It seems like every six months to a year a book becomes the "Hot New Thing." These books generally make the book club circuit and are quasi-literary, as they don't focus on shopping, dating, or makeovers. They're often made into movies and sometimes touted by various celebrities. Some, I'm sure are decent, while others not so much.
I guess I 'm just not cool like that. Or I refuse to read things just because "everyone else is." I am fully aware that this may mean I'm missing out on a great read, as some of you claim I am with The Help (jury's still out).
Here are a few that I've missed the boat on:
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (maybe)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (doubtful- a little over the Indian genre right now **A reader pointed out that it's not India, it's Afghanastan, which I had totally forgotten; still, hasn't quite captured my interest, but who knows)
Gregory Maguire's books (hell to the no- I tried to read Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister when I was in high school and was so bored by the first thirty pages it became one of the few books I've ever quit)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (maybe)
The Shack by William P. Young (hell to the no)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (maybe- but damn that cover)
The Hunger Games Series by Suzette Collins (utterly undecided)
Jodi Piccoult books (no more; I've read two and I'm sick of the over-production)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (eventually)
Twilight by Stephanie Myers (hell to mother effing no)
The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo (doubtful- just not interested)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (doubtful- just doesn't interest me)
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (doubtful- maybe when I'm have a midlife crisis)
The Girl Who Played With Fire and the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (yes, but mostly because I bought the set on a book binge)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (doubtful- a little over the Indian genre right now **A reader pointed out that it's not India, it's Afghanastan, which I had totally forgotten; still, hasn't quite captured my interest, but who knows)
Gregory Maguire's books (hell to the no- I tried to read Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister when I was in high school and was so bored by the first thirty pages it became one of the few books I've ever quit)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (maybe)
The Shack by William P. Young (hell to the no)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (maybe- but damn that cover)
The Hunger Games Series by Suzette Collins (utterly undecided)
Jodi Piccoult books (no more; I've read two and I'm sick of the over-production)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (eventually)
Twilight by Stephanie Myers (hell to mother effing no)
The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo (doubtful- just not interested)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (doubtful- just doesn't interest me)
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (doubtful- maybe when I'm have a midlife crisis)
The Girl Who Played With Fire and the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (yes, but mostly because I bought the set on a book binge)
I did jump on the bandwagon for a few, but was never overwhelmed (The Time Traveler's Wife and Water for Elephants, to name two). They weren't bad, but never seemed to match the hype. Curiosity does get the best of me, but I refuse to read a book just because everyone else is. And there's that other problem of already owning almost fifty books that are technically ahead in the line; I'm not timely enough to be cool.
I'm with you on the sentiment (I avoid more than savour the NYTimes list), but have a small qualm about the Kite Runner: Hosseini's novels are set in Afghanistan, not India. And though it wasn't a book I would normally pick up, I found it profoundly moving and a great reading experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks... Noted :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you...I resist reading books when "everyone" is reading them, and come around to them later. But from your list, I will admit to reading:
ReplyDeleteKite Runner (liked it!),
a handful of Jodi Piccoult books (liked reading them, but hate endings that aren't all wrapped up nicely),
3 Twilight books (what I expected),
and I've got Bossypants on audio book from the library right now (I love Tina Fey, I'm not ashamed to have this one!).
Thinking about the Help and Hunger games.
Not gonna read Eat Pray Love, read too many times that the book was annoying to the reviewer.
1. Life of Pi = awful. It was just soooo pretentious that the entire time I read it, instead of picturing the story, I pictured some douchy guy in his "study" dictating the book into a mini-cassette recorder with his feet up on the desk and an "I'm so awesome" look on his face. I couldn't finish it.
ReplyDelete2. The Alchemist = laughable cheesy. It attempted to be inspirational and came off all Hallmark-cardy. Just terrible. I couldn't finish it either.
3. I also agree with you about Maguire. Yawn.
Ummm...that should read "laughably cheesy". Oops.
ReplyDeleteWicked was borderline shitty and sooo hard to follow. But my mom swears the play is the greatest thing ever so maybe I'll see it.
ReplyDeleteI also read Twilight 1 and liked it. I couldn't finish Twilight 2. Bella is a goddamn crybaby and I wanted to choke her and send her to therapy the whole time. Lol.
I don't decide what to read based on fads or best sellers- it's usually by the picture on the cover. I also never read the back. I like surprises :) Oh, and if Hollywood make a movie from it, then I'll read it.
I actually just bought Life of Pi because there is a tiger in a boat on the cover. Weee! Maybe I'll get popular after I read it :)
Also - Your 'People I like (who just so happen to like me too)' section in your sidebar is empty. Is that a sad joke? It's medium-funny. Hehe.
Ahhhh, how I love this blog entry. Hell to the mother effing no, indeed!!
ReplyDelete