So, at TLA, I meet an author. The author was very personable, relatable, and very excited about their debut novel. So excited, that I could not wait to read it. I was not impressed with the cover, but once I talked to the author, it made sense. I finally got a copy of the book, and put all my other TBR books on hold. I WAS SO EXCITED! Then I started reading...I tried. I really tried! The book was not great. The writing was not good. The characters were one dimensional. It was breaking my heart. I talked to a friend of mine, whom I knew was also excited to read this book, and we commiserated over how bad the book was. She made me realize that it is ok to stop reading a book. Most of my reading is done so that I can put great books in my students hands, and I realized that this book is not one that I would give them. Not when there are so many other books out there that fit the same niche or genre, but are written better.
I thought back to when I was teaching sixth grade, and worked hard to build a reading culture in my classroom. Self-choice is such an important part of becoming a lifelong reader, and I always taught my kids that if they read some of a book and realized it was not for them, it was ok to switch books. So know, it is ok to abandon a book, it is what good readers do.
No comments:
Post a Comment