The Stages of Response to Bad Books
The idea that a book is somehow sacred because it is, well, a book, is hooey. There are plenty of crappy books out there, and anyone who says they haven't encountered one is either lying, sheltered, or possessed of such generous taste that they'd call Tarnsman of Gor a "sensitive coming of age story". Reactions to lousy books differ, but they tend to come in a few broad categories:
Resignation - Commonly expressed by readers who haven't yet figured out that you don't have to finish every book you start, much in the same way you don't actually have to clean your plate. In economics, they call this a sunk cost; in the real world, it's called throwing good money, time, and brain space after bad. But no matter how bad a book is, there are those who will grimly slog to the finish, just to say they finished. At that point, they will take it as a badge of honor that they managed to do so, under the mistaken impression that someone gives a damn, or that they've unlocked some sort of book-based XBox Live achievement. Fortunately, most readers grow out of this stage.
Indignation - Also known as "I can do better than this crap", this is the inspirational response that causes the reader to put down a bad book and actually try to write. Whether it actually produces writing that is, on average, better than the stuff that inspired it is debatable, but at least it means fewer people reading crap books on airplanes.
Rage - The penultimate stage of reaction, this occurs when the reader comes to the conclusion that not only is the book they're reading bad, but they've also wasted some combination of both time and money, i.e. part of their life they will never get back, engaging with it. The realization that they have spent time on, oh, let's say a science fiction novel that features loving descriptions of how the heroine saves the galaxy by repeatedly flashing her rack at space aliens who fire AK-47s that they could have spent doing literally anything else is enough to bring out a Hulk-like rage, often punctuated by the book in question going airborne. While counterproductive, it's quite cathartic.
Peace - Eventually, one comes to the place where one can simply realize a book is bad, put it down, and never bother with it again. If one has truly achieved bad book enlightenment, one can discern which of one's friends might actually enjoy said book and gift it to them, without judgment or commentary. This is the ideal to which many of us achieve - the wisdom to choose the right book, the confidence to put the wrong book down, and the grace to let it find its audience.
For my part, I'm perfectly content to stick with Rage, which is one of the reasons I haven't migrated my reading to any electronic platform. There's always the chance that I'll let fly before realizing that, oops, that was the surprisingly aerodynamic iPad that just went across the office, and nobody wants that.
Resignation - Commonly expressed by readers who haven't yet figured out that you don't have to finish every book you start, much in the same way you don't actually have to clean your plate. In economics, they call this a sunk cost; in the real world, it's called throwing good money, time, and brain space after bad. But no matter how bad a book is, there are those who will grimly slog to the finish, just to say they finished. At that point, they will take it as a badge of honor that they managed to do so, under the mistaken impression that someone gives a damn, or that they've unlocked some sort of book-based XBox Live achievement. Fortunately, most readers grow out of this stage.
Indignation - Also known as "I can do better than this crap", this is the inspirational response that causes the reader to put down a bad book and actually try to write. Whether it actually produces writing that is, on average, better than the stuff that inspired it is debatable, but at least it means fewer people reading crap books on airplanes.
Rage - The penultimate stage of reaction, this occurs when the reader comes to the conclusion that not only is the book they're reading bad, but they've also wasted some combination of both time and money, i.e. part of their life they will never get back, engaging with it. The realization that they have spent time on, oh, let's say a science fiction novel that features loving descriptions of how the heroine saves the galaxy by repeatedly flashing her rack at space aliens who fire AK-47s that they could have spent doing literally anything else is enough to bring out a Hulk-like rage, often punctuated by the book in question going airborne. While counterproductive, it's quite cathartic.
Peace - Eventually, one comes to the place where one can simply realize a book is bad, put it down, and never bother with it again. If one has truly achieved bad book enlightenment, one can discern which of one's friends might actually enjoy said book and gift it to them, without judgment or commentary. This is the ideal to which many of us achieve - the wisdom to choose the right book, the confidence to put the wrong book down, and the grace to let it find its audience.
For my part, I'm perfectly content to stick with Rage, which is one of the reasons I haven't migrated my reading to any electronic platform. There's always the chance that I'll let fly before realizing that, oops, that was the surprisingly aerodynamic iPad that just went across the office, and nobody wants that.