Reading with a Different Goal

I think I now know the reason why I wanted to re-read "Rain between the Raindrops." The fact is that I don't think I finished it last time I read it. I think I was cut short of the last three or four chapters. So, unconsciously I went through the trouble of finding another copy of this book after 21 years just so that I may finish it. I have a habit of finishing even the worst of books. It's strange the things one remembers. I remembered the scene where a Hispanic character is pinned down on the edge of the citadel wall and does some strange dance taunting the enemy. How vividly did I remember this! But I am coming to realize that there's a time and importance ascribed to things that can never be recovered. And this book is far different from my own experience in the war. And no matter what, things cannot be changed. One has to live with it regardless. So, in the end, this book came to me as a revelation of sorts mirrored on my own experience. War is not the answer, really. Even a book can tell you that. One doesn't have to be as unfortunate as I was. "Run Between the Raindrops" is not a very good book, really. It's not well-written. I mean, I hate to sound like a snob, but it is difficult to engage with a writing style that ignores basic grammar rules for the sake of the vernacular. To be sure, better writers can actually pull it off (Paul Auster being one), but Dale A. Dye doesn't. I am deciding on what to read next. I think either the new Murakami short story collection or "A Reading Diary" by Alberto Mangual.

I am embarking on the "Write a Paragraph a Day" project. I already started a short story that has been mulling in my head for quite a bit and have about a page and a half going. So concentrating on the reflective narrator I am going to try and (purposely) avoid dialogue. We'll see how it goes. Also, right on the heels of my html victory I am now going to teach myself Java script and Flash 8. Gonna make this blog look like something right out of Hollywood. :-)