tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post1267265586809606730..comments2024-03-25T02:14:50.515-07:00Comments on Cora Ramos Blog: Why We Read What We ReadCorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17513930284591250364noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-66480864756913642242012-06-08T02:09:26.715-07:002012-06-08T02:09:26.715-07:00I'm a reader and I have to say reading books i...I'm a reader and I have to say reading books is like listening to music in that you pick what suits your mood at that point in time. I read fluff if I've had a mentally tiring day and just want to calm my mind before passing out. I do have to say I'm tiring of books where all the woman does is pass out due to the overwhelming presence of a guy or passing off teenagers as idiots. I was a teenager once and I know I was never that naive. Also I've never passed out in front of anyone. :D<br /><br />Anyway I agree that reading is a good thing as there will always be potential growth as opposed to not reading at all.Didinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-40472207974899679072012-06-06T08:48:18.495-07:002012-06-06T08:48:18.495-07:00I love all your comments - pro and con. It certain...I love all your comments - pro and con. It certainly hits a nerve, doesn't it. We don't know how writing might change and where this digital book revolution will end up. And, yes, what determines a good book is subjective. Maybe we'll figure it out if we keep discussing the issue (she say's in jest!).<br /><br />Thanks all for your points of view. Okay, you can keep talking now.Corahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513930284591250364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-41333073817100995302012-06-06T05:42:09.553-07:002012-06-06T05:42:09.553-07:00Siri: I think for a lot of people the reading only...Siri: I think for a lot of people the reading only fluffy IS true. I read a mix like you do but when all that is hyped is fluff, then the majority read fluff. Maybe not the people who really love a great story, well told but most readers, who read the way they watch TV or movies, fluff is both easy to get and easy to digest.Sara Walpert Fosterhttp://sarawalpertfoster.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-39992475331261225032012-06-06T05:36:47.071-07:002012-06-06T05:36:47.071-07:00This is definitely an interesting discussion, Cora...This is definitely an interesting discussion, Cora. In my experience, it does tend to be ideas and story (and character) rather than execution/craft that will determine whether a book is popular or not. Most readers (who aren't also writers) can't discern the difference.<br /><br />However, I don't necessarily think this is good, because the more poorly written books that are published, the more influence they will have on the general literacy of the population. (And this is where people say that English is a living language and what does it matter if the rules change permanently to something the purists would consider to be wrong?)<br /><br />But I do not think there is any way of holding back the tide...Ellen Gregoryhttp://ellenvgregory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-30816176051163064682012-06-06T05:30:59.576-07:002012-06-06T05:30:59.576-07:00Ah, sacrilege! I couldn't stand P&P&Z,...Ah, sacrilege! I couldn't stand P&P&Z, not because of the idea, which I thought was kind of fun and I'm looking forward to the movie, but because of the execution -- mostly because of the slight ways in which the author changed key scenes out of the original book. I didn't mind the addition of scenes, so much, but when they changed character (such as Darcy's sneering responses to Caroline Bingly) that annoyed me...<br /><br />Also, like you, Siri, I read both fluffy and serious, depending on mood.Ellen Gregoryhttp://ellenvgregory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-79502632033158451432012-06-06T03:07:11.137-07:002012-06-06T03:07:11.137-07:00But what's badly written? That's where I ...But what's badly written? That's where I think the definition gets very subjective because so much of it is taste. That's what makes it so hard for publishers, because they don't know either. They come put a book that looks like the greatest thing, and it flops. Harry Potter was one of the most best selling books of our time, and yet, there are people who will call it badly written and hate it. <br /><br />Most readers won't notice "writing problems" in the book. They're not going to pick out something and shout "Ah ha! I caught you breaking a writing rule! (and I have seen writers post this thing to message boards). They will be disappointed the book doesn't have a satisfying ending or that the protagonist whines too much. What they won't do is try to identify why it was like this -- they just won't buy more books from that author.Linda Maye Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07203020058437093901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-79722901707736887232012-06-05T21:58:08.754-07:002012-06-05T21:58:08.754-07:00Thanks for the thought-provoking post! First quest...Thanks for the thought-provoking post! First question -- what defines crap? I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies right now. It's fluffy and could definitely have been better written, but it's a decent execution of a high-concept idea, and I think that's a huge draw for readers. If the idea is good enough, does the execution become less important? Purists would say execution always matters, but that seems not to be true for (all) readers. They want the ideas.