Maintenance Monday
Orderly Reading and First Loves
This topic has come to me from two sources: the first was my reaction to reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and not being as enthralled as I expected to be, and the second comes from a negative review of Kitty and the Midnight Hour that reminded me of a few other negative reviews and my thoughts behind those reviews.
What the hell am I talking about? That's easy: readers read a lot. Readers who are fans of reading certain genres read a lot in that genre. Readers who are fans of specific tropes read a lot of those tropes. And this makes me start thinking about how the timing of when we read certain books might effect how we enjoy them. Because when we are first introduced to a genre, when we fall in love, it's all sparkles and lights. Then, as we read more in that genre, we start getting used to certain tropes, we start seeing the same things over and over from different authors, and we tend to get more critical and more picky about what we like and what we don't within that genre.
Example: I really, really, REALLY wish I'd read Oryx and Crake back when I was at SHU (my Master's program), before I'd read quite as much science fiction, let alone literary-SF. Not only did the book relate to some things I was toying with in my own work, but I think my ability to be wowed was much, erm, lower. And that sounds like an insult that I don't mean it to be: I'm just using this specific book as an example, but I've read plenty of books that are good that don't wow me, and I wonder, every time, if I'm just getting desensitized to the genre (or the trope or whatever) and that if I'd read that book earlier in my reading career, I'd like it more than I did.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour was, I kid you not, the VERY FIRST urban fantasy book I'd ever read. I loved it. Even though it pushed certain buttons that normally have me up in arms, I loved it. And for the most part, I've loved the series, though I'll be the first to admit the series has lost a little luster with the two books that were released in 2009. Part of that's because in all honesty, I think there were some obvious flaws, and part of it's because I've read so much more urban fantasy since then that I'm used to certain things and I crave something more definitive (even if it's writing style) that'll set the book apart.
I have a theory about certain books, and here's a specific example of this theory: if you haven't read a YA book about fairies, and you read both Holly Black's series and Melissa Marr's, how much you like which author greatly depends on who you read first. For the most part, my theory's been right on, that readers who've read Marr first aren't all that impressed with Black (I'll raise my own hand here), and then readers who read Black first just aren't that impressed with Marr. Does that mean one is really better than the other, or does reading one author desensitize you to the wonder of the other author, who's doing something in a similar yet different vein?
It really makes sense in light of readers who've never read vampire fiction before the Twilight series, who then start reading OTHER vampire books and compare EVERYTHING against the series they know and love and, oh yeah, read first.
It doesn't mean that what you read first, in any genre, is automatically flawed or a bad book. It might be a really good book, but that first love can take a hold of you and never let you go when it comes to the books you read afterward (and it doesn't matter when those said books are published--it just matters when you read them). Me, I'm sometimes afraid to re-read books I've fallen in love with because I'm afraid that--now that I've got many more titles under my belt--I lose those rose-colored glasses, or see more flaws the second time around, and I don't want to tarnish my memory of the book, nor the joy I had while reading.
Does this make any sense? I'm kind of all over the place, but ask yourself: do you think sometimes how you feel about certain books is based on what you have (or haven't) read before? I'm not saying it's true in EVERY case (because trust me, it's not), but it's something to think about! :)
You've got two more weeks to finish December's challenge, The Last Unicorn! Don't let the month (or year!) sneak by before you give this book a shot!
Book Club Selections
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Book Sale: there's still 89 books to choose from in the book sale, and authors include Charlaine Harris, John Twelve Hawks, David Louis Edelman, Jeanne C. Stein, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check out all of the details here. I will say that due to the holidays, I'm not going to mail anything out until AFTER Christmas is over (post offices are INSANE right now!), but if you're interested in anything, please let me know!
Upcoming Reviews: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Currently Reading: The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Book Meter: 4 books to go until 100! I made a list of ALL THE STUFF I've got to do this week and next, and I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make it to 100. We'll see what happens. :) How many books have you read this year so far? How many more do you THINK you'll read?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! If you celebrate this time of year, I hope it's wonderful for you. Take some time, relax, enjoy a good book or two, and if you're able, enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. Cheers!
