Fear and Loathing

For those of you who might be wondering whether I am still working my way through War and Peace, the answer is yes.  However, I am taking breaks now and again to read other books in the 1001 challenge.  Just so I can feel like I am getting somewhere.

I am currently reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.  I’m about half way through, and I haven’t decided whether this man is a lunatic, or a genius.  I am stronly suspecting it may be both.  I’ll tell you more about it, when I figure it out.

Something interesting I read once about Hunter S. Thompson is that he really likes The Great Gatsby.  So much so, that he typed the whole novel out “Just to feel what it was like to write those words”

 

I don’t know whether the story is true or not, but it is interesting.  To feel such a connection with a book, that you just have to find a way to make it more a part of you.  I wonder which book I can type out, and whether it will make me a better writer.

Better not choose War and Peace, or we’ll be here until 2012.

 

So much for Peace…

I am still reading War and Peace. I think this is the longest I have ever spent on one book. (Except perhaps the first time I read Lord of the Rings.)

What’s the longest you ever invested in a book?  Were you enjoying it, or just reading to get it over with?

 

War and Peace

When asked whether I have ever read War and Peace, I usually reply, “Almost three times.”  As prodigious as this sounds, it’s the literal truth.  I have almost read it, three times.  However each time I gave up after a few chapters.

I know I should read it, not just because it is a classic, and I need it to complete my 1001 books challenge, but also because I am told it is very good.  But something always puts me off.   This happens occasionally, for instance I have never been able to finish Emma, despite being a huge Jane Austen fan.  Go figure.

But I digress.

Now I see that they will be broadcasting the miniseries on television for three weeks, starting next week.  Obviously I am planning to watch it, but I am wondering whether I should try and read it again, and if it will be better to wait until after the series or not.  Oh well, we’ll see what happens; maybe it will be too heavy to hold in bed, and then I’ll be thwarted again.