I admit that I usually take a while to finish a book. Perhaps I have attention deficit disorder (A.D.D.) when it comes to reading - I just could not just sit there for a few hours and read chapters from a book, no matter how intriguing it is. I somehow can put it down and do something else. Take Da Vinci Code for example, it is a very good book, a page-turner. Still it took me two weeks to finish it - while some of my friends took between one to three days to finish it (some even sacrificed sleep) and they don't understand how I can put the book down. I just can't explain it. However, let me tell you, that was not the longest time I took to finish reading a book.
I just finished reading 'The Historian' by Elizabeth Kostova the other day - another intriguing book and quite the page-turner. LET told me about this book in 2005 and lent it to me. The story is about the discovery of Dracula and vampirism, with an excellent journey into Central and Eastern Europe through the chapters. I have never been too keen on reading such subject matter, so it took me a while to even pick up the book and read it. I didn't know if it would capture my imagination. I didn't start reading it until towards the end of 2005 but I would only read several pages of the book and after putting it down, I would not touch it for weeks. Then, LET asked if I was done with it because she has a friend who wants to read it. I returned it to her after having read only 5 of the 79 chapters. In December 2006, I decided to buy the book. I began reading it again from the beginning and the same routine happened. Read a few chapters, put it down and the book would not be touched for weeks, while I read other books which I was more interested in.
Then end August 2007 came. I resolved to focus and read this book. The earlier chapters I have read have detailed descriptions I did not find boring. What made me put the book down, I do not understand till now. I picked up where I left off but I did not finish reading it within days. I began reading it on my travel to work and back home and I spent an hour on weeknights to read the book. End of September now and I FINALLY done reading it.
Captivating, I must say. I have never liked reading horror, thrillers or any scary stories but I forced myself to read this. Towards the last few chapters, it became scary and I have never read a book and have a hair-raising experience until this book. I get shocked when a shadow passed while reading those scary chapters. There were also times when I wished I had not reached my destination when I was reading it on the public transport or when it is time for me to put down the book because it is bedtime. I LOVE this book.
Off course, it was not always scary throughout the book. Elizabeth Kostova provided some relief throughout the book. One of them was through the eyes of the 16-year old central character and the blossoming of her romance with one of the supporting characters, Stephen Barley. Through Kostova's description of the character's feelings, I could imagine how she fell for Barley and sent me reading on for more of those moments where her feelings for Barley were expressed. I have to share those few moments, which are my favourites:
"The bright day and the noisy, speeding cars were more jarring than ever after the hush of the library. I had them to thank, however, for a sudden gift: as we hurried across the traffic, Stephen took my hand, pulling me along to safety. He might have been someone's peremptory big brother, I thought, but the touch of that dry, warm palm sent a tingling signal into mine, which glowed there after he'd dropped my hand. I felt sure, stealing glances at his cheerful, unchanged profile, that the message had registered in only one direction. But it was enough, for me, to have received it."
"I regretted deceiving kind, boring Mrs Clay and I regretted even more parting from Barley, who had kissed my hand with sudden gallantry on the front step and given me one of this chocolate bars, although I'd reminded him that I could buy Dutch treats I wanted. I thought I might write him a letter when all this trouble had ended - but that far ahead, I could not see."
"Barley was angry. I couldn't blame him, but this was a most inconvenient turn of events for me, and I was a little mad, too. It made me all the angrier that my first twinge of annoyance was followed by a secret swelling of relief; I hadn't realized before seeing him how thoroughly alone I'd felt on that train, headed toward the unknown, headed perhaps toward the larger loneliness of losing him forever. Barley had been a stranger to me only a few days before, and now his face was my vision of familiarity."
"It struck me that I'd never before seen him look serious - only humorous or, briefly annoyed. His eyes, blue as chips of sky, narrowed further."
Those words sent me on to cloud nine. Ok, I confess - I am such a sucker for this sort of thing.
So, it took me on and off year and a serious 4 and half weeks to finish reading this book but I did it! An excellent read, even for someone like me who not particularly fond of thriller. It has totally changed my perspective now. Thanks, LET!
I just finished reading 'The Historian' by Elizabeth Kostova the other day - another intriguing book and quite the page-turner. LET told me about this book in 2005 and lent it to me. The story is about the discovery of Dracula and vampirism, with an excellent journey into Central and Eastern Europe through the chapters. I have never been too keen on reading such subject matter, so it took me a while to even pick up the book and read it. I didn't know if it would capture my imagination. I didn't start reading it until towards the end of 2005 but I would only read several pages of the book and after putting it down, I would not touch it for weeks. Then, LET asked if I was done with it because she has a friend who wants to read it. I returned it to her after having read only 5 of the 79 chapters. In December 2006, I decided to buy the book. I began reading it again from the beginning and the same routine happened. Read a few chapters, put it down and the book would not be touched for weeks, while I read other books which I was more interested in.
Then end August 2007 came. I resolved to focus and read this book. The earlier chapters I have read have detailed descriptions I did not find boring. What made me put the book down, I do not understand till now. I picked up where I left off but I did not finish reading it within days. I began reading it on my travel to work and back home and I spent an hour on weeknights to read the book. End of September now and I FINALLY done reading it.
Captivating, I must say. I have never liked reading horror, thrillers or any scary stories but I forced myself to read this. Towards the last few chapters, it became scary and I have never read a book and have a hair-raising experience until this book. I get shocked when a shadow passed while reading those scary chapters. There were also times when I wished I had not reached my destination when I was reading it on the public transport or when it is time for me to put down the book because it is bedtime. I LOVE this book.
Off course, it was not always scary throughout the book. Elizabeth Kostova provided some relief throughout the book. One of them was through the eyes of the 16-year old central character and the blossoming of her romance with one of the supporting characters, Stephen Barley. Through Kostova's description of the character's feelings, I could imagine how she fell for Barley and sent me reading on for more of those moments where her feelings for Barley were expressed. I have to share those few moments, which are my favourites:
"The bright day and the noisy, speeding cars were more jarring than ever after the hush of the library. I had them to thank, however, for a sudden gift: as we hurried across the traffic, Stephen took my hand, pulling me along to safety. He might have been someone's peremptory big brother, I thought, but the touch of that dry, warm palm sent a tingling signal into mine, which glowed there after he'd dropped my hand. I felt sure, stealing glances at his cheerful, unchanged profile, that the message had registered in only one direction. But it was enough, for me, to have received it."
"I regretted deceiving kind, boring Mrs Clay and I regretted even more parting from Barley, who had kissed my hand with sudden gallantry on the front step and given me one of this chocolate bars, although I'd reminded him that I could buy Dutch treats I wanted. I thought I might write him a letter when all this trouble had ended - but that far ahead, I could not see."
"Barley was angry. I couldn't blame him, but this was a most inconvenient turn of events for me, and I was a little mad, too. It made me all the angrier that my first twinge of annoyance was followed by a secret swelling of relief; I hadn't realized before seeing him how thoroughly alone I'd felt on that train, headed toward the unknown, headed perhaps toward the larger loneliness of losing him forever. Barley had been a stranger to me only a few days before, and now his face was my vision of familiarity."
"It struck me that I'd never before seen him look serious - only humorous or, briefly annoyed. His eyes, blue as chips of sky, narrowed further."
Those words sent me on to cloud nine. Ok, I confess - I am such a sucker for this sort of thing.
So, it took me on and off year and a serious 4 and half weeks to finish reading this book but I did it! An excellent read, even for someone like me who not particularly fond of thriller. It has totally changed my perspective now. Thanks, LET!
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