Tuesday 1 December 2009

Netherland.

Tap, tap. Anyone still there??

Guess what? I just finished Netherland.

Except I didn't really read it. I mean, I sort of did, but I guess I kind of skimmed it after a while. So I guess I can't really get credit for reading it.

I read the first 75 pages or so & decided that I didn't love it. Or maybe even like it. I mean, O'Neill is clearly a strong writer. Obviously. But I was having a bad week, & I didn't really have the tolerance / patience to finish something I didn't really love in that very moment, so I skimmed through & grabbed the major plot points, probably missing out on the essential parts of the book in the process.

But I like what Heidi & Lindsey said about it. Especially what Heidi said about Hans feeling like a ghost. Exactly. The whole book just felt so grey & blasé.

I was just frustrated, I guess. Frustrated at how their relationship unraveled, so seemingly apathetically. How does that happen? I never want it to happen to me & my own. It makes my stomach hurt to think about it.

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What should we read next? Let's pick up again, yes? My mom is loving The Help right now, but I'm just sort of feeling out of in in terms of books to read. I feel like it's been a bad reading year for me & I want to change that.

Maybe we should look at the original list we did a year ago?

3 comments:

Missy said...

Ok, I'm almost embarrassed to even say that I am part of this book club blog since I haven't posted a true entry to date.

But. (always a but.)

I REALLY want to be. So I'm going to try this out again. Let's set a date. Like finish by 1/15/10 and discuss thereafter. End dates help me.

I'm up for The Help. I've seen it on NY Times book best seller list for a couple weeks. Or East of Eden. I love, love that book and always up for a reread of that one if no one else has read it.

Heidi said...

I have definitely been wanting to read East of Eden. I could do The Help also. I just got into Saturday by Ian McEwan though so I know I need to finish that before I begin something new. Could we maybe have until the end of January?

Missy said...

Sure, let's do end of January. In fact, let's say we have it read by Feb 1st to discuss. What do you think? East of Eden or The Help?