Today, May 2nd, is the day by which I was supposed to have finished the current Classics Club spin book.
Alas, I did not make it through Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court. I feel bad about it because this is the second Classics Club spin book in a row that I didn’t complete. Last time it was Catch-22.
Perhaps satire just isn’t for me. I like the idea of satire, but it always ends up seeming like such a one trick pony. I felt this way about Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” too.
The military is a damned if you do, damned it you don’t organization, 19th century industrial culture is soullessly efficient, British policy is monstrous. I get it, I get. I just don’t need to read on and on and on about it.
Hello, beating a dead horse.
For now A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is staying on my shelf. Perhaps I’ll take it down and read a chapter here and there and not worry about how long it takes me to finish the novel. As someone who likes both medieval European culture and 19th century American culture, there were some fun bits in this book that at least keep me thinking about it, even if the desire to read it has waned.
What do you think of satire? Fan, foe, indifferent?
Well, good luck on the next one!
Ah, that's too bad. I haven't read this book yet, but it makes sense that if satire isn't your “thing” it could get real old real fast! Good for you for giving this one a try anyway, though. I had a similar problem with my latest Classics Club pick, Middlemarch. Sometimes you just have to put down a book that's not working for you and move on with life!
I love a good satire. Perhaps you'd fare better with a modern author? I recently finished The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley – full of jokes and medieval culture, I highly recommend it!
Vivacious Reads
Thanks, Kay!
Ah, Middlemarch. That seems to be one people either love or hate. Kinda like Austen's Emma (or every-other classic). It's just such a bummer when a book you've wanted to read for years turns out to be a bust. At least in the present…in the future, who knows. We could be riveted by our current mehs.
Hi Julia! I checked out The Relic Master and it sounds like a fun read. I just added it to my TBR. Thanks for the recommendation!
I'm like you – I get tired of the joke in satires. So I'll be steering clear of this one – thanks 🙂
And I hope you get a more enjoyable spin next time.
Third time's the charm! I hope. 🙂
I read an entire book thinking man this is weird only to find out it was satire. Apparently I just need to trick myself into thinking it's not and then I can get through one.