As a prodigious reader, it is rare for me to begin a book and give up within the first 25 pages. Some months ago, a copy of 'The Old Curiosity Shop' (Dickens) came my way. I've resisted opening it until a couple of days ago.
I read the first 3 chapters, and a sense of dread filled me. Do I really want to devote the precious hours to these characters, when there are other history/travel books still stacked up at the bedside? This morning, I thought I'd let Wikipedia decide for me, by glancing at its summary. What I found was permission to put it aside:
Oscar Wilde once observed that "One would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing." The Old Curiosity Shop is now one of Dickens' less esteemed novels.
That's good enough for me - it goes into the 'return to Powells' box. I feel like I have been reborn. Aside from 'Great Expectations' in high-school, I haven't read very much Dickens. Am I missing anything essential, anyone?
Meanwhile, we had a fun evening last night at Tony Starlight's Supper Club and Lounge. It's an intentionally light-hearted throwback to the lounge scene/acts of the 50s and 60s. To me, the high point was 'Tony' singing, with great feeling, an hilariously-nonPC parody called 'The Girl with Emphysema (goes coughing)". Before the show started, there was piano music by an 81 year-old dapper guy - I could easily see myself in that role (except for the dapper part).
Hey - a blog entry sans politics or grisly foot photos - a first!
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