Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Do You Remember...?

Over all the years you've read books and all the collections you've been reading, do you remember every plot of every book you've ever read?

Yeah, me neither.

However, I've come across a generation of people who will be reading a book and they won't remember what it's about from one moment to the next - which is horrendous.  I don't understand how people don't remember something they've just been reading... I do.  But I guess that's just me.

Or you get people who don't remember the basic plot, but will tell you the entire premise of the book they're reading without drawing breath... and all you asked for was basically the burb on the back of the book; a bullet-point presentation, not the entire story up until the very page they're up to.  It takes up time, insults you as a person (because you're trying to take an interest in this person, and they're just making an idiot out of you because you're putting them out by asking them about the book they're reading... and sometimes they do it to make people leave them alone), and you learn quickly never to ask them anything ever again about books or movies.

I asked somebody - who's close to me - about a book they're reading over the Christmas break.  Now, they're not normally readers and he found it hard to get through reading books - and doesn't remember plots from one day to the next of books.  So, when I asked him, he started out telling me the short version of the book's premise... suddenly he went into a 45 minute presentation about it.  I really didn't know what to do as I wished I could have stopped him, but it was the most he had ever talked about a book with me... so I let him talk.  It was difficult as I tried to interact with him as he chatted about the book to relate with the story as easily as possible (as the storyline was from an era of time I never learned about at school).  However, once he had finished, Mum said she was impressed that I didn't snap at him.  I told her that it was most he had spoken to me about something so passionately without saying a nasty word... so I let him speak.  

All she could was smile and nod in agreement with me.

Anyway, I was wondering if you've got friends or family like this.  Or have you got ones the other way around, who leave you hanging, wanting to read the book after them?  Until my next post, happy reading.

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