Reflections 3/1/09

In the beginning, when Ms. Aaland said that this book was going to contain certain activities between aliens [and humans] as in Bloodchild, I was shocked and disgusted. I was worried that i would not enjoy reading this book at all. But after reading the first few chapters, i learned that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" really is true! I started to find the plot and setting very interesting. I liked the parts with flashbacks and historical stories that helped me understand the plot. The only thing i dont like while reading The Left Hand of Darkness is the Karhidian vocabulary and measuring systems (time, places, names, etc). They make the book more convoluted than it needs to be and confuses me while i am trying to read it.

I found that reading this book becomes more interesting if i imagine viewing the scenes with my own eyes, similar to what we had to do in class with the storyboard worksheet. While i read, i also try to imagine being in the characters' places and to imagine the courses of action they are going to take. It makes reading more interactive and less like a boring chore. Although i am not a big participant in class, I really hope that we can discuss the book more in detail so that i can get my classmates' points of view about the text and use it to add to or modify my own ideas. I have a feeling that will enhance my comprehension of any confusing parts/names in the book that tend to throw me off while i'm reading.