Review of: How To Write a Sentence and How To Read One

I have no idea what it was that I just read.  Nonfiction, apparently.
Okay, this is a book written by some college professor, is it?  Cool, but unfortunately I'm not yet in college, and so I'm disappointed in the fact that the vocabulary used throughout was too difficult for me to grasp hold of.  I read through it though.  It was a rough journey.

The only way I can accurately explain my feelings to you is this:
Say this book had a different title and focus.
Instead it would say "How To Make Music and How to Listen to It".
Many music fans would be drawn in by the title (and the fancy cover of course), but not all of them would like it.  Most of them wouldn't, I presume, and all because the author chose a vague title to focus on a smaller subtopic.
So you're a fan of hip hop music and you pick up this book - you're a fan of techno or dubstep - you're a fan of country, and you are disappointed because all the author chooses to give you as "true music" is classical.  Can you imagine how annoying it would be to stumble upon a book like that?  That was this book to me.
All it is is a bunch of examples of complex sentences with an equally complex narrative explaining and breaking down every step of the way, to the point where it's just endless complications coming from nowhere and going nowhere.  The author blatantly contradicts himself, and even points it out 10 chapters in.

In the opening chapters, I concentrated on forms, but matters of substance kept seeping in; in the later chapters, I surrendered to content, but my analyses always wanted to return to form.

The book was a mess, and I didn't buy it to read a factual representation of an opinion. The author was always in the middle or unsure, even in that respect.

I would not recommend it at all. I'm throwing this book out a window.

(Nevertheless, it did make me think about sentence structure a little more and influenced how I wrote this.  How'd I do?)

- COMMUNITY COMPONENT -

Hello readers!  I'm sure you all get bored of reading just one kid's thoughts and opinions.  Not to worry.
I'll be opening my email to the public so you can tell me about your favorite stories too!  We'll hold a discussion of some sort, that is, if anyone pitches in.  Go to my profile and you'll find it easily.
Remember, I'm looking for stories, and that isn't necessarily limited to books.  Just look at my last post about Homestuck.  That's not a book!  But it sure is a story.
Basically, if you have enough to say, you can send it in.  I'll post it right up!
Make sure to tell me your name!

Let Me Tell You About Homestuck

Books are not the only source for great stories.  I read many different things.  Have you ever heard of visual novels?  They're Japanese.  Why, I read those on the computer, and I must say I absolutely adore them.  A select lot of them have displayed extreme creativity that I've never found in any book.  Unfortunately, many don't have English versions or require the download of complicated patches and things.  It's good practice for me to get a feel for the workings of the programs, but highly sluggish.  So I usually don't have the time to figure out these things, you understand.

I'm probably getting off track here.  You're wondering about the title, of course!

About

Welcome to the blog, or whatever it's considered.  Want to hear a secret?  I'm a dirty liar!  This blog has everything to do with reading.  You're reading this even now.  Ha!  Isn't that funny how it works out?
Over the course of my school year, I will be reading and writing about 5 books in particular. 

• Legends of Animation: Hayao Miyazaki
• How To Write A Sentence and How To Read One
• Phantom Tollbooth
• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Hope you like them as much as I hope I am.
I'll most likely be making posts about other books and stories as well, so you can look forward to that too.