I was travelling for work recently and was in need of a book. So, I do what I typically do which is hit the airport bookstore in hopes of finding a mildly entertaining book that would require little effort to read. I had it narrowed down between “The Help” and “One Day.” I had heard good things about “The Help,” but worrying that it might be too deep for an airplane ride, I opted for “One Day.” Also, I should mention that it had Anne Hathoway on the cover which later will be my husband’s only reason as to why I considered the book at all.
See, the Anne Hathoway thing is this—it’s not that I really, really like her. It’s just that she makes a decent airplane movie. I would never sit down an voluntarily watch her movies but there is just something about being 30,000 ft in the air with 8 hours to kill that makes her movies mildly entertaining to me and, yes, mindless.
I ended up reading maybe three whole chapters on my trip. I opted to do work instead….it was that bad. The story idea was a little cliché and the characters really annoyed me. I actually felt bad for them and there was just something about the Emma character and her life that made me feel dirty. Not in a moral way—in a physical-living-in-filth-and-not-taking-a-shower-way. I don’t even know why. But, here’s the thing that confuses my husband to this day: I actually FINISHED the book. It didn’t get any better and I’m pretty sure that I rolled my eyes through most of the book. I’m not sure why I did but it may have something to do with the $15 that I spent on it and the thought that, since it was a “New York Times Bestseller”, it HAD to get better. Wrong.
As I studied the cover later, I realized what should have been one of many clues that this wasn’t for me. All of the rave reviews on the cover were from tabloid-type publications, including a great 5 stars from People Magazine. I should really spend more time picking up these small details. Well, it’s not a total loss—on my next trip through Detroit Metro, I will be turning it back in and getting half of my money back. In the mean time, I have decided to do a brain cleanse and read some classical literature. Nothing too heavy, just some Jane Austen. I feel better already.
