Reading Tip Of The Day: Don’t read the plot synopsis for a book if you already know you’re going to read it.
I’m amazed, and a little embarrassed, that it took me this long to figure this out. Reading the plot synopsis for a book gives away the general storyline, so you already know what you’re getting into before you start. However, if you ignore it, you have absolutely no idea what to expect, which makes reading the book much more interesting.
For example, a typical plot synopsis will include something like: “Special Agent Brock Granite thought it was going to be his day off. But when his partner is murdered, that all changed. He begins an investigation which uncovers layers of corruption and intrigue at the higest levels of the government, and soon he finds himself in a deadly race against time where he must use all of wits to disarm fifty bombs in fifty minutes, all while trying to determine where the allegiances of the mysterious but seductive Special Agent Penelope Hourglass lie.”
If you were to read this book, were it ever written, and I think it should be, you would already know the key plot points by reading the synopsis. For example, when Brock's partner is introduced, you’d already know it was only a matter of time before he was taking a dirt nap.
In fact, I just read a book where a secondary character was sent alone on an assignment, and I was pretty sure he was going to bite it in order to advance the plot. Still, since I didn’t read the synopsis, I didn’t know for sure until it actually happened. Then, when I read the synopsis after I’d finished the book, sure enough, it was revealed that he died. Personally, I found it much more entertaining having it revealed as the story unfolded.
And you thought this blog was nothing but frivolous nonsense!
Sorry. I’ll get back to that soon enough.
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My sister reads the end of such detective novels because she needs to know if the main character survives because otherwise she can't stand the suspense.
ReplyDeleteMy complaint is the introductions or prefaces to novels, usually found in such literary works as I read in my major. I usually skip them because I want to read the book and know my own opinion before I read anyone else's! Also, had I read the preface as assigned by my professor to our latest novel I would have learned who each character ends up with, that one has an affair BUT that her sister saves her in the nick of time, and that that same character later dies of consumption.
What, I ask you, is the fun of reading a novel if I know how it will end, who will die, and who will live happily ever after? Just because I'm an English major doesn't mean I'm above enjoying a book.
Excellent rant. It's good to see you're not yet a snobby book connoisseur who spends all of their time criticizing and analyzing, while all the while using big words to appear important and impressive, instead of actually enjoying a book now and then.
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