Shortly after my wife gave me my Kindle Paperwhite for my 50th birthday, she had me sign up for a few different online services. One of them was called Book Bub, and the other was called Pixel of Ink. Basically, these services scour the Internet for cheap deals on digital books and then consolidate them into a daily email for you. Since that time, I have been buying quite a few books at the $1 and $2 price point to have ready on my Kindle.
The problem is, I am a quite slow reader, so if when I buy one or two books a day, I eventually end up with many more books than I can actually finish in a reasonable amount of time. The good news is, I am getting faster at reading, and in the case of "Fool's Errand" by Jeffery S. Stephens, I was able to finish the book in less than a week.
Probably not a big deal for a lot of people given the fact that it is only 256 pages long, but for me, that is a big accomplishment, and I think it speaks to how well the book is written.
Based on the description, I expected this book to be about an epic transworld treasure hunt, and while there were some elements of that, what it really turned out to be was a gritty although touching story about a father, son, and their relationship. While the book takes place in a more modern setting, the majority of it is set up in a time after World War II with flashbacks and memories of the main characters childhood.
His father "Blackie" is a larger than life character with a fascinating history that even the main character doesn't realize the extent of until later in life.
The characters themselves are written very well with some of them eliciting a visceral response when they introduced to you as well as each time they re-enter the story.
There is a scene at the beginning of the book that is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Thanksgiving episode on "The Bear". If you know, you know.
The book does a good job of drawing you into the story right away and it becomes fairly easy to connect with the main character. Each bit of apprehension, elation, and various other emotions are pretty easily mirrored by the reader.
Although like I said, this is mostly a book about a father son relationship, there is a treasure that looms in the background and proves to be the catalyst for the story.
With elements of the mob hot on his tale, the main character takes a whirlwind trip across the globe that not only brings him closer to the treasure, but closer to a side of his father that he never really knew about.
I gave this book five stars on my Good Reads account because I felt it was more than worth the value for the money. The story kept me engaged and excited to see how it wrapped up. One of the other things I loved about this book is that it is a stand alone novel.
Many of the books offered by these services are first in series, so they give it to you cheap to get you hooked, then you have to hit up a library for the other ones or pony up the money. That's not the case with Fool's Errand.
If you are looking for a quick and interesting read, I highly recommend this one!
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Come hang out in The Pub
In a recent blog, you mentioned that you have ADHD. Do you think your slower than expected (for someone of your intelligence) reading pace is related? The brain is a very remarkable machine. We don't quite understand how all the pieces work together. I think that's why it's hard to design a teaching style that is good for all students. We can't get inside their heads and standard models don't work for everyone.
I don't think I'd read this book, but you did a really good job in reviewing it :)
More information - Support - Reports - Discord
Support engagement with a delegation to topcomment:
50HP - 100HP - 250HP - 500HP - 750HP - 1000HP - 1500HP
Thank you @mayt and @topcomment!
Welcome 😊 you deserve it 🥰
Posted via HiveSuite
I think that might be part of it. It would be a mix of that and having to be sure I read every single word. So maybe a bit of OCD too. My dad and sister just kind of skim when they read, I think my wife does too. They skip over words like "and", and "the", just grasping the meaning without literally reading it line by line.
Thankyou @mayt and @topcomment!
I only recently started to have the ability to remain focused on a book long enough to get through them in a week or less.
For me, it also depends a great deal on the author. On a Kindle I am more likely to give up on than a traditional book, but you can't argue with the portable nature of it.
if I am not at least somewhat excited about what is going on in the story by around 15% of the way through a book, or less if it is some super-long monster of a book, I give up on them and walk away.
I've not heard of these clubs. Have you looked into a local library ebook system? most places have them. They have time limits as to how long the book will work on your system but here's a trick, check the book out, then take the kindle offline and it will remain in there until you put it back online again.
Yeah, we are members of a library, but I don't think I can read the books quick enough. I might give it a try in the future. There is a series I like that I think the books are too expensive to buy, so I think checking them out will be my only option.
It has been a while since I actually read a book. I think my last one was the set of Foundation books by Isaac Asimov a few years ago...
I've been reading a lot more lately. Probably more than I have been watching TV which is weird for me.
Such a wonderful book review, I really loved it! I might not have read it or perhaps never will, I don't know. But the way you presented the analysis of the book is truly brilliant. Take care and stay well!
Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed it. It wasn't a life changing book, but it was an enjoyable read.
Haha, buying books faster than you can read them sounds like a nice problem to have! 😂 Finishing a book in less than a week is a great achievement, especially when you're usually a slow reader.
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I haven't read a book in about two years... 😅 With winter approaching, maybe I'll finally find some time to read something this year!
Thanks for the recommendation! The story sounds really interesting! 📚😊
It has been a while since I have read as well. I tend to go in spurts though. Since I have so many stacked up waiting, I have a feeling I will be reading a lot over the next few years!
Sounds interesting. I don't read as much as I used to, and keep meaning to. Maybe I'll give this one a go when I get some more time! lol