This topic has come to me from two sources: the first was my reaction to reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and not being as enthralled as I expected to be, and the second comes from a negative review of Kitty and the Midnight Hour that reminded me of a few other negative reviews and my thoughts behind those reviews.
What the hell am I talking about? That's easy: readers read a lot. Readers who are fans of reading certain genres read a lot in that genre. Readers who are fans of specific tropes read a lot of those tropes. And this makes me start thinking about how the timing of when we read certain books might effect how we enjoy them. Because when we are first introduced to a genre, when we fall in love, it's all sparkles and lights. Then, as we read more in that genre, we start getting used to certain tropes, we start seeing the same things over and over from different authors, and we tend to get more critical and more picky about what we like and what we don't within that genre.
Example: I really, really, REALLY wish I'd read Oryx and Crake back when I was at SHU (my Master's program), before I'd read quite as much science fiction, let alone literary-SF. Not only did the book relate to some things I was toying with in my own work, but I think my ability to be wowed was much, erm, lower. And that sounds like an insult that I don't mean it to be: I'm just using this specific book as an example, but I've read plenty of books that are good that don't wow me, and I wonder, every time, if I'm just getting desensitized to the genre (or the trope or whatever) and that if I'd read that book earlier in my reading career, I'd like it more than I did.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour was, I kid you not, the VERY FIRST urban fantasy book I'd ever read. I loved it. Even though it pushed certain buttons that normally have me up in arms, I loved it. And for the most part, I've loved the series, though I'll be the first to admit the series has lost a little luster with the two books that were released in 2009. Part of that's because in all honesty, I think there were some obvious flaws, and part of it's because I've read so much more urban fantasy since then that I'm used to certain things and I crave something more definitive (even if it's writing style) that'll set the book apart.
I have a theory about certain books, and here's a specific example of this theory: if you haven't read a YA book about fairies, and you read both Holly Black's series and Melissa Marr's, how much you like which author greatly depends on who you read first. For the most part, my theory's been right on, that readers who've read Marr first aren't all that impressed with Black (I'll raise my own hand here), and then readers who read Black first just aren't that impressed with Marr. Does that mean one is really better than the other, or does reading one author desensitize you to the wonder of the other author, who's doing something in a similar yet different vein?
It really makes sense in light of readers who've never read vampire fiction before the Twilight series, who then start reading OTHER vampire books and compare EVERYTHING against the series they know and love and, oh yeah, read first.
It doesn't mean that what you read first, in any genre, is automatically flawed or a bad book. It might be a really good book, but that first love can take a hold of you and never let you go when it comes to the books you read afterward (and it doesn't matter when those said books are published--it just matters when you read them). Me, I'm sometimes afraid to re-read books I've fallen in love with because I'm afraid that--now that I've got many more titles under my belt--I lose those rose-colored glasses, or see more flaws the second time around, and I don't want to tarnish my memory of the book, nor the joy I had while reading.
Does this make any sense? I'm kind of all over the place, but ask yourself: do you think sometimes how you feel about certain books is based on what you have (or haven't) read before? I'm not saying it's true in EVERY case (because trust me, it's not), but it's something to think about! :)
You've got two more weeks to finish December's challenge, The Last Unicorn! Don't let the month (or year!) sneak by before you give this book a shot!
Book Club Selections
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Book Sale: there's still 89 books to choose from in the book sale, and authors include Charlaine Harris, John Twelve Hawks, David Louis Edelman, Jeanne C. Stein, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check out all of the details here. I will say that due to the holidays, I'm not going to mail anything out until AFTER Christmas is over (post offices are INSANE right now!), but if you're interested in anything, please let me know!
Upcoming Reviews: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Currently Reading: The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Book Meter: 4 books to go until 100! I made a list of ALL THE STUFF I've got to do this week and next, and I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make it to 100. We'll see what happens. :) How many books have you read this year so far? How many more do you THINK you'll read?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! If you celebrate this time of year, I hope it's wonderful for you. Take some time, relax, enjoy a good book or two, and if you're able, enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. Cheers!