<br /><br />Second question -- who's reading what? I've gone through many phases of reading crap, but in between them I've always read lots of books that aren't crap. And that's an important point -- the same person may very well read more than one kind of thing, depending on what they need at the moment. Right now I need fluffy. Later I'll want something with more meat in it. If people started to read only fluffy things, then I might worry, but I'm not sure that's true (yet).Siri Paulsonhttp://siripaulson.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-34941656879203137412012-06-05T19:39:35.305-07:002012-06-05T19:39:35.305-07:00One of the things I think we are loosing is the no...One of the things I think we are loosing is the notion of "mentor" or "guide". Cora had her mother - English teachers and Librarians also filled this role. Once upon a time when I was a public librarian quite often the borrower (who was holding a stack of 20 or so Mills and Boon or even the westerns) would say "I'm sick of these, I read too many of these" and I would reply "Really - would you like to try something a little different" and away they would go with a new author. More often than not they would return with the book saying "I really liked that - are there any more?" or "not quite what I wanted but can you show me something else?"<br />So I guess what I'm saying in an around about way is that I think we need to encourage reading in all its forms but also encourage growth for people who show signs of wanting it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04362019044580696724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-64228096089706614632012-06-05T16:38:02.585-07:002012-06-05T16:38:02.585-07:00I have such mixed feelings about this. I think it ...I have such mixed feelings about this. I think it is fine if people read books that attract them, even if they are poorly written, and I don't think it interferes directly with the success of a really well written book, except in that individuals only have so much reading time so they are in essence, choosing one book over another. <br /><br />It's the bigger picture that concerns me, though. Reading (fiction and non-fiction) is one way that we develop our minds, open ourselves up to new ideas or ways of living, communicate differences to other people, learn how to think. Reading fluff or badly written stuff most of the time is like eating poorly. If we fill our bellies with candy all day, we don't get the nutrients needed to function well as individuals and ultimately as a society. The sugar is addictive so unless we really work at it, we end up eating more and more sugar, and create more and more disease in our bodies and a society that doesn't have the strength to be all that it can be. I love sugar but know that when I eat less of it, I actually feel better and enjoy my days (and my spinach) more. I also get a lot more done and my mind is less foggy. <br /><br />I am guilty of reading and enjoying fashion magazines and beach books (I can't get past poor grammar or sentence structure or repetitive word choice so I don't finish books of that sort), but when I read a really thoughtful book, fiction or nonfiction, something that makes me either think or feel deeply, I'm left with a sense of hope about the world, about people, about the future. I need that. And I think our world needs that too.Sara Walpert Fosterhttp://sarawalpertfoster.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-42300953278693062662012-06-05T12:56:49.465-07:002012-06-05T12:56:49.465-07:00Talk about comic books, I remember reading Tales o...Talk about comic books, I remember reading Tales of the Crypt--not your high quality read. Horror was big then with Bela Lugosi as Dracula. We laugh now, but he was scary then.Corahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513930284591250364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-5548971104558699472012-06-05T12:53:45.746-07:002012-06-05T12:53:45.746-07:00I didn't know Stephen King said that, but when...I didn't know Stephen King said that, but when I pick up a bad book and see where the glaring problems are, it does make me more aware of avoiding those same mistakes in my own writing. Thanks for commenting.Corahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513930284591250364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-88028256177681304982012-06-05T09:30:00.419-07:002012-06-05T09:30:00.419-07:00My mom wouldn't allow comic books in the house...My mom wouldn't allow comic books in the house. My brother and I secreted away one Popeye comic and can still quote lines from it to each other. She'd be horrified to know I read lots of light, frothy mystery/romance/spy stuff and I revel in poor taste. The only downside is I find myself emulating what I read in my writing. Yuck.Virginia Walton Pilegardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06825040621998676190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6687332317991077410.post-63001333820559634292012-06-05T09:09:43.168-07:002012-06-05T09:09:43.168-07:00I do agree. The more readers the better. Stephen K...I do agree. The more readers the better. Stephen King suggests reading bad books to as a learning experience. Again, I must agree. I have waded through a few over the years, but I have bathed luxuriously in well written books, and the titles of each might surprise some folks.Prudence MacLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06434970647507354966noreply@blogger.com