Books!

[thistlechaser]

Book 9 of 2012: Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.
Book 10 of 2012: Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton.

Both books were rereads, but for both of them it had been so long since I read them, they might as well be new.

I finished Algernon while on vacation, but had no net access so delayed posting about it. Plus, unfortunately, it wasn't very post-worthy.

Like many people, I read the Flowers for Algernon short story in school. When the teacher mentioned it was based on a book, I ran out to get it and read it. I loved it at the time.

I wish I had left it at that. What a dark, slow-moving, unenjoyable book to read. I don't mean it was bad, it was just hard to enjoy. The main character was teased when he was slow (what horrible people everyone else was!), and when he became smart he was unlikable... and I knew going in how the story would end. Plus it was really slow, page-sloggingly slow. I wish I hadn't reread it, I wish I had left it as a good memory. (I can also see why it worked as a short story. There was so very much that could have been cut out and left the story intact!) (Edit: Oh. Reading the wiki, it seems Algernon was a short story first and then expanded into a novel. Interesting.)

Jurassic Park was day-and-night different. What a fun, exciting read! I read the book when it came out, and I watch the movie every month or so (whenever I catch it on TV). The book is quite different than the movie, and I loved every page of it. The characters were deeper and more complex than in the movie (not surprising!). The book is a little dated, but that really didn't take away from the story at all.

I have five or six other Crichton books in my to-read pile, and I'm looking forward to getting to them.

But first! I learned through djinni's LJ that Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep now has a sequel out! EEE! But I wanted to reread Fire first, so I could fully enjoy Children of the Sky (plus I loved Fire dearly). Only problem was... where was my copy of Fire? It wasn't in my Kindle app, either active or archived. Could I have read it in physical form? Turns out I had. So I settled in to read the dead tree version... but the text is too small. D: (How in the world did I read it the first time?!)

Online to the rescue! I believe in books and I like supporting writers. I'll happily buy a copy of a book once... but I won't twice. I *cough* found a copy online, so I can read it that way.

I'm falling further and further behind for the year. :/ I had thought I could make half of 50bookchallenge's goal, but now it's looking like I won't even reach that. I sure do wish I had more time to read (and watch TV and play online and and and...).

Comments

[prettyredeyes.livejournal.com]

That's like when I reread the Metamorphosis. I wasn't sure why I reread that. I should have just left it as a fond memory of school days. I didn't undo the feelings I developed for them in school it's just completely different reading them now then when we were in school I guess. I still owe it to Algernon for cementing my love of small, fuzzy rodent pets. XD

Jurassic Park is an amazing book! Now I want to go watch the movie again. o_o

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Jurassic Park is amazing, you can just rewatch it and rewatch it, it's great every time.

I want to read Lord of the Flies again, but now I'm worried I won't like it either! I sure did like it in school.

[webbapettigrew.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to read your "Algernon" review. I was looking at getting it for my Kindle, but now I won't. Like you, I read the short version in school and remember that the guy couldn't get a break. When he was dumb he was picked on. When he was too smart, he had no friends, either. Depressing.

OTOH, I plan on getting "Roots" soon. I had to read a portion of it in ninth grade, and remember being very interested in it.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

You know, I haven't read Roots either. I'd like to! *puts it on the list*

Is your @juno.com email address still good? I sent you something there.