I was bored before I even began

When you tell people you dislike a favorite book, you get a variety of reactions. The frown, the shrugging off, the shake of the head. Only once though have I been physically struck for owning up to my inability to finish a book. When I told a friend that I couldn't finish The River Why, he hit me! Not a let's-throw-down kind of hit, but more like a reprimand that you might give a dog for peeing on the carpet. And this was a hippie!

If you go read the Amazon reviews, you will see that people gush about the book. It basically follows a Oregon family that bonds over fly fishing. Now, I love fly fishing, I love Oregon and I love families, but this book sucks. It has that folksy tall tale spinnin' approach that makes me want to vomit whenever I encounter it. The book is also meant to Teach You How to Live. And that drives me nuts, like when everybody tells you that you HAVE to listen to Sigur Ros, because you have to admit they are awesome. No I don't have to admit they're awesome, just like I don't want to given life guidance through of a bunch of sweet gentle tales about a city slicker learning from good honest country folk. This thing is not as bad as Tuesdays with Morrie, but it lives in the same neighborhood.