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nae_k December 1 2009, 06:27:15 UTC
it was hard for me to think of Darcy and Elizabeth as overt sexual beings. The novel takes place right after their marriage so I can see why the idea of sex would be important to the two of them, but when it came time to actually read the scene, I couldn't do it. It was so... purple.

Ahahahaha! Purple. :D I was loaned a copy of Pride and Prescience and I couldn't bring myself to open it. There's something a little off about reading a story that the master, herself, did not pen. I don't know... maybe it's brilliant and I missed out. I'm sure someone will eventually tell me if it's worth it.

I can't recall the titles of the worst books I've read, but as a young adult, I read quite a few chick lit stories that were so atrocious I quickly decided to return to stories of my childhood! (Lord of the Rings, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, etc) Every girls seemed to work for a fashion house or fashion magazine and worry about high heel shoes and have serious problems dating a guy without descending into a sappy, emotional wreck. OR, she was a smoking, drinking, partying with her gay friends Bridget Jones kind of girl, and while that sounds more interesting, many of those stories did NOT pull it off, and I ended up hating her.

Before my chick lit days, I read a few Mills & Boons of my mum's... Need I say more?! (Hey, I was 16 and I'd read all of my sister's books and all of the good ones at our school library!)

The most recent worst story I've read are Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (blah!). I also read a book a few years ago that I really wanted to like called Maniana Man. It was a guy-fic book, about a few young adult males who had just lost a friend and decided to go on a road trip to mourn his death. I couldn't get my head around a single character. It was so boring. But I was on holidays and I pushed and pushed myself into reading it. The main character was so stupid... and then, just when I thought he was getting brighter, he does the most stupid thing... at the very end of the story! Huh? Where's the character growth in that? (Apologies to any authors who end up finding this in a google search one day! Books are very personal and I'm sure many others would have liked your work!)

As for my faves:
- Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (an Aussie author). I also quite like Nick Earls' books, another Aussie author, though, admittedly, it's been a few years.
- A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. This is the person who inspired me to write and still does. Whenever I pick up a book of his, I am stunned into inspiration. Suddenly, I have a desire to put words to paper. His books are also hilarious.
- I'm afraid I have to go Harry Potter as number three, as I could read them over and over again (and have) without tiring. These are the most used books in my packed bookcase which has to say something, hey? But I also love Jane Austen. :)

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nae_k December 1 2009, 06:27:47 UTC
Oops! Sorry for the messed up code! Please ignore all those italics. :D

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bree_bee22 December 3 2009, 03:51:14 UTC
'sokay :) Sometimes LJ just doesn't want to work with ya.

I agree with you, it is hard to read something that the master didn't pen. Although I have read Pride and Prejudice stories that weren't written by Austen and they were good, but they were no Austen, you know? I will admit to really wanting to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, though, because uh... hello? Zombies? And Pride and Prejudice? Sign me up!

Every girls seemed to work for a fashion house or fashion magazine and worry about high heel shoes and have serious problems dating a guy without descending into a sappy, emotional wreck. OR, she was a smoking, drinking, partying with her gay friends Bridget Jones kind of girl, and while that sounds more interesting, many of those stories did NOT pull it off, and I ended up hating her.

Oh yeah, I definitely relate. That's what I was talking about, like all books *geared* toward women have those lackluster main characters that only worry about men and how to get a man or how to not care if you don't have a man... none of them are strong enough nowadays, I say!

I really despise books that go nowhere and that have boring characters. But it's hard for me to give up on a book! And how disappointing it would be to go through all that and have nothing happen. Or worse, have something completely stupid happen with little or no resolution. Ugh. Makes me wonder how these people get published!

Nick Hornby; I haven't read his books but I've seen movie adaptations of them "About a Boy," "High Fidelity" and really liked them- so I'm sure the books are waaaay better!

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