Friday, September 11, 2009

just experimenting here

Okay, so even during the best of times, I'm exceedingly slow at finishing books. Yes, because I read so slowly...yes, because I have so many books going at once...yes, because school is back to kicking my butt and reading time is short. But whatever the reasons, the results are the same...I just don't get books finished to talk about at nearly the rate as most of you. And the fact is I've never been comfortable calling what I do end up writing "book reviews" anyway. Hence, my use of the term "book babble."

And as I was sitting reading The Knife of Letting Go yesterday, I got sort of sad. Not because of the book, but because I wanted to talk about it with someone! And I got to thinking that by the time I finished the book, all these powerful feelings I was having now might have changed (after all, I have no idea what the rest of the book will bring, right?) And by the time I actually got the book finished (the slow at finishing books thing here), I might not have that great a recollection of my feelings throughout. So then my little brain said, "Well, who said you have to wait until you finish a book to talk about it?"

This thought has danced through my head for the past day, and I finally decided that I was just going to go with it. So I've decided to just experiment a bit. I'm just going to babble a bit about the book(s) I happened to read the previous day. That is if there's anything I feel like babbling about. I fully realize that this might not make for satisfying posts...like I said, I'm just experimenting. And please, please, please...even those of you who are my dearest of friends...please do not make yourself read my babbling if this turns out to be a stupid idea, okay? I mean it--promise me!

In the pages yesterday...

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

Okay, so I finished Part I. Which really isn't that big of a chunk (64 pages out of 479). But wow! Seriously. This book is so freakin' intense! I'm not sure if I've ever had such a visceral reaction to a book right from the start.

Part of it is the whole concept of Noise. And it's explained right at the start of the book, so I don't think I'm giving anything away by talking about it. See, in Prentisstown, everyone can hear everyone else. Not just their voices, but their thoughts. Their truths, their lies, their memories, their fantasies...all unfiltered. Never ending. This just makes me squirm. Literally. Inside and out. Honestly, it's almost too much to bear. I suspect there's a good chance if I lived in a place like that, I'd opt for suicide. And I don't say that lightly. Noise drives me crazy. I cannot stand to be in crowds...I get nauseated...both because of the physical closeness of so many people and because of the noise. I'm not one of those people who has to have the TV, or even music, on in the background. If I'm listening to music, I want to listen to it. I want sound to have meaning. Otherwise, I prefer silence. So this whole concept, and the way Ness was able to convey it, just put me on edge. And on edge is exactly where Patrick Ness wants the reader...or so I'm guessing.

But that wasn't all. There's an intensity to this book that I don't know quite how to put into words. I wasn't comfortable as I was reading...I was all keyed up. But as bad as I may be making it sound, I was enjoying the experience. Well, at least after the first couple pages when I got used to the writing style. I wasn't really bothered by the first person. And it was easy enough to get used to the misspellings and Todd's unique voice. Though, being petty here, I will admit that the double negatives bugged me. Anyway, back to the enjoying. It was so incredibly compelling. And towards the end of Part I, it was certainly more than a little exciting. Suspenseful.

Oh yeah, and then there's this little surprise that caught me totally off guard. :D

I have no idea where this book is going, but I sure am eager to find out.

10 comments:

Amanda said...

I like this idea. I'm looking forward to your thoughts as you go along with this reading.

Becky said...

I am looking forward to this. Especially about The Knife of Never Letting Go bit. I read it so long ago. But I just finished The Ask and The Answer. So a bit of a refresher is always a good thing.

I wouldn't want to deal with the Noise either.

chrisa511 said...

Isn't this book amazing?? And I know exactly how you feel. This book did the same thing to me. My feelings for it were so immediate that I'm thinking I might do my own review of it and then do a group discussion with everyone to go into the details of it. I just want to get those "just turned the last page" thoughts out onto the blog. Not that I'm finished it yet. I'm just super impressed by this one!! And it just keeps getting better and better and sadder and sadder, and more and more intense Debi!! You're going to love it :p

And I hope you continue on with this new experiment of yours :) I really like it!!

Ana S. said...

I'm so glad both you and Chris are loving it :D I can't wait to see your final discussion.

serendipity_viv said...

I am hoping to start reading The Ask and The Answer this week, just because I need to know what happens next.

DesLily said...

i do like the concept of talking of it a little at a time.. i've thought of it before but I am not a leader in change lol.. I really should have started this exact thing when i began Drood. It's nearly 800 pages..there's no way I'd remember certain things in the beginning of the book! I am half way thru it now and already as I try to think back at what to say about what I've read.. i go blank! amazing to realize that when the fact is.. i am really enjoying this book!

I do think there are some books better told about this way because feelings come and go quickly and it'son to the next one..

quite possibly if you don't want to do it in separate posts you could write it up as you go along and then copy and past it to your blog when done..i imagine that would make for a long post LOL.

Debi said...

Amanda,
Thanks. I have a feeling it will end up being really disjointed, but then I tend to be that way anyway. ;)

Becky,
Thank you. And the Noise, yeah...I have no idea how anyone could stand it. *shudder*

Chris,
"Better and better and sadder and sadder and more and more intense," huh? Man, I'm not sure if this middle-aged woman's heart can take it. ;) You've really tore through this one, haven't you?!! I'm hoping to find at least an hour or two today to read it. It's just one of those books that you obsess about constantly, isn't it? Sheesh...and I've barely started.

Nymeth,
I know I've barely made a dent it, but whew... I'm not really sure I've ever read a book that has given me anything close to this reading experience before.

Vivienne,
I can't wait to be able to go back and read your review of this one!

DesLily,
Oh, I REALLY wish I'd thought of that idea...of just keeping a draft and writing as I go, but then just posting it after I finish. Would probably be a lot less annoying to everyone else. Of course, it means I wouldn't be posting about books very often...but that's okay.

Melody said...

Now you've made me want to read that book badly! Ok, gotta move it up my TBR pile! :P

Susan said...

I have the same problem! I want to blog while reading a book, and sometimes I do, and sometimes I leave it until I'm done, and then it's too late if too much time goes by.....You have helped me understand what The Knife of Never Letting Go is about, since I keep hearing about it but now knowing anything about it! I also find noise bothers me if it's not to purpose. I love music, but too much of anything bothers me, and crowds? the older I get, the less I enjoy them! (Except at English soccer games....) I enjoyed this post and your thoughts, Debi!

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Do you know what I love? Just hearing you babble about babbling. I'm kind of like you--I just can't read as much as the others do and I feel like my blog has been really junky lately with posts about nothing. And don't argue--I've posted ONE "review" in the past three weeks. And it's not getting better.

SO, I like the idea of talking about what you're reading. If I were to talk about what I was reading, well...I'd be silent completely. :( Ha!

MUST pick up Knife of Never Letting Go.