I know I'm a librarian and everything, but I rarely finish books ... I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to get through more than about 100 pages. And it’s not because I’m not interested in a particular subject ... generally speaking, I’m pretty interested in just about every subject. Some have suggested that it’s about attention span, i.e., mine is short and I simply can’t maintain focus ... but somehow, I think that’s a pretty easy and not too accurate assessment.
Adding to the conundrum, I’m not much of a reader of fiction. Don’t get me wrong ... I love the idea of stories and storytelling, of being completely wrapped up in a narrative so that you feel what the characters feel, think what they think, and almost feel a part of it. But in reality, that’s not happened so much to me with fiction. It happens with scripts and screenplays – both dramas and comedies. I can read them and “hear” the actors’ voices and see (to some vague extent) the action on the stage ... but with fiction, more often than not it leaves me cold and unmoved.
What I do like is introductions ... ten, 15, maybe twenty pages touching on the main ideas the author is going to cover over the next 300-plus. I love the excitement that comes out of an intro ... the writer talking about the motivation behind his idea or concern or research ... the stuff that has driven him to put so much time and effort into writing the book. I love the hope and the wonder and the mystery that is always part of an introduction ... it let’s me think that the stuff that’s being revealed is new and different and possible to me and the people I work with and live with. It’s telling the story of the book, without unveiling the unnecessary details ... I know they are there and I can come back later for them ... but for now this is all I need ... the story of the story ... not the fiction, but most definitely the story.
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