HOW TO READ A DULL BOOK
When you read in a vacuum, sometimes a topic will seem uninteresting because you have no way of connecting. When that happens, take the time to learn more about the author and the era. Writers are often exceedingly interesting people. Learn about their lives and the struggles and conditions unique to their lifetimes. Doing so will make their writing more interesting.
Learn about the era and the author and your reading will be more interesting. Even a story you don't like can come alive if you approach it from a more knowledgeable angle. Try it.
- For example, I find it interesting that Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died during one of the plagues that destroyed so many lives during that era. Shakespeare, devastated to be sure, named one of his characters Hamlet after his son.
- Queen Elizabeth so loved one of Shakespeare's characters that she asked him to write a play specifically about this character, who had been merely a foil. Do you know which play that is? Wouldn't it be fun to have the power to assign a topic to a writer or film maker?
- I can't even imagine reading The Great Gatsby without knowing a considerable amount about the era. And learning about F. Scott Fitzgerald's personal life, sheds light on Daisy, which puts icing on the cake.
Learn about the era and the author and your reading will be more interesting. Even a story you don't like can come alive if you approach it from a more knowledgeable angle. Try it.