I’m not sure why I can’t write a decent book review. I think of the words I would like to say, but for some reason, they don’t come out of my head. It’s like, why did you like this book? I don’t know I just did. What character did you most align yourself with? Um, well, I guess the one writing the book. Did you pick out any themes in the book? Um, well, maybe, I don’t know. Face it. I read for enjoyment, not to dissect a book.

One of the newest members of our book club is an AP English teacher at the high school. She is a really nice lady, but I feel as though I’m sitting back in class when she is talking. I’ve never liked English class. Don’t get me wrong. I have a large vocabulary (I know you wouldn’t know that by what I write), I’m a great speller–I only missed one word out of 500 in my Report Writing class at the police academy, and I love to read. I’ve been a voracious (see, I did learn something) reader all my life. When I was quite young we lived three blocks from the library and I would walk there and come home with an arm full of books to read. And, here’s a confession. I didn’t always check them out, but I ALWAYS took them back. I read all the Wizard of Oz books, and all the Nancy Drew books. I remember sitting outside in the grass during the summer leaned up against the stone basement wall of our house, reading.

Our newest English teacher member volunteered to host book club last month and I guess keeping with her English teacherism, she selected “Pride and Prejudice.” Now, I liked that movie, but there is absolutely no way I wanted to read the book. She asked if that selection was okay with everyone since it is a 500-page book and I, being the shy and retiring personality that I am (hee hee), had to speak up and say, “There’s no way my A-D-D brain is going to make it through a 500-page book. I think I may have offended her a little by being so outspoken.  I think other ladies in the group may have felt the same way because no one disagreed with me, but no one was a vocal as me. She then suggested that instead of Pride and Prejudice, we read a much shorter novel, George Eliot’s, “Silas Marner.” Can you see me rolling my eyes?

I did try to read this book, at least I started to. I downloaded it to my Kindle and because it was written over 150 years ago, it was one of those free-domain or whatever they’re called, books that I could download for free. I think I read the first chapter, or maybe some of the first chapter, or, maybe, truthfully, just a couple of pages before I put it down and went on to something else. Like, reading some of the books on my possibilities list for my book club in April. About a week before our Bookclub night, I decided to find Spark Notes for Silas Marner so I would have at least some idea what the discussion was about before we met. I was really proud of myself because I read all the spark notes and I have to admit, the story was not bad and I was even able to contribute to the discussion. It wouldn’t be a book I would choose for myself though. So come book club night, I could tell that our English teacher member was still a little disjointed at me because she made a point to ask if I had enjoyed reading this much shorter choice. Again, being the shy and retiring individual that I am, I laughed and told her I didn’t read this one either, just the Spark notes.
Amazon’s description of the book is

“Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by George Eliot, published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, it is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialisation to community.”

If that doesn’t draw you into the book, I can’t think of anything else that would. (wink wink)

See, I read for pleasure. If I don’t think I’ll enjoy a book, I won’t read it. I’ve always been that way. Back in high school in our English class, we had to read the Mark Twain classic, Tom Sawyer. I remember trying to read it but it just didn’t capture my attention. It’s the only time in my life I took a test over something I hadn’t read and needless to say, I failed the test.

I don’t think I failed Silas Marner, but I wouldn’t have gotten an “A” either.