Quote:
Originally Posted by latepaul
I think there's something to the idea of comfort reading, a familiar book that gives a reliable 'hit' of pleasure.
I also think, for myself, that something has happened as I've gotten older. A new book has to be really good to seem as good as one of my old favourites. I think some of the books I enjoyed when I was young, if I read them for the first time now would just seem so-so.
Then there's the immersion issue. Even with my most favourite books I struggle to "lose myself" in the world of the book like I remember doing. I don't know what causes that but if I could get it back I would.
|
Maybe the fact that a friend of mine recommended LotR to me as my first fantasy book was actually bad. I liked it a lot (except for the Bombadil part, which I'm debating if I should skip it or not because it feels like padding), and now I measure all fantasy I read to this standard. Most falls short. If a book (even if it's not fantasy) doesn't measure up to the scope of LotR, I tend to finish it and then forget it and be left with a 'meeh' feeling.
Maybe I'm reading too many short books. Maybe I should read something really long, like the 10 Malazan books, a thousand pages each, some more Clavell of whom I've not read everything, or maybe even break my own rule and start Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire though the series is not finished yet.
Same with computer games. In the beginning of my gaming days (1994-1998), I played point-and-clilck adventures and city builders. Then, the same guy how recommended Lord of the Rings, also recommended Baldur's Gate. Played it. Switched to RPG's. Played the other games in the series, BG2, Icewind Dale I and II, Planescape: Torment, and all it's expansions. Then Neverwinter Nights I and II.
It got to the point where I started to hit space bar to pause the game even outside of the Bioware RPG's. Now it's gone so far that I actually can't get into any other game but an RPG that measures up to the likes of Baldur's Gate I and II (and Torment) on story and gameplay mechanics.
The only two (edit: three) exceptions I've encountered through the years are Return to Castle Wolfenstein, War for Cybertron, and Fall of Cybertron. Those are excellent shoorters; and I'm not a shooter person. Because of this, I have had Gog.com clean out my library (as in, take games out), and I even wiped the backup copies from my hard drive, even though I paid for those games. (Fortunately, most of them only cost pennies.)
Maybe I'm just old and stuck already.