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26 April 2009

Sunday Salon, 26 April

I've really written altogether too many blog posts this week so I will attempt to make this shorter.

This week's posts
Project: Collaborations in Paradise

You can join a dozen or so people writing a short story collaboratively. The story is meant to be crime fiction, has opening lines written by last year's Ned Kelly Award winner, Michael Robotham, but various authors have contributed some really quirky bits. However there is nothing to stop you from introducing romance, a vampire or two, a car chase, a bit of history etc. You get my drift?
Breaking News
Last week's poll asked How many books are you reading at present?
    29 people participated
    The results
    1 - 5 people
    2 - 6
    3 - 9
    4 - 6
    5 - 1
    more than 5 - 2
Not sure what all that means, except that we are a bit like smorgasboard diners, we like a lot on our plates.

This week's poll: When do you abandon reading a book that you don't like?
Some people have rules: they give the book 10 pages, 20 pages, 50 pages, etc. while others find it difficult to abandon reading a book once they've started. They sort of feel committed.
Pop in and vote (the poll is in the right margin) and leave a comment on this post if you want to explain why you voted the way you did.

Top rated posts - I have a little widget running in the side bar.
It depends on people hitting the "rating" bar under a particular post
1. Organise an online meeting for your book group
2. Forgotten Books: VENOM HOUSE, Arthur Upfield
3. Forgotten Book: A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES, Ellis Peters
4. Up for Grabs - THE CRUELLEST MONTH, Louise Penny
5. Your Best Crime Fiction reads in 2008
Do you ever give the blogger feed back using these tools.
Perhaps you could today - what rating do you give this post?

Currently reading
  • now - BLACKOUT, Lisa Unger
  • next - THE WRITING CLASS, Jincy Willett
  • in the car - A PALE HORSE, Charles Todd
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12 comments:

  1. Marg26 April 2009 at 14:20

    I really struggle when it comes to giving up books. I really don't like to do it. I can think of only 3 books in the last few years that I have put down with the intention of never picking up again, and I still occasionally think about giving them another chance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous26 April 2009 at 16:20

    I am laughing so hard, because I was trying to add to your ongoing story and could not shake images of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles out of my head!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kerrie26 April 2009 at 17:26

    Thanks Marg. I think we share the same attitude

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kerrie26 April 2009 at 17:27

    Rhubarb thanks for the contribution. I lovede your Squooshed post on your blog: http://rhubarbwhine.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/is-smooshed-a-medical-term/

    ReplyDelete
  5. BooksPlease26 April 2009 at 17:51

    I don't like to give up on books either. I have several started ages ago that I keep intending to get back to, so I can't say that I've abandoned them.

    Life is too short to read books I'm not enjoying and I do give up on some but have no rule about how many pages. I don't have any rule, as it all depends on the book - with some it's after just a few pages and with others it could be as much as a third of the book. But this rarely happens I'm glad to say.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kerrie26 April 2009 at 18:23

    Marg (BooksPlease), I have one book sitting around, THE 19TH WIFE, that I have been meaning to finish for nearly 4 months now - I may have to start at the beginning again I think.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yvonne27 April 2009 at 06:46

    I rarely give up on a book. Although, if I can't finish it, I might put it aside and finish it at another time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. susan27 April 2009 at 09:08

    I am a slow reader and I didn't grow up a regular reader so I feel like I'm playing catch up. With that in mind, I have no time to waste on a book I'm really not interested in. I will abandon a book around 50 pages. The only thing to keep me going is if the writing is exceptional. Then despite not liking the book, I'll stick it out because I have to know if the storyline is worth suffering the entire read. Does that make sense?

    You had a very busy week. Whew!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gavin27 April 2009 at 11:29

    I think there are too many books I will love out there to struggle with something I'm not enjoying. 40/50 pages and if I'm not hooked I'm done.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kerrie27 April 2009 at 18:36

    Yvonnne, I do feel obliged to finish a book if I can. I have really only abandoned one in the last 2 years.
    You can see which one it was on the bottom of the full list on http://smikreviews.blogspot.com/
    I was really disappointed because I had really enjoyed one of his earlier books, but when I looked at comments by others, I learnt I wasn't alone.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kerrie27 April 2009 at 18:37

    The worst book I have read this year kept me reading because I wanted to know what happened Sue. It nearly got hurled against the wall several times, and I kept groaning...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kerrie27 April 2009 at 18:39

    Gavin, I can understand your point of view. I should learn to abandon a book earlier, or indeed when to stop trying to persist.

    ReplyDelete

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