What Are You Reading? Inquiring Minds...

 

  

Several of my online connections ask"What Are You Reading?" periodically, and they always get lots of answers. It'sinteresting to me to see which books others are enjoying, and I like boostingauthors' possibilities for more sales by naming my favorite of the moment. FYI: I just finished James Comey's Central Park West and enjoyed it. I LOVED Benjamin Stevenson's book, pictured above, so I went out and bought the second one, Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect.

One thing I notice in lists of current reading is the variety of bookspeople choose and enjoy. People I know and like read books I wouldn't evenconsider. People I don't know recommend books that sound good, so I download asample to find out if I agree. If I do, I buy the book. If I don't, I go on toother things. But if any author wonders why everyone in the world doesn't lovetheir books, the answer is there. Tastes vary--widely--and a lot of a book's "good"-ness hasnothing to do with the quality of the writing.

People often convince themselves that their choices are inherently goodand that everyone should agree. When I said at a book club once that I didn'tcare for a particularly beloved author's work, there was a long silence, as ifI'd sworn in church. I've learned to keep my mouth shut when someone goes onabout an author who's been writing the same book for twenty years, changingonly the names and the setting.

Another thing I notice is that advertising sways many readers tobelieve that a book is good, even great, when it isn't. The one I'm readingright now is a current must-read for historical fiction, but I'm finding itinsipid at best. I'm not connected to any of the characters, and whileinteresting facts about WWII are included, it's not nearly as compelling asother books I've read on the subject. Now, a person's reading choices are herown, so I'm not saying it's a bad book. It's just not my kind of book, and Ihave a hunch that advertising had a lot to do with its popularity.

I believe some people pretend to like (or convince themselves they liked)certain books because they're touted as cutting-edge and intellectual. Myopinion: If I have to wade through 300 pages of absolute chaos to (maybe) cometo a conclusion about an author's view of the future, I'd rather not. Butthanks for your input.

Finally, I notice that the name plays a large factor in a book'ssuccess. I'm reading (yes, multiple books at once) a legal thriller that, if itwere presented for publication by anyone other than this author, would berejected as boring, repetitive, and uninspiring. In book blurbs these days,Famous Author A touts Famous Author B's work with lines like"I wish I'd written this book." (It’s funny how they both write forthe same publishing house.) I'd like a few minutes to quiz Author A onwhat he/she recalls about Author B's "gripping" story.

Opinions are like noses: everybody has one. I love the generosity with whichreaders share their feelings about books, and I'm always willing to take alook. But it's rare to find someone with whom I always agree on the readingfront. We each bring past experiences, past books, and present mood to thetable when choosing. It's not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind.