone that interests you, start with Christine. It's very fast and not so long! It's a great book. Carrie is a good one too. The Stand is one of my all time faves, but I didn't start with that because it is long, and it doesn't move quite as quickly as the other two I mentioned.

The Thirteenth Tale is a wonderful novel as well.
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz is incredible, too. It moves so fast, you hardly know you're reading!!

I'm not a big believer in Top 100 lists for many different reasons, but the one thing they are helpful for is finding authors that you really like (and authors you want to avoid), that you may otherwise not have heard of. If you think you've explored the list enough, why not branch out? Many authors write more than one book, you know, and not all of them make it onto so-called Top 100 Lists even though the ones that don't may be just as good, if not better. Also I think there are several websites out there where you can plug in a title you've liked and get all kinds of suggestions for books that are similar.

I quite liked Owen Meany, BTW, but Irving isn't for everyone. Don't worry about it and don't force yourself to finish it if you don't want to.

I think that some books just aren't meant for some people. I'm reading Owen Meany right now, and I am completely in love with it. I keep laughing, and then crying, like a moron. If you aren't feeling it...don't torture yourself!!

The best part about being a grown-up is reading whatever you want : )