For me, I want a book that is both and neither. I don't mind crying in fact, it's okay if I'm crying because of the story, but it rarely happens. (I did during one of my fantasy series when one of the characters dies, but not that much.)
As long as I'm laughing and crying because the story/characters warrant it, then we're good. However, I don't want to constantly be doing either one, or made to feel like I should be.
If a story is so bad (cheesy, unbelievable, etc.) that I'm laughing at the ridiculousness of it, chance are I'm not going to finish the book or, if I do, not rate it highly.
But I don't want just two different emotions, I like it when a book can make me run the gambit of feelings.
As far as I am concerned, anything that happens before the last 20 years is historical. History is the past. I'm 36 years old and as far as I'm concerned, even the 80's is the past. It's a different time period, a different generation. The music heard, the way people spoke and interacted was very different that it is today.
So, yeah, I definitely think that something that occurred in 1920 would still be a historical.
I'm trying to finish up The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells. It's pretty good, but I happen to be in Kentucky right now, with plans for the day. If I can, I also look to finish up a YA I started called Night Hoops, Carl Deuker. He's pretty good at getting you inside the head of a teenage boy. I also have a couple by Nancy Werlin I'd like to work on.
YA fiction has been pretty interesting reading and a few have surprised me.
I, personally, don't have a preference, but my husband seems to for this reason: the word "I" being repeated over and over. It's something of an irritant, and no, it doesn't matter what type of book it is.
I think it also has something to do with the fact that logical people have a problem with shedding their own "skin" if you will and letting themselves believe they are someone else. They find it easier to believe they are "watching" the story, but not actually in it.
It could also be something as simple as they don't like being in the spotlight and a first person book would do that.
Do you that I changed the face of my weekly column in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's The Leader because one of my English teachers held Shakespeare in such high regard, but would keep making comments about their being a factory in Canada where they keep cranking out those books implying that they weren't worth reading!
So, to get "even" I started to cover how the face of romance has changed over the years and the different types (category vs. single title), the whole bit.
To me, reading is reading and there are no empty calories.
You probably don't realize it, but romance authors of today do write some thought provoking situations. Anything that gets you to consider what you'd do if it happened to you, is thought provoking.
I've done enough reading to learn in my lifetime (and I still read to learn every time I try to figure out how to do things with my blog), so I like to read for enjoyment.
The next time someone tells you what you're reading is empty calories, point out something that they eat or drink that is empty calories.
When they say that they eat it because it makes them happy or whatever, then say to them, "Well, these books are to me, what [said item] is to you."
They should leave you alone after that, or at least show you a bit more respect.
Yes, Debbie it does, because sometimes, the re-issues have been given a new title, cover as well as author name and unless you pay really close attention, some of those duplicates might sneak through!
Well, I keep books but I don't reread them either, not if I can help it.
I'll admit, there was a point in my life when I was suffering from CO poisoning and it made remembering anything that wasn't in my long-term memory impossible, so, after getting healthy, I discovered that I have reread books because I honestly couldn't remember what the heck I read.
I keep books because I will pass them on and I usually try to get those of my favorite authors, that are too think to borrow from the library, and that are out of print, if I can get them cheap enough.
I will admit, if I find a really, really good audio presentation of a book, I will listen to it more than once, like Mystique by Amanda Quick or the Patricia Cornwell novels.
I also kept all of the books I read as a youth in the hopes of borrowing them to my nieces and nephews, but, sadly, that hasn't happened yet.
I love books and I love how they feel. I do like the idea of eBooks, but I like being able to hold a book and flip its pages as I read. There's just something about the feel of paper!
Okay, here's the skinny in my area. One of our libraries just moved into a bigger and better building with more check yourself out systems and help yourself on hold shelves (which I find very weird).
My federated library system also has a place where you can "find an author" and automatically have yourself signed up for a book by that author the first time it comes in.
That being said, there are 10 entries and they're all checked out, in transit or on hold. It says that there are 16 holds on the first of 23 copies returned.
For the audiobooks, there are 9 holds on 3 copies (roughly 3 holds on each copy).
Following your lead, I specifically searched out Black Hills.
For the book (regular print) - 122 holds on 66 copies
For the audio book - 21 holds on 19 copies
Large Print - 34 holds on 6 total copies
If you make this comparison, yes, Nora Roberts would be more popular than Suzanne Brockmann.
