How to explain what you are reading to a non reader / non fantasy scifi fan

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I have been asked by a few people in work who don't generally read what I am reading when they see a book in my hand.
When I start to explain some of the looks are priceless and reckon a few think I'm a bit mental now. My current book is about a coppers in London who suddenly have the power to see the occult and they have to chase a witch who supports West Ham Football club and uses soil from the pitch to power her abilities . Seems normal enough to me but the girl from sales where I work is now avoiding me after I explained it.
Funny how the plots we are happy to fall into make other people worried.
Anyone any similar experiences.

[Milou]

Hahaha, definitely! My friends got very worried about me when I tried to explain the Monstrumologist (especially The Curse of the Wendigo) to them :p This is actually how I fell in love with my bf... He was the first (and basically only guy so far) who didn't try to get away as fast as possible when I told him about what I was reading (which were two books at that moment, one about the moon being hit by a commet and the earth going to fuck, and another about a guy who travels through time and accidently shoots himself).

[Jay]

At my last job, people would think I was weird because so many books I read have demons in them (I like urban fantasy and horror, so it happens.) Now, everybody just accepts that my reading is eclectic, And I've been reading less UF, which may have an effect.

[Margo]

Are you sure that's why she's avoiding you Paul? LOL

Seriously though, my aunt, who died recently, was one of the greatest fantacy readers I ever met. If you think you get strange looks due to your choice of reading matter, imagine a little old lady trying to explain a similar theme ;-P

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Oh this is so true, Paul!

Unless I know they're a reader, I basically just give the genre and don't go into detail... I also find that if I start talking about it, I don't want to shut up, so best to avoid that situation altogether if I can...

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Oy Margo :-0 I'm loveable and stuff.

[Sam]

I do the same, Rinn! But still, I sometimes get the impression my coworkers think I'm mental/childish to read so "shallow" a genre as SFF. I guess non-readers might only know the (sometimes obnoxious) book covers (and yes, of course I do have a soft spot for those) and jump to conclusions ...

[Jenn]

I hate being asked what the book I'm reading is about for this very reason. It's either make it as short as possible and seem like you're rudely brushing the person off, or Paul's experience. Being vague helps, just say "assassins fighting over a treasure" or something.

[Jay]

The funny thing is, it's not just the genre stuff. If you're reading about baseball, only people who HATE baseball will ask what you're reading, if it's a book about movies (or the basis for a movie), people will ask why you don't just watch the thing, etc. The people who enjoy reading and would actually talk to you about books are too busy reading to do so.

[Sam]

James wrote: "The people who enjoy reading and would actually talk to you about books are too busy reading to do so. "

We have the power to change this :)

[Margo]

Paul wrote: "Oy Margo :-0 I'm loveable and stuff."

Sorry Paul - no dispersions cast on your lovability XD

The trouble with non readers is that they're just being polite. They don't want to know. Hence all the fault is on them. They ask, we answer. It is to be expected that our anwsers will be detailed and passionate. I love someone to ask me what I'm reading. Ok they may end up glassy eyed as i wax lyrical, not my fault - they shouldn't ask! That's why we read QED

[Sarah]

I read during my lunch break. And occasionally I'll finish my book and experience that awful "oh god, I don't want to come back to the real world and have this immersive magical thing end" and be grumpy afterwards.

"What's wrong Sarah"
"Oh nothing, it's just the whole world came to a screeching halt and I'm forever changed by it and I'm trying to cope"
".... that's nice"
(I don't actually say this)

[Jenn]

Sarah wrote: "I read during my lunch break. And occasionally I'll finish my book and experience that awful "oh god, I don't want to come back to the real world and have this immersive magical thing end" and be g..."

And then people will argue 'it's just a book'. I know someone who thinks that watching the news/weather at 5 is better than reading a book because the news/weather is 'what actually affects you.'

[Lancer, Warden of the Slums]

I would say you explain it in a voice that people use when they don't know how to communicate with (partially) deaf people. Loud and slow.

[Lynne]

I definitely know this pain. One of the women i work with leant another a stack of books (travel reads/chart books, "fail in ours stars", my sisters keeper" kind of thing) to enjoy over the holidays and had asked her how she was enjoying them. They talked over the books for a while and i made some comment like "that sounds like a nice story", they then asked me if i would like to borrow then which i declined on account of the very large stack i already have. This was followed by the question "like what, what were you reading at lunch?", I tried to explain without sounding simple or silly that the book i was reading was about a group of thieves who swallow metal which they then burn inside themselves to gain supernatural powers which they are using to overthrow the lord ruler. This outline effectively killed the conversation and no one really asks me what i'm reading these days.

There are however, a number of gamers in my offices and some of the things i hear when they describe playing GTA or other things i couldn't name sound so far fetched and yet no one looks at them funny or tries to bury themselves in work to they don't have to be the one to make a response! its so unfair!

[Mike]

Lynne wrote: "There are however, a number of gamers in my offices and some of the things i hear when they describe playing GTA or other things i couldn't name sound so far fetched and yet no one looks at them funny or tries to bury themselves in work to they don't have to be the one to make a response! its so unfair! "

I must say that I come from a gamers background, and have just started reading books. But I still have the feeling that there is a stigma on playing games as a hobby. Especially when you get older and older. Reading books on the other hand is a healthy hobby to have. But I haven't thought about dividing reading books into different genres, which apparently makes a great difference as I read here in the topic.

[Lynne]

Mike wrote: "I must say that I come from a gamers background, and have just started reading books. But I still have the feeling that there is a stigma on playing games as a hobby. Especially when you get older and older. ..."

