Timing

There is a book I have been trying to get into for about a week now, and I have not made any progress. It is a book that sounded interesting, it's become widely known and I've heard other people say it was good, they made a movie out of it--there is absolutely no reason why I should be having such a hard time getting interested. I've made it 10 or 15 pages in, and I can't even say I dislike it, because what I've read isn't bad. It's just not grabbing me. And I don't feel inclined to read it.

On the other hand, there's another book I picked up today and took with me to the gym. And I read a few pages, and didn't want to put it down. It's a history book. It's big. It's a random book I stumbled across in some bizarre 'related item' search on the internet, a book that no one has ever heard of. I checked it out from the library and thought, 'I'm never going to get through all this." It shouts boring. (Well, to most people. It does have a cool history angle that I enjoy, but still). But I'm really enjoying it. And it just makes me laugh.

Pagewise, the two books are actually about the same, if you go by page numbers. But in the first 15 pages of the history book, there was more character, more plot, more action, and more interest than in the other. And I'm sure the other one gets better. It's just not the right time for it.

It's like the first time I tried to read Pride and Prejudice. I got about 50 pages in, and quit. It was so boring!  It was exactly the kind of book I'd have expected to enjoy, but it just wasn't clicking. Fortunately, I picked it up a few years later and finished it, and it is really a terrific book, well-deserving of its reputation. It just wasn't the right time the first time around.

So, we'll see how things go. I'll stick with the history, and maybe when I'm done, I'll be ready for the other. And if not, I'll give it a year or two. Who knows? Maybe in time I'll come to love it.