January Talking Meme: Day #8
What book did you give up on that you regret giving up on?
Believe it or not, The Hobbit.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I went back and read it eventually! The first three times that I tried, though, I gave up on it. The writing style just didn't grab me, even though I was a kid at the time (something like 6, 8, and 10?), and I just couldn't make it through it. (I was already reading on a high school level by the time I hit grade school, so a lot of books aimed at children didn't interest me when I was actually a child. I definitely missed out on some things because of it.)
Cut to several years later, when I reluctantly tried to read Lord of the Rings for the first time. I was very hesitant about it, because of my reaction to The Hobbit, but I took to it immediately. That's when I finally went back and made it through The Hobbit, after reading LotR, more for completion's sake than anything else. The writing style still didn't work for me (and it doesn't even now), but I was at least able to get through it that time.
It still makes me sad that I delayed reading Lord of the Rings for so long because of the difference in style between the two. I was 11-12, I think?, the first time that I read LotR. But I could have read it years earlier, if things had been different.
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Believe it or not, The Hobbit.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I went back and read it eventually! The first three times that I tried, though, I gave up on it. The writing style just didn't grab me, even though I was a kid at the time (something like 6, 8, and 10?), and I just couldn't make it through it. (I was already reading on a high school level by the time I hit grade school, so a lot of books aimed at children didn't interest me when I was actually a child. I definitely missed out on some things because of it.)
Cut to several years later, when I reluctantly tried to read Lord of the Rings for the first time. I was very hesitant about it, because of my reaction to The Hobbit, but I took to it immediately. That's when I finally went back and made it through The Hobbit, after reading LotR, more for completion's sake than anything else. The writing style still didn't work for me (and it doesn't even now), but I was at least able to get through it that time.
It still makes me sad that I delayed reading Lord of the Rings for so long because of the difference in style between the two. I was 11-12, I think?, the first time that I read LotR. But I could have read it years earlier, if things had been different.
This entry has been crossposted to Dreamwidth, and it currently has
replies there. Comment on whichever site you prefer.