Mind if I throw in my own POV here?rhodielady_47bNovember 20 2024, 14:37:19 UTC
It's mainstream fiction like Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates that made me into a devoted science fiction and fantasy reader in my late teens. My life was hard enough and depressing enough back then that I quickly decided that I didn't need to have anything to do with such depressing and toxic literature like most of the mainstream literature that was coming out back then and still is. I'm honestly surprised there's anyone out there reading this stuff though I suppose the public libraries do their part to keep such writers and the publishing companies which publish them in business.
I wonder how many LJ members have read Yates' book? I also wonder just what most of us here on LJ actually read for pleasure's sake? I read science fiction and fantasy for fun but I also read a fair amount of science and history books. (Also crafting books of various sorts.)
RE: Mind if I throw in my own POV here?mallorys_cameraNovember 20 2024, 14:54:47 UTC
Huh! I read an awful lot of science fiction & fantasy back in the day myself, although these days, that niche in my brain has been mostly taken over by mystery novels. 😀
I would imagine LJ-ers read more for pleasure than the average bear because if you like to write long-form, chances are you like to read.
But Richard Yates? No. You & I may well be the only ones who've read him. 😀 He's pretty obscure.
The book was extremely well-written but very, very bleak. As I say, I kind of view it as a companion piece to Cheever & Updike's tales of 1950s suburbia-though Cheever & Updike are whimsical & Yates is grim.
PS: I love when people throw their own opinions in. Any time! 😀
RE: Mind if I throw in my own POV here?rhodielady_47bNovember 20 2024, 15:04:05 UTC
There are enough SC-FI and Fan writers out there writing books that cross over into the mystery category these days that soon I will find myself reading mainstream mystery books as well. :^)
RE: Mind if I throw in my own POV here?fuzzillaNovember 20 2024, 18:48:52 UTC
I suppose I read depressing/literary fiction about real life problems because it makes me feel "seen"/less alone, especially as no one talked to me much about anything real when I was growing up. I never got into sci-fi because I care about characters, not space ships - YAWN (yes, I'm sure there's good character-driven sci-fi out there that I'm just not aware of). But eh, people can have whatever preferences they want, and those are mine. I do get the need for escapism.
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It's mainstream fiction like Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates that made me into a devoted science fiction and fantasy reader in my late teens. My life was hard enough and depressing enough back then that I quickly decided that I didn't need to have anything to do with such depressing and toxic literature like most of the mainstream literature that was coming out back then and still is. I'm honestly surprised there's anyone out there reading this stuff though I suppose the public libraries do their part to keep such writers and the publishing companies which publish them in business.
I wonder how many LJ members have read Yates' book?
I also wonder just what most of us here on LJ actually read for pleasure's sake?
I read science fiction and fantasy for fun but I also read a fair amount of science and history books. (Also crafting books of various sorts.)
:^)
Reply
Huh! I read an awful lot of science fiction & fantasy back in the day myself, although these days, that niche in my brain has been mostly taken over by mystery novels. 😀
I would imagine LJ-ers read more for pleasure than the average bear because if you like to write long-form, chances are you like to read.
But Richard Yates? No. You & I may well be the only ones who've read him. 😀 He's pretty obscure.
The book was extremely well-written but very, very bleak. As I say, I kind of view it as a companion piece to Cheever & Updike's tales of 1950s suburbia-though Cheever & Updike are whimsical & Yates is grim.
PS: I love when people throw their own opinions in. Any time! 😀
Reply
There are enough SC-FI and Fan writers out there writing books that cross over into the mystery category these days that soon I will find myself reading mainstream mystery books as well.
:^)
Reply
I suppose I read depressing/literary fiction about real life problems because it makes me feel "seen"/less alone, especially as no one talked to me much about anything real when I was growing up. I never got into sci-fi because I care about characters, not space ships - YAWN (yes, I'm sure there's good character-driven sci-fi out there that I'm just not aware of). But eh, people can have whatever preferences they want, and those are mine. I do get the need for escapism.
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De Beauvoir "I have just written a book". Sartre "Get in the kitchen and fix me dinner".
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Exactly. 😀
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Theory, Sartre was a big black man trapped in a small white mans body.
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Uh, no. 😀
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