Blogging Pressure Mounts as Internet Fame Takes Hold

When I first announced my blog, my Mom asked me if I would choose specific books to read because of it.  I resolutely told her no, explaining that the blog was not meant to turn into a chore or book report.  Oh how times have changed by Day 7. 

For reasons my husband could never understand, I have always felt that once I start a book, I must finish it.  There have been rare exceptions to this rule.  It may stem from cheapness (“I paid $7.95 for this book at the used bookstore – I must torture myself over it for as long as it takes!”) or from wanting the feeling of completion when the last paragraph is finished.  Perhaps I was brainwashed by English teachers to finish assignments.  Either way, I have finished many books I did not like.  (Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is a waste of paper.  At least blogs use no trees.)

But now, there could be as many as TWELVE people who accidentally stumble over this blog.  They are counting on me to include a single line “yay” or “nay” on the book I am reading surrounded by several paragraphs of sarcasm.  How can I let these good folks down?

This is where I stood when approaching page 50 of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach.  This book was lent to me by my friend Jenny, who is infinitely smarter than me (and a Cornell grad to boot, casual readers Granddad and Brother).  I was hoping for a book more in the vein of Freakonomics – well researched and instantly engrossing.  Roach’s tone was certainly amusing, and I know she tried very hard.  Perhaps we would even be friends (until she saw this blog posting). The first 50 pages of her book was certainly well informed.  But it was a little too researched – too “science-y” – for my taste.  I was also a little creeped out by the studies done at the Kinsey Institute at my alma mater, Indiana University.  And by “Kinsey Institute,” I mean the attic equipped with video cameras in Alfred Kinsey’s Bloomington home.

So I am turning over a new leaf so to speak, and not finishing this book (no offense, Jenny – please continue to lend me books you approve of).  I do this for you, readers.  Now, off to a new selection from my increasingly famous “To Read” pile.

Publishers, this is where you want your books.  Sponsorships available.