To read or not to read?

I suddenly realised that I was close to the end of January and the finish of the Seafaring challenge. As I still have one book to read I set Kim aside for later (barely started anyway) and started on The Whale Road by Robert Low. I'm about 80 pages in and struggling. I can't decide whether I can't concentrate because real life is a little difficult at the moment or whether I genuinely don't like the book. It's an historical about Vikings and very 'blokey' if you know what I mean by that? A lot of blood and gore and such, I even had dreams about it the other night and not very nice ones either! Actually, I could settle for three books for this challenge as it isn't one where you 'have' to read a set number of books. We'll see. I think it may be a time when I need to read whatever I fancy rather than force on myself something that I'm just not in the mood for.

On the other hand I'm really enjoying Trollope the Traveller edited by Graham Handley. Lots of fun and very interesting. Here's one little snippet - bear in mind that Trollope worked for the Post Office all his life:

I have said that the cross mail conveyances in Canada did not seem to be very closely bound as to time; but they are regulated by clock-work in comparison with some of them in the United States. 'Are you going this morning?' I said to a mail-driver in Vermont. 'I thought you always started in the evening.' 'Wa'll; I guess I do. But it rained some last night, so I jist stayed at home.' I do not know that I have ever felt more shocked in my life, and I could hardly keep my tongue off the man. The mails, however, would have paid no respect to me in Vermont, and I was obliged to walk away crestfallen.

LOL! A joy of a read. These are just selected writings and I think I may have to see if the actual book of his travels in the USA and Canada is available to buy.