I took a break last week in order to fully enjoy a camping trip I went on. Being in the woods for several days was very refreshing, not being in front of a screen all weekend was nice too. I didn’t get to read as much as I would have liked to, I was very ambitious and brought three books with me, plus an additional reference book about birds for bird watching, and I only got to read a few chapters from two of them. I always forget how much I enjoy watching a fire until I have one right in front of me, and once I get one started and can sit in front of it and stare at the flames for hours.
I did finish reading Soon, and I didn’t really like it but I didn’t hate it. The book is about procrastination, the history of it, why we do it, and why those who do it don’t ever intend to stop. I found it sort of ironic that the majority of the book consisted of stories about the author talking about all the things he did or would do when he was meant to be writing, and not just regarding this book but other pieces. I was expecting more out of a book that states it is ‘an overdue history of procrastination’, as in I was expecting more history. I got very little actual history. The author mentions and speaks very little about the famous procrastinators he mentions. We get a few pages each about DaVinci, Darwin, Frank Llyod Wright, noting what projects they took entirely too long to start and what they may have left unfinished. I would have much rather read a book that had either a lengthy chapter, or several chapters divided into parts, dedicated to these and other noteworthy individuals. I feel as though a lot more could have been said about the great accomplishments of some of our most gifted historical figures in terms of how they started their most famous works. I think it would make a fascinating read to learn about how they worked on their most commendable projects or studies for years and years, and how they may have gotten the push to both start and finish these masterpieces.
So I am left disappointed, again. This month has really been a fifty-fifty of hits and misses. I have one more psychology themed book to go before I begin my summer of fun fantasy reads, and I never thought I would think this but I am glad to be done with them. I hope in the future I find more pleasurable reads within the genre. I have not lost my love of the subject due to a few boring books, but I do think I need to take a break from the subject for a while to build up my faith in being able to find good reads in the future.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 