Hey, I admit it. I like to read. But, well, my tastes are rarely sophisticated.
I even, on occasion, will listen to country music.
Remember, I grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King as a teen. And since I discovered him, like, after all of his really good books were published, it was easy to find reading material. And I tried to find other books that kept me interested, but the pacing, the verve never really caught on for me, so I was forced to branch out into books that weren't that scary. Sure, I tried Dean Koontz, and he was okay. But, when I tried to read the second one, I noticed that the plotline was pretty much the same as the first. As was the third attempt.
Then? My beloved Penelope moved across that great ole Rainbow Bridge.
And I needed to fill a void in my life. I started reading dog fiction, while wisely passing by Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows. I found The Art of Racing in the Rain, and it was beautiful. Because of Winn-Dixie was a fun re-read, especially as an educator.
Then I stumbled across the Watchers.
A friend of mine recommended it. I made sure to ask her if the dog died in the end.
She didn't answer and I wanted to smack the shit out of her, but she did the right thing. Horror. Check. Canines. Check. Two in the right direction.
And Dean Koontz wrote it and pulled it. The book really captures the power of a dog and the relationship. Not only that, it goes one step further-it gives the tale a twist, the kind of dream that all dog owners would love to have happen to them.
The dog could communicate. Not talk, but communicate.
And I was hooked. It was a page turner, too.
A book I loved: The Watchers by Dean Kootz
Another I didn't? I could be blasphemous and mention that Harry Potter, though written well, is not a favorite. However, over the years, I've begun to think that I'm just tired of the hype and the fame. Maybe it is the hipster in me, because, in reality, they are good books. Twilight gave me the willies, too. I was proud to see my students, so low on language, finally want to dog ear pages. They would become violent when I told them they had to pay attention in class instead of looking at their book fair books. "You told us you wanted us to read!"
"I KNOW! But not now! Do you see anyone else reading?????"
The texts of these titles merely reinforced the narrative structure to vital for our communication patterns, I cannot completely curse them to oblivion.
There was one that I read in one night. And not because it was good.
Have you ever read the Da Vinci Code? The concept behind it, that Jesus has secretly fathered a child and this bloodline lives on, was daring do-and the secret code to find the supposed children the stuff that SHOULD become a page turner. The analysis, with pictures, really gave old-timey art a boost and made any patron really study imagery for something small and important. I get that.
The whole time I was reading it, I was thinking, "gee, this would make a better movie than a book."
It is just so COMPLICATED. It's like a sophomoric endeavor during 3rd period Advanced Expository Class 201b, the one with that really tiny but loud teacher who the others keep closing their classrooms to. That one student, so motivated has to put every-single-bit-of-research into their paper and, while important, the presentation goes from an arrow of truth to a labyrinth of juvenile concept art. Dan Brown wants to show you EVERYTHING, and, well, things like character and plot are hurled to the sidelines like a cigarette butt.
As a movie? The title worked a bit smoother and it was good to see Tom Hanks as an action star, but one who thought about what was happening, every step of the way. It worked--as a movie.
But, oy, who said this would be a good book? The pages are short (I said I read it in one night), the depth shorter. What a piece of drivel.
No comments:
Post a Comment