Trying to Love Chuck

I experience cycles where I am an avid reader. My reading kick always begins when I discover a new author or series that immediately grabs my attention and contains qualities that are out of the ordinary. The books I read have to contain a certain "It factor" that holds my attention for a sustainable amount of time, or a least long enough for me to carry the book to the register. I have a weird freak obsession with books at times. I have a serious problem reading books that I do not own; thus the act of borrowing from a library causes me to gag. I always finish the books that I start, even if they bore me to death.

My most recent reading conquest has been books written by Chuck Palahniuk, author of famous works such as Fight Club and Choke. I decided to start reading his works because I witnessed a large percentage of my peers reading Rant. After careful observation of the front cover ( yes I do judge books by their covers), serious questioning of the readers, and an intense critical reading of the back cover, I decided that Palahniuk was just the type of author that I was looking for. Despite my approval of Rant, I began the "Palahniuk Series" with a book entitled Haunted. I had extremely high hopes for this collection of short stories and poems, until I started to read. Although the unusual stories both entertained and grossed me out, I was unable to really gain interest in the novel until I was about half way through. I eventually enjoyed reading Haunted, but the book needs time to marinate before readers can enjoy.

My next Palahniuk conquest was a book entitled Lullaby. I was instantly drawn to this novel because the plot centered around a journalist. I was interested to see how the author was going to incorporate the "journalist aspect" into his twisted story line. Unlike Haunted, Lullaby was a faster read. Although I was instantly entertained by the content; I did not expect the book to contain a large supernatural element. I approved of the book, but the supernatural story line caught me by surprise.

Rant is currently sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Although this was the catalyst for my goal to read all of Palahniuk's works, I am somewhat apprehensive to read this particular work. I hope Rant lives up to my expectations. Please don't disappoint me Chuck!

Supernaturally Yours,

Samantha