Happy Canada Day! Plus Book Blogger Hop!

Book Blogger HopWoke up this morning and realized ... no work! Back to bed! And to my Canadian friends out there, Happy Canada Day! I hope you enjoy the festivities! For me, it's a time to reflect on why I decided to move over here. And I don't regret the decision one bit! Canada is a wonderful country!

And now it's time for more fun with this week's Book Blogger Hop. Never heard of it?
The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! 
This week's question:


What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?"


Just for fun, here are a few of the poor abandoned:


Made me sleepy. Flipped through and I need food porn for a recipe book to appeal.
Read my thoughts here.
Probably fabulous. I just got a little lost in the tech jargon. Reminded me too much of reading to write a school paper. So I stopped. Hope to get back to it because the idea of "... the Highly Improbable" really appeals to me.

The cover isn't the same. I had one of the cool old copies with ratty edges. I wanted to read this because Erica Jong is a well-known feminist writer, who became quite the voice for women's sexuality (ever heard of the "zipless f*ck"?) I got through a few chapters. But it didn't "speak to me" at the time. I regret having sent this off for Mooching


Honestly, I go beyond the "first few pages." Always. I wouldn't have picked up that book otherwise. I confess that I am horrible at "abandoning" books, and usually even if I start off hating a book, I force myself to read through. My experience is that most often this pays off. It challenges me. And the process makes me realize that many times it takes time and patience to read a book to reap its rewards.


That being said, it is always easier to get beyond the first few pages because of:
  • Me being hyperexcited to finally get a copy of said book. Wait times for popular library books can sometimes be harsh. Or if I bought it, I'm still just reveling in the fact that it's mine!!!
  • A great story. I want o find out what happens. Put the book down - hell no!
  • An engaging storyteller. Fiction is so much easier. I've realized I've made it through many a serious non-fiction book because the author  just makes it so engaging.
I'll stop reading a book because I probably realized that I'm just not in the mood for it at the moment. It's rare that I'll write off a book and never think of picking it up again at some point. Someday I'll get back to those "abandoned" books.

Have a wonderful weekend! Keep cool!

9 comments

  1. Great answer, enjoy your books and Happy 4th!

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  2. These book blogger hop questions just get better and better. This one looks easy but I think it’s a trick question. We all know it’s the same answer – the writing – but we all have different perspectives of what good writing is.

    Hop on over to my blog at http://www.howardsherman.net and read my three-prong answer as I explain why I’ll decide to pick up a book or put it down in under sixty seconds.

    Happy July 4th Weekend!

    Howard Sherman, Implementor
    http://www.howardsherman.net

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  3. Enjoy your holiday!

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  4. Hopping through. I think an engaging storyteller is really a great way to keep reading. I don't know if it's a "must" for me but the book would have to be really good otherwise for me to keep going if I'm frustrated.
    My Hop

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  5. thanks for the visit! i'm popping over to each of your blogs to poke around :)

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  6. I like the way you included the covers and comments --- very cool!

    Thanks for visiting my blog - I'm following you now and looking forward to seeing what's next!

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  7. I am your newest GFC follower. Please follow me.
    My answer to the blog hop question.

    I started reading a book the last month and it was suppose to be a very good book. But after giving it a couple of chapters I just couldn’t get into it. I put the book aside to read another day. I don’t like to do that because I feel as if my mind might have had too many distractions and I didn’t give the book a chance. So I always try to wait for another day to give it another go. I have so many other books calling to me from my to-be-read list that it can really be distracting. READ ME! READ ME!
    I prefer reading and reviewing Christian Fiction but I do read a varity of other books. I just can’t handle too scary or gory. Suspense and Mysteries I like. No explicit adult books either if I do find one I really want to read I just skip over the x-rated stuff. So what genre do I read?

    http://itstimetoreadmamaw.blogspot.com/

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  8. Thanks Jo and Patricia! Popping over for a visit!

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  9. Stopping by via Crazy-For-Book's Blog Hop. I'm following your blog.

    I'm having a giveaway on my blog this weekend so please stop by!

    Holjo @ Pedantic Phooka
    www.pedanticphooka.com

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© guiltless readingMaira Gall