BOOK CHALLENGE -- 48 MORE TO GO

Well, as I suspected, I am doing an abysmal job at trying to accomplish my book challenge goals.  This is to be expected.

I feel compelled to point out, however, that I spent two nights this week, knocking out the cleaning of The Office, which, if I may be so frank, was an undertaking of HUMONGOUS proportions.  I mean.  It was gross in here.  I could never walk in here without hurting a digit on my foot (otherwise known as toes) or other extremities.  You all ... GROSS.

However, back in December, at our last Friday Nights Book Club, just before going on hiatus for a month, we chose to read the classic novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  So, I knew I could get at least one more book logged in the challenge.

Problems arose almost immediately.  Despite the fact that this book is on just about every middle school or high school reading list IN THE WORLD, and despite the fact that I am guessing most middle school or high school person would rather hand upside down by their toenails than read this book (pure speculation on this one, dear readers), I STILL was unable to obtain a copy in hardcover or Kindle version.   I failed to remember that I am dear friends with a middle/high school teacher, who is in possession of numerous copies of said novel.  

Listen.  I teach 9 and 10 year olds.  My mind isn't what it used to be.  Need I say more?

So, as a last ditch effort, I grabbed a virtual audio copy and commenced to "reading" that.

I am going on record as saying, as a reader, as an avid reader, as a reader that has always scored WELL ABOVE average scores in Reading in my academic career ... all 21 years of it (Holy crap!  I am old ... and over-educated!), audio books?  I.  Can't. Do. Them.  

I feel that I am an above average multi-tasker.  I can do many projects at once.  Now, I am not going to say that I am good at all of them I am doing at once, but still.  I can do them. 

Listening to a book while doing ANYTHING?  Yeah.  I can't.  

So, I automatically disliked this book due to listening to it.  I am relatively sure, had I the opportunity to read it, with my eyes, I might have liked it a smidgen more. 

Having said that, I must go on record as saying that DYSTOPIAN literature?  I'm not a fan.  

A while back, our Friday Nights Book Club read another classic, George Orwell's Animal Farm, which I just LOVED in high school.  As an adult?  Didn't hold the same magic for me.  

I've come to the following conclusion: Dystopian literature resonates well with the 25 and under crowd (for the most part ... with minor exceptions).  The "old farts that are set in their way" crowd?  Not so much.

This book was CRAMMED JAMMED FULLLLLLLLLLL of symbolism, which for anyone that knows an English major well, will be able to tell you, is our bag of tricks!  WE LOVE SYMBOLISM and ALLEGORY and METAPHOR and all the stuff that goes into making us want to dissect every single word of a novel.  Seriously.  

For that reason, Fahrenheit 451 did not disappoint.  I was struck, as we all were, by how spot-on Bradbury was with his prophecies of our modern world.  Like scary spot-on, folks!  However, he wrote the book like Captain Kirk delivered his lines, which stands to reason since Bradbury created the STAR TREK business.  Just so you know?  I'm not a fan of how Captain Kirk delivered his lines.  Not at all.

Two books down; forty-eight more to go.  

Yeah, this doesn't look promising for me, y'all.....