CliffsNotes 2026 Style

There’s a new book I wanted to read after a couple of Facebook friends had posts about how good it was. It’s fairly new and I went to the library website to request it. I was something like number 146 in line but it looked like the library had numerous copies so I added myself to the list. When I got a notice it was ready to be picked up, I zipped right over to get it. I blew through the first few chapters like gang busters. As I went along, I realized though the story was intriguing, I didn’t like the author’s writing style. I lost interest in the words themselves and started just skimming the pages to see what happened. I eventually made it about a third of the way through the book and resorted to an online search because I still thought the story was interesting.  A-I was more than happy to oblige me with the information about how the story unfolded, who the various characters turned out to be, and the surprise ending as well. Just like CliffsNotes from the old days. I could have stopped before I read about the ending but I actually wanted to know what happened and it was not a small book. I knew I wouldn’t have the patience to skim the rest of it. I don’t necessarily recommend this method in lieu of actually reading and I bet most writers would be appalled unless they had gotten royalties because I had paid for the book. Maybe not even then. My blog posts are short and I hope not boring or poorly written but I imagine sometimes they seem like that. Maybe I can arrange for CliffsNotes.

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