I see into thy end, and am almost

Why haven't I been posting?

The Sot-Weed Factor.


It has been such a strange reading experience these past few weeks.  I have a book that I'm thoroughly enjoying, but I never seem to get anywhere.  Obviously I am, slowly making my way to the end, but it just seems to be taking so long.  I can say now, I'm on the sunset of the book, with less than 200 pages remaining, of this 800 page/pound satire.

I think there are a few reasons for it having taken me so long to get to this point.  First off, this is not the type of book I should have started around Christmas time.  It took a couple hundred pages to get into it, and with all the distractions the holiday season offers, that can really prevent one from getting any momentum on reading.  I'll have to remember that for next year; start something on the lighter side when Christmas is approaching.

Secondly, the book does contain a lot of 17th century language.  While it isn't that big of deal, I find I do read a little bit slower when the book reads like so: "The Salvages were amaz'd, that I spoke a tongue weh they cd grasp, and I, in turn, was much surpriz'd, when that the fatt Salvage, so far from shewing displeasure at my proposall, took it up on the instant, and wd have us begone."  This isn't the type of thing one can glaze over.  I simply have to concentrate a little more on the language, and that naturally slows me down a bit.  Then you come to ten or twelve pages of this language, and suddenly you've spent an afternoon reading half a chapter.

Lastly, it's a big book.  Simple math tells me it will take longer to read an 800 page book than a 300 page book.  When I couple this fact with the other two things, I end up at six weeks to read 75% of The Sot-Weed Factor.

While I am eager to finish this read, A, because I want to see how it ends, and B, because I want to move onto #50, I have been given an added incentive starting today.  The book was due back at the library yesterday, and as I have already renewed it on-line four times, and gone into the library to get a special extension once, I cannot renew this book again.  So, starting today, I am paying a whopping $0.35 per day, for the pleasure of reading The Sot-Weed Factor.  I suppose I could return it, wait a day, and take it out again, as I'm sure nobody will be lining up to pick it up.  But I don't want to take that chance.


Now that the book is winding down, I vow to post more updates on my reading progress so as not to keep my legion of fans always longing for more.  Especially those from Toronto who complain I don't post enough!  Hopefully there will even be a review by the end of this weekend...