However, here's what I think the issue really is: Nora Roberts is just more well known than Suzanne Brockmann is. Nora has movies made, see commercials advertise her books and who knows what else. She gets the sales because her publisher forks out cash to get her seen.
Does that sound about right?
There are authors out there that are lucky if their book appears in a library because no one really knows about them.
I am definitely a library user, however, I have also purchased new books from authors I have discovered I truly love. The books I borrow from the library I may not have bought otherwise.
If you want your library to purchase more books, find out who to talk to and find out what influences their current buying trends.
I'm a sucker for a series! Some of my favorite authors became that because of writing multiple books about the same characters.
R.A. Salvatore writes about Drizzt Do'Urden, Cattie Bree, Wulfgar and Bruenor while Nora Roberts writes about Eve and Roarke.
All of them are great characters that have gone down very different paths and I don't think it matters if we'll still like them because, in the end, it's that journey that we follow.
Our heart aches for characters like Wulfgar who go through hell (literally) and have to climb back out again. We find ourselves rooting for them to keep fighting and never give up and feel joy when they find a path out of the darkness that works for them, even if it wasn't what you'd hoped for.
It's that all important journey that helps you see Drizzt Do-Urden as more than a Drow Elf, but as a friend to humans and savior to some.
It's that journey that makes us continue to read about an assassin such as Artemis Entreri as he travels into the caverns of the dark elves. It's that journey that keeps us reading as he goes through his own trials and tribulations, learns about himself and the depth of his respect for Drizzt. It's the journey that keeps us reading.
I've never been a fan of Artemis Entreri because he has been a foe to Drizzt, yet (to his credit) Drizzt never killed him, even though he could have. However, the road that Entreri follows is to redemption (or at least it seems that way, but with Entreri, one can never tell), so I keep reading because I want to know about his journey. I want to know if he ever makes it to salvation or if he returns to his old ways and renews his hunt for Drizzt.
If characters are interesting enough and the journey an adventure that intrigues us, we read.
We want more if the ending isn't as complete as we feel it should be. Plus, we see characters as friends and life goes on for us, so we want to know what happens in theirs. It's just the na
Most of the time, minor typos do not bother me. What bothers me most is when it is clear the book was never even proofread, much less edited. I, too, read a book recently that had so many typos that it pulled me out of the story and I still can't believe I kept trying up to page 150 and had to give up.
The problem with all the typos and grammar is that it brought to light the weakness of the characters. I had a really hard time believing this could happen in the first place, mostly because the major, and I do mean major, grammar errors pulled me out of the story so much that I couldn't allow my brain to get suspended in disbelief.
I learned in one of professional writing classes (from the text of a well-respected professional of the field) that you lose credit as a writer if your writing is bad, and that is very true, whether you write fiction or non-fiction.
I definitely have to agree that typos can be ignorable and that the publishing house and/or editors are responsible. However, I do have to wonder when I see errant periods and random capitalization whether or not there is a legit author for the story.
I hate to say it, but I don't care if you're Jayne Ann Krentz, Ann Stuart, Stephen King or someone like me (anal with spelling and grammar errors), we all need editing.
Unfortunately, I have also learned that when cost of a book is an issue, editing and proofreading are the first things to be cut or skipped.
It's sad really because editors and publishers need to realize that the best story-tellers aren't always the best with grammar, punctuation and spelling.
I'd have to say that I'd like to meet Kate Douglas since we had some really nice email conversations and she sounds super fun, of course so do Heidi Betts, Cathie Linz, Julie Leto and Carly Phillips!
Although, I think the authors that I would be the most star-struck to meet would be R.A. Salvatore (Drizz't Do'Urden Saga), Nora Robert/J.D. Robb, Jayne Ann Krentz and Julianne Moore!
I wish I was an early bird, but the world always seems to conspire against me so that I'm lucky if I arrive anywhere on time!
Every time I would try to leave and have 30 minutes before class, there would be an accident or some sort of traffic jam so that I had to walk into class with my tape recorder in hand so that I didn't miss anything!
It's always been that way and it still is to this day. If it isn't the traffic, it's my IBS or my arthritis and stiff muscles.
I literally have to plan to leave an hour earlier than we need to in order to get someplace on time!
If I end up early, it only happened because everyone else was even later than I was, weather was really bad and I was one of few willing to brave it, or the function was late in getting started.
So I guess you could call me punctual, that is if I haven't completely slept through something!
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