Misc. Monday: No, I'm Not Going to Read 50 Shades of Grey. Thanks.

Every now and then I make the mistake of trying to explain my reading/reviewing hobby to a friend or acquaintance who rarely or never reads for pleasure.

"I read romance and fantasy."

"Oh, like Fifty Shades?"

No. Not like Fifty Shades of Grey. Not at all. I read good books.

The truth is that I did skim through this infamous novel in an attempt to determine if it was worth reviewing, even just for comedic purposes, and I just couldn't work up the motivation. The writing is bad. And I don't mean so bad it's funny, I just mean bad. If there's one thing I've learned from reviewing, it's that the best seller list is a lousy indication of quality.

Now, I know there are readers out there for whom Fifty Shades of Grey is their favorite novel. Someone out there, somewhere, uses this book as the bench mark for comparing all books. I know, because this book is a best seller that has a movie deal. I don't understand why. I assume it goes back to the idea that books (and movies, and so forth), can be deeply flawed and yet still have some mysterious quality that captivates you on a deep, visceral level.

It also seems like a lot of people who have picked up Fifty Shades and loved it were experiencing erotica for the first time. I talked to one older lady that said she, "Can't believe the things people are writing these days." As though BDSM erotica is brand new. I once tracked down a copy of the third book for a wife who claimed that they had "livened things up quite a bit!" Good for you, lady. Novelty can be a powerful thing.

For me erotic romance is old news, so this doesn't impress me. It's similar to the reason Twilight itself didn't work for me--I'd been reading PNR for years by the time it came to my attention so...meh.

So that's why I won't be reviewing Fifty Shades during Romance month, despite the fact that it falls well within the genre and is very popular. Besides, what could I say about it that hasn't already been said by better reviewers than myself?

That said, if you read it and enjoyed it and having nothing but good things to say about it? That's cool. Feel free to tell us about it in the comment box. Happy Reading!

Follow Friday 9/21/12

 

Q: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

 

Existing readers can already guess my answer. Twilight. Dear God, Twilight. By the time it came out, I had like five years of paranormal romance under my belt and so when I read that (or actually, listened to the audio book I think), I just couldn't. I was like "Yeah, it's a romance novel with a really douchey hero. Been there, seen that..." I think what made it worse were all of the people telling me that I "just don't get it", and also arguing the point that it is, in fact, a romance novel.  No, I get it. I understand the appeal. But I like my romance novels to have likeable MCs, relationship building, and satisfying endings. Thanks.

End rant.

Books that were worth the hype?

Hunger Games was not as good as people said, but it was still good. Anna and the French Kiss surpassed my expectations. Divergent was decent. I'm sure there's others...

Follow Friday 4/20/12

Q: Fight! Fight! If you could have two fictional characters battle it out (preferably from books), who would they be and who do you think would win?

What a lovely opportunity to bring out my blood thirsty side! Let's see...

 I stand by my desire to have Sam and Dean from Supernatural hunt down and murder Edward and company from Twilight. I don't think Edward would stand a chance, though, so it isn't exactly a fair fight...

If we're talking a fight involving weaponry, I think Kate Daniel's from Ilona Andrew's Magic series, pitted against Elena from Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter's books, would give us the most interesting battle. I think Kate would win...but Elena does have wings, so it would be a challenge. 

 If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go HERE and HERE to check them out. You'll thank me later.

Following Friday (8)

  

Q.If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why? 

 

1. I want Sam and Dean from Supernatural to meet the "vampires" from Twilight and go on a mass killing spree. Sorry Twilight fans.

 

2. I'd put teenage Savannah from Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Other World books in The Secret Circle. She's a more interesting character than any of the six teens in that show, and she could probably help them get their issues in order faster than they can by themselves.

 

3. Finally, just for fun, I want to transplant Harry Potter into True Blood for a season. It could be the evil wizard season! I think it would be hilarious to stick a relatively wholesome (but still pretty tough) character into the violent oversexed world of Sookie Stackhouse.

 

I could invent more, but I'll just leave it at three. 

 

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