book panic

I was never an avid reader. I played video games when I was younger. A lot. I hid in my room all day and my parents thought I was studying or reading. They'd check up on me and the Game Boy/GBC/GBA/DS (though I never had a DS at home) was probably paused under my pillow.

But I love the concept of reading a book. Even though I don't love reading, there are days when all I want is to turn off the TV and set aside the laptop and curl up and read a book. I like this "curl up and read" feeling.

And I do read sometimes. Usually it'll have to be addictive enough (Harry Potter) or a short read so I actually manage to finish it and keep interest (Marley and Me, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time). Otherwise it will go the way of most books I manage to even pick up: admittedly very good and interesting but if I don't finish it within a week, I lose interest. I also often flat out don't read the last 30 pages of novels for whatever reason...as if I don't care how it ends (many times I don't).

But I think reading makes you a better person. So I'm trying now, as I have many times before. The problem is though...what do I read? There just seem to be so many things I've missed out on reading when growing up, books I hear about, books about topics I'm interested in...
It feels as if it's an insurmountable task, so why bother starting it?

I don't know why this is so much of a problem for me. It's almost a mental block, or a sort of loop. [I say I want to read, I should go to the library...but what do I get?...I don't know...I have some books I never finished on my bookshelf...okay I'll read those...but I think I'd do better with a fresh new book...from the library...but...] I'm not asking for recommendations (though they are welcome =P) because I think I have enough in mind given that amount of time it takes me to finish a book.

Oh well. But here goes attempt # who knows what, to read more. Tickle mah brain!

a tale which is written in a way that is not yet overwrought

I don't find time to read often, but I finally got to when I was at my sister's! This is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, published in 2003.

It's written from the point of view of an autistic teenager, as a very long and tangential tale unfolds from his point of view. This sort of pseudo-unreliable narrator style reminds me most of the movie Memento, and the multi-faceted use of footnotes to forcefully impose background information and the thought processes of the narrator reminds me most of House of Leaves. (Hey, I'm working with the little I have in my brain's library!) It's fairly pleasant though, as it's not overly done. I read it in about 2 hours so that says something. (Seeing as I usually give up on books when I have 20 pages left since I usually realize that I don't actually care what happens. And then I continue to "read" this book for a few more weeks.)

Read, please. And no, it's not all about dogs and that's not why I read it. Okay maybe that's why I initially read it.