The Fascination with Book Blurbs
There IS a way to read a 300 page book
in less than 100 words. Or something. It’s called Blinkist. And you know, I’m
not exactly sure what this app does. It seems legit, but until I’m rich enough
to afford it, there’s no telling.
Blinkist is a dream come true for chronic
readers like myself. I’ve been obsessed with reading for as long as I can
remember. I’m pretty much a seasoned reader… of all things YA… Fantasy. You could
say I’m a niche reader.
What is it in a book blurb anyway? (For
those of you that don’t know—a book blurb is the little description at the back
of the book. The blurb. That’s what it is. There’s no other word for it.) It either
sells or it doesn’t. I’ve gone through thousands of blurbs, gosh. (Written one,
too). And yet, there’s always a make-or-break factor. There are so many books I
end up not reading.
I’d love to know what a book is about in
short. And I mean everything in the book, including the plot twists and the
cliff hangers. A sort of spoiler-esque version of the book, if you will. The outline.
And yet what is the point of writing if not
for engaging the reader, easing them into traps and controlling their frail
minds by presenting extreme emotion in text? Writers are basically mind
controllers.
So maybe I don’t have the patience to sit through
the flesh of the book. Or maybe I just don’t have the time and discipline
anymore. A while back I did notice a trend: I’d read about a chapter or two of
a self-help book, ardently taking notes before promptly abandoning it.
I’ve read a bunch of book blurbs today. I’ve
read the blurbs for: The Female of The Species, Saving Francesca, On The
Jellicoe Road (I really like the word Jellicoe—and calico too), and the blurbs
for books from The Lumatere Chronicles which I’ve read before and thoroughly
enjoyed.
I think this year has been quite average
for my reading. I haven’t had a lot of time on my hands. I’ve watched a bunch
of TV shows.
I’ll be writing up my 2018 update soon
hopefully.
XOXO
ASI
1 comments
Happy Valentines day 2019
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