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Thursday, January 21, 2010

So You Want to be a Wizard


This book called out to me from my local library's shelves because the author's name seemed familiar somehow. In the end, I think I mistook Diane Duane for someone else. I do that often; I'm not very good with names. Human names, that is. Show me a Pokemon and I'll tell you what it's called in at least two of it's evolutionary forms.

One of the sequels to the series was right next to So You Want to be a Wizard. I didn't want to leave behind a potentially good book in the same story line, so I took that one too.

Which was a waste, because I didn't get to it. The first one was too boring. After thirty-five pages of describing how bullied and beat up the main character is - because she's poor - by the local wealthier, stronger bully-of-bullies girl and her posse, I gave it up. It really turns me off when a book is the author's selfish venting vehicle of what it was like to be a "bookish" kid in a video-game-and-expensive-bikes world. I don't know why. I would call my kid-self "bookish." But the bullying descriptions in those scant thirty-odd paperback pages were not convincing.

Too bad. I did want to find out how to become a wizard.

4 comments:

Diane said...

I'm sorry the first book didn't work for you.

bun2bon said...

Why are you sorry? Unless you are author; and even still, differences in reading tastes is nothing to apologize for.

Diane said...

I am the author. And since a book's purpose is to successfully connect with the reader, when that doesn't work, then I get a little sad, that's all.

bun2bon said...

Wow. That's never happened before. Surreal, in a good way.

I agree that books are supposed to connect with the reader. Good to know some authors still think so too.