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A review by allthebookblognamesaretaken
The Maya by Michael D. Coe
2.0
My Blog: The Book Nook ---> http://allthebookblognamesaretaken.blogspot.com/
It's always a bummer when I think I am really interested in a topic and then after one book about said topic, I am completely unsure if my interest is waning or if the writing is just that dry/dull/etc.
In this case, I think it is that the writing is just that dry and I felt like I was reading a textbook. Now, before you say, "But it's non-fiction!" I should point out that I read non-fiction almost exclusively these days and have for quite some time. And this...I just could not get interested in it. Even the pictures started to look the same after a while, and that in itself is sort of depressing, because usually maps and pictures are a welcome relief when the writing is too bogged down by the author's extensive knowledge. I realize that one would like their non-fiction writers to be knowledgeable and I appreciate the fact that Coe is beyond well-versed in his knowledge of the Maya. However, there is just SO MUCH that it is almost too much. Perhaps the problem is I have very little background knowledge of my own and thus my very shaky foundation can't hold what was delivered in this text. Unfortunately, due to its dryness, that foundation is not much sturdier now that I've finished the book than it was before.
It's always a bummer when I think I am really interested in a topic and then after one book about said topic, I am completely unsure if my interest is waning or if the writing is just that dry/dull/etc.
In this case, I think it is that the writing is just that dry and I felt like I was reading a textbook. Now, before you say, "But it's non-fiction!" I should point out that I read non-fiction almost exclusively these days and have for quite some time. And this...I just could not get interested in it. Even the pictures started to look the same after a while, and that in itself is sort of depressing, because usually maps and pictures are a welcome relief when the writing is too bogged down by the author's extensive knowledge. I realize that one would like their non-fiction writers to be knowledgeable and I appreciate the fact that Coe is beyond well-versed in his knowledge of the Maya. However, there is just SO MUCH that it is almost too much. Perhaps the problem is I have very little background knowledge of my own and thus my very shaky foundation can't hold what was delivered in this text. Unfortunately, due to its dryness, that foundation is not much sturdier now that I've finished the book than it was before.