I have been reading The Book of Lost Things
... there are some great quotes and beautiful wordings to be found in there.
Although, I must say, John Connolly's sense of creativity makes me wonder about him a little much! If you like Lewis Carroll, and Grimm's grim fairy tales, then this is definitely the book for you... it's odd. Amusing? Yes. Gripping? Sure. But also quite oddly done...
As for me, not sure if I'll finish it. (Pro'l'y will.) But still not sure, as I'm only a couple chapters in so far and it's getting more & more interesting (yes) but also weirder & weirder (!) Kind of reminds me of Sylvie & Bruno
crossed with The Hobbit
crossed with The Smithsonian Book of Books
.All that being said, there were several good quotes to be found & noted in the first pages. I thought the following one was the best, and good enough to share:
"I think the act of reading imbues the reader with a sensitivity toward the outside world that people who don’t read can sometimes lack. I know it seems like a contradiction in terms; after all reading is such a solitary, internalizing act that it appears to represent a disengagement from day-to-day life. But reading, and particularly the reading of fiction, encourages us to view the world in new and challenging ways…It allows us to inhabit the consciousness of another which is a precursor to empathy, and empathy is, for me, one of the marks of a decent human being."– John Connolly (The Book of Lost Things)
That quote was the best part of the book so far....for me anyway.
Well, besides the fact that books talk in this story! Just imagine what it'd be like to hear books talking! It boggles the mind to think of all the widely different things they'd be clamoring to say to us!
Fun to think of. :)
So, what do you think? Have you read this book (or any of Connolly's other popular fiction works)?
The quote I shared has several little holes in it's 'fabric', I know. Not everything in the world can be solved by sitting down and delving into a fictional book to make 'extracts' from it! In fact, many, many things can't be accomplished to any success that way. Book-worming is fun, but it should be used as a tool for learning & the ''getting of wisdom'' (Proverbs 4:5).
P.S.~ Thanks everybody for sharing your top book choices with me!
I received quite a few wonderful recommendations. Many of which I hope to read & review very soon. :]
So what exactly is The Book of Lost Things about? Is it a story or a collection of quotes and stuff? I like Lewis Carroll but I am on the fence about the Grimm's grim works. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat is a neat quote! I've never thought of the act of reading in that way before - that's an interesting way to look at it :-)
Well...hmmm. I finished the book, but honestly, I was not thrilled with it. The first part of the book (and the section containing the quote I extracted above) was the highlight of the book.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of it can only be described as a dark, complicated story set in a land that very much sounds like where all of the Grimm's fairytales must have taken place! Scary, weird, wild and...not so pleasant.
I skimmed the book just to finish it, but I didn't enjoy it. And I don't think I'll be investigated Connolly's other works. Lessons learned!
That quote is interesting though, yes. Books should be used as tools; as something to help us see things in a different light, to learn something we couldn't any other way perhaps, and to be a better human, Christian, friend, etc. Books are useful. :) But like anything else, it seems that once they become your whole world--and all you can think about--you've lost sight of their true purpose, and their power.
(Also a lesson learned by this girl!)