So, it’s been a while… I have been going through some changes in my life which have taken up a lot of my time, such as quit coffee due to my anxiety. I know, I know, my blog is called Caffeine and Books, but I still drink a lot of tea so I think I can still call it that. At least I’m back now, and with three books I had trouble reading. This isn’t to say they’re bad, I just personally didn’t get along with them much.
Number one: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I tried reading this a few years ago and I failed miserably. Not only is it written in a really awkward way, but the beginning was so long I struggled. Admittedly I was 13, 14 at the time, but I just couldn’t get into it as I did with Jane Eyre – which I had read previously. I did watch a TV series of it a couple years later, which I think was playing on BBC, but I really did not like the characters.
Number two: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
I am a massive fan of J. K. Rowling (obviously due to Harry Potter) so when she released her new book I had to have it. I started reading it and, whilst I did get into it at first, it soon started to bore me a bit. To me it was similar to some of Jacqueline Wilson’s works, but more adult, complicated, and long-winded – and I am generally not a fan of books following multiple characters like this one does. When I started getting bored I did what I always do and skip ahead in the book to have a sneak peek at what happens. Usually I don’t understand what’s going on, but with this I could tell straight away and skim read the last hundred pages of the book in ten minutes. It was definitely well written and the characters were all very developed and intricate, I was just not as enthralled by it as I wanted to be.
Number three: A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
I know everyone is a big lover of this book series, and of the TV series which I have never seen, but my issue with the book is all down to my personal dislike of books focusing on multiple characters. I love seeing how a character develops and grows, seeing their thoughts and feelings change, so, by changing perspective so many times, I feel like I am missing out on crucial moments. Therefore I couldn’t finish this book, let alone make it half way.
One day I may come back to these books and give them another go, but, for now, they will continue to be books I just could not get along with.
Caffeine and Books 
It’s completely reasonable that A Game of Thrones didn’t work for you, since it’s all about the multiple narrative views.
I’m not saying this to try and entice you to try again (you’re an adult, it’s all good), I just wanted to say that it was an interesting experience for me to see more than one viewpoint of a situation. There were times when I experienced the worries and hopes of both sides, multiple sides of a conflict and it really helped me understand the situation more than if it had only been from the eyes of a main character, who I’d assume would eventually prevail. Because, you know, main character and all.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on these books, and best regards.
LikeLike