The Death of Reading

Andrew - I find it difficult to believe that some authors - Grisham included - even write their own books. Sometimes they seem as if they're just written on some kind of book assembly line - characters and plots assembled from past books that all end the same way.
As much credit as Oprah gets for having revived reading and the so-called "book clubs," I think most people read the books that she's recommended just so they can say they read Oprah's choice.

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I read when I'm not studying (which is rarely). I usually don't read anything too deep, because I spend two semesters studying, so like to give my brain a rest. Usually just an escape into a spy or techno-world.

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Reading....rereading...life is full of pleasures.

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Perhaps I don't pay enough attention to marketing or attend enough cocktail parties. I don't really read book reviews either yet I find lots of incredible new novels available every time I go to the bookstore.

What other people read or don't read really doesn't effect me one way or the other. I've been known to enjoy a best selling guilty pleasure. Sometimes it's nice to read without putting a lot of thought into it.

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Grisham doesn't even write coherent sentences. And Tom Clancy has never created a flesh-and-blood character in his life. It's all about technology and megakills, is all. Don't get me started on Brown.

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I've never read any Grisham or Clancy but I thought The diVinci Code was kind of a fun little romp.

But I don't want to get you started, Merry. :wink:

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boomerang wrote:

I've never read any Grisham or Clancy but I thought The diVinci Code was kind of a fun little romp.

But I don't want to get you started, Merry. :wink:

Oh, I actually enjoyed the DaVinci book, Boomer. But my enjoyment came in large part from the fact that so many millions of people were taking the thesis of the book seriously and from the realization that so much of what Brown was writing was tongue-in-cheek. He couldn't possibly have realized that this little romp of a satire was going to be taken as gospel by so many. I'm sure he was chuckling and even guffawing all the way to the bank.

That, of course, is a criticism of the readers more than the authors. But Brown is capable of some incredibly bad writing, too.

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Well yeah, there's that.

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happycat wrote:

Andrew - I find it difficult to believe that some authors - Grisham included - even write their own books. Sometimes they seem as if they're just written on some kind of book assembly line - characters and plots assembled from past books that all end the same way.
As much credit as Oprah gets for having revived reading and the so-called "book clubs," I think most people read the books that she's recommended just so they can say they read Oprah's choice.

I've always thought that about Robert Parker.

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I don't know about Parker, but certainly successful writers of mind-bogglingly voluminous volumes (James Mitchner comes to mind) tend to employ teams of "researchers", grad students who do most of the actual writing once the "author" has laid out the basic plot. This is particularly true of writers of historical fiction.

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yeah i cant see whats so great about harry potter, i read fast and when i start skipping pages theres something wrong.

i remember reading the wheel of time when i was about 10-11, the story was gripping, i remember little side-stories on the history of some of the races etc.. All i remember from harry potter is something about a guy turning into a werewolf. the rest seemed pretty dull.

I havent even read about the last book , is voldemort harrys father by any chance? just kidding.

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i'm not giving up on books . just picked up a stack at the library and am reading HEATHER MALLICK'S : Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life.
quite a scathing book . she delves into politics , children (other people's) , visiting the therapist and everything crossing her path .
A GREAT READ !
hbg

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hamburger wrote:

i'm not giving up on books . just picked up a stack at the library and am reading HEATHER MALLICK'S : Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life.
quite a scathing book . she delves into politics , children (other people's) , visiting the therapist and everything crossing her path .
A GREAT READ !
hbg

Good to hear. I've been saving it for some down time. Maybe I'll start it this month.

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tai chi wrote :

"I've been saving it for some down time. Maybe I'll start it this month. "

i guess that's one of the priveliges of "retirement' - even though the joints are creaking more frequently as time goes on Shocked

hbg

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The Death of Reading

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