Wanted: New Love (Author Version)
Today, after getting my car back from being repaired ((major cheering!!)), I decided to celebrate the occasion by going to Half Price Books and begin a brand new relationship. However, I roamed the isles and once again kept zeroing in on the same authors I've loved for years and I was very determined that I was not going to just replace a much loved paperback with a hardback version.
I finally found books three - four of Tamora Pierce's Immortals series and bought them. (Still looking for number 1). I like her stuff and read her as sort of an inspiration of the type of YA novel I'd be pretty decent writing. I've been seriously considering my Writer's Blocks group's recommendation that I think YA for my writing. But I digress ...
Point is I stood there for a long time looking at names that are "famous" and everyone considers "must reading" for sci-fi/fantasy fans and kept picking them up and putting them down because none of them were really grabbing me. I realized during my hour plus wandering among the shelves that I have a hard time beginning a new Author relationship. Even though I long for the novelty of new adventures and getting to know new characters, I hate being disappointed. Like the whole George R.R. Martin experience. Everyone kept exclaiming how wonderful his series was and I finally bought the first two and read them. Laboriously.
See, I hate not finishing a book. I'm not someone who can read a few chapters and decide its just not for me and put it down. I have to finish it. And I'm not a speed reader. And because I'd bought both of them and because everyone kept insisting they were great, I figured maybe I'd just been in a bad mood. So I read both of them ... and REALLY disliked them.
I recently spent a good bit of time dragging myself through Crichton's Timeline. Once again because it had been a gift from someone I love who loved the book. I really didn't enjoy the writing at all. I thought it was a great concept but was poorly crafted and organized.
It seems I have as much difficulty letting go of bad reading experiences as I do bad relationships. My mind keeps returning to what didn't go well and what could have been done differently to make it better. Which makes me rather skittish when it comes time to try and begin a new relationship ... be it with a man or an author. Even when I know I really want to try something new and exciting, I keep shying away from the unknown.
My list of long term love includes Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony ... I have a good bit of Mercedes Lackey, but quite honestly she lost me several years ago. She just became a bit tooo odd for me to enjoy. Though I have added Elisabth Haydon to my admitedly short list of beloved authors. So I do have at least one new author to go and look for. And Katherine Kerr has a few books out now that I haven't tracked down.
It could be part of my problem is my taste is very light on the sci part of sci-fi/fantasy. I mean I love McCaffrey's Brain & Brawn series and Namisha's Ship, but didn't really love Freedom's Landing and the Tower & the Hive was my least favorite of the the Talent series.
I want characters I can fall in love with and care about more than anything else. So I guess I'm looking for a bit of matchmaking. Not just "you've got to read Asimov!" WHICH Asimov and why. Because great authors write in a variety of styles and each book is not created equal. The next time I head back to half price books, I'd like it to be more of a blind date situation rather than being overwhelmed in the literary equivalent of Cool River on Ladies Night.
I finally found books three - four of Tamora Pierce's Immortals series and bought them. (Still looking for number 1). I like her stuff and read her as sort of an inspiration of the type of YA novel I'd be pretty decent writing. I've been seriously considering my Writer's Blocks group's recommendation that I think YA for my writing. But I digress ...
Point is I stood there for a long time looking at names that are "famous" and everyone considers "must reading" for sci-fi/fantasy fans and kept picking them up and putting them down because none of them were really grabbing me. I realized during my hour plus wandering among the shelves that I have a hard time beginning a new Author relationship. Even though I long for the novelty of new adventures and getting to know new characters, I hate being disappointed. Like the whole George R.R. Martin experience. Everyone kept exclaiming how wonderful his series was and I finally bought the first two and read them. Laboriously.
See, I hate not finishing a book. I'm not someone who can read a few chapters and decide its just not for me and put it down. I have to finish it. And I'm not a speed reader. And because I'd bought both of them and because everyone kept insisting they were great, I figured maybe I'd just been in a bad mood. So I read both of them ... and REALLY disliked them.
I recently spent a good bit of time dragging myself through Crichton's Timeline. Once again because it had been a gift from someone I love who loved the book. I really didn't enjoy the writing at all. I thought it was a great concept but was poorly crafted and organized.
It seems I have as much difficulty letting go of bad reading experiences as I do bad relationships. My mind keeps returning to what didn't go well and what could have been done differently to make it better. Which makes me rather skittish when it comes time to try and begin a new relationship ... be it with a man or an author. Even when I know I really want to try something new and exciting, I keep shying away from the unknown.
My list of long term love includes Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony ... I have a good bit of Mercedes Lackey, but quite honestly she lost me several years ago. She just became a bit tooo odd for me to enjoy. Though I have added Elisabth Haydon to my admitedly short list of beloved authors. So I do have at least one new author to go and look for. And Katherine Kerr has a few books out now that I haven't tracked down.
It could be part of my problem is my taste is very light on the sci part of sci-fi/fantasy. I mean I love McCaffrey's Brain & Brawn series and Namisha's Ship, but didn't really love Freedom's Landing and the Tower & the Hive was my least favorite of the the Talent series.
I want characters I can fall in love with and care about more than anything else. So I guess I'm looking for a bit of matchmaking. Not just "you've got to read Asimov!" WHICH Asimov and why. Because great authors write in a variety of styles and each book is not created equal. The next time I head back to half price books, I'd like it to be more of a blind date situation rather than being overwhelmed in the literary equivalent of Cool River on Ladies Night.