Please don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that its a bad thing that they are gamers and for a few game discussions i join in, ask questions and even got a few of them to try Portal (my favourite). Its more that this is an accepted and discussed thing in the office, even if the game is fantasy based and yet my reading of fantasy is a topic that is not understood and avoided.

[Lancer, Warden of the Slums]

I'm lucky most of the people that I hang out with at the university are like minded reading/gaming people and I have a few friends that read sci fi fantasy as well that trade books around. My friends that don't read are fine with it and don't think any different because of it. Also when we all get together there is almost always at least two of us there so we can band together :). I have gotten a few of the non readers to read Ready Player One and they all enjoyed it.

[Ryan]

Five words for anyone asking about your fantasy novel: It's-like-Game-of-Thrones

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I was sitting and waiting for an appointment, and I'd just started a Kindle book. My daughter asked what is was about. "It's a princess who has wood magic who runs away to join the Navy, which has air ships, but her ship ends up being run by pirates." I don't know what the people next to me thought.

[Andrew]

I just say "It's a fantasy book." If they say they like fantasy I'll actually start paying attention to them and converse LOL Pretty much just talk to me about genre fiction I like from any medium, or dogs, and I'm suddenly very sociable! Otherwise I like to keep to myself as much as possible.

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

I'm a bit lucky with this, I work with a bunch of engineers and software programmers, we are a bunch of dorks and we know it and as much computer dorks we read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Which lets me talk about the books that I read, it's nice to start talking about a book and someone actually seems interested instead of having their eyes get glazed over.

[Sam]

One of my coworkers also reads a lot. But she reads out of love for information and not out of a love for stories. So, while we're both readers, we are incompatible, bookwise.

[Lancer, Warden of the Slums]

There is this guy that has been on a couple of my university classes that I have talked to who also reads fantasy who I now refuse to talk books with. He thinks A Song of Ice and Fire is the be all, end all, fantasy series. Also he has a problem with interrupting people. So whenever I would start to talk about a book with him I would get three words in and then have to listen to a half hour on his fan theories about Jon Snow or something of the like. I couldn't do it anymore and avoid talking g to him now because that's all he does.

[Mike]

Lynne wrote: "Please don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that its a bad thing that they are gamers and for a few game discussions i join in, ask questions and even got a few of them to try Portal (my favourite). Its more that this is an accepted and discussed thing in the office, even if the game is fantasy based and yet my reading of fantasy is a topic that is not understood and avoided. "

No I wasn't thinking that. I do get the feeling that these 'gamers' are more casual with just the standard games such as the earlier mentioned GTA or COD and such games. Especially if you needed to convince them to try Portal, which is great. So I do think there is difference between gamers as well as readers. As soon as you geek out on the subject, you are considered weird :P .

[Sandy]

Lynne wrote: "I definitely know this pain. One of the women i work with leant another a stack of books (travel reads/chart books, "fail in ours stars", my sisters keeper" kind of thing) to enjoy over the holiday..."

Ahhh Mistborn!!! I just finished reading that - a great book - but try to explain it to someone...LOL

[Sandy]

When anyone asks me what I am reading - I just say escape fiction...like Star Wars - most where good wins out over evil. That's my favorite!

[Mary]

Ryan wrote: "Five words for anyone asking about your fantasy novel: It's-like-Game-of-Thrones"

What if it isn't?

I can see all sorts of high fantasy, even, that would make that very inaccurate.

[Ryan]

Then you tell them it's like Harry Potter. If they're not a fantasy reader they probably don't want the details. And if they do they'll ask for them.

[Lancer, Warden of the Slums]

The perfect strategy

[Robin P]

I think sci-fi and fantasy are much more respected and mainstream than they were 40 years ago because of Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, etc. Not to mention Hunger Games & all those YA series.

I am developing a talk about the philosophical side of SF, in that the genre is often about the big questions of life - where did we come from, where are we going, what is the best way to live, what does it mean to be human, etc.

But as far as getting dismissive comments for what you are reading, I think it's at least as hard being a romance reader!

[Sandy]

Robin wrote: "I think sci-fi and fantasy are much more respected and mainstream than they were 40 years ago because of Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, etc. Not to mention Hunger Games & all those..."

Well if that isn't the truth, I don't know what is!

[Jay]

Romance readers do have it hard, as do horror fans. With horror, you've got moral judgements tossed at you on top of all the other stuff. Mystery and thriller fans have it easiest of all genre fans, I think, because at least they (sorta) take place in the real world.

[Rick]

"It is to be expected that our anwsers will be detailed and passionate..."

Actually, it's not for most people and I think when we answer not just with 'Oh, its an epic fantasy, somewhat like Game of Thrones" but launch into 5 minute soliloquy on the plot that we can come off a bit like the guy in Lancer's post. They just asked what we're reading, not for a detailed explanation and in some ways, I think it's on us to realize it's an opening to a conversation, not an invitation to hold forth on the details.

[Jay]

I get you, Rick, but giving a precis of book 5 in an epic fantasy series is... tricky. Comparisons are the quickest way, but the best stuff is tough to compare to anything. Who do you compare Harlan Ellison or Jorge Luis Borges to, anyway?

[Ryan]

Tell them it's like Twin Peaks, James.

[Rick]

James - my point is that we need to realize that the person asking is NOT asking for a 5 minute precis of the book. They're opening a conversation. If someone said "nice day, isn't it?" they don't want a lecture on meteorology, they're trying to talk to you. Reading book 5 of a series? Say "Oh, it's the 5th book in a long epic fantasy series." If they want to know more, they'll ask.

The point is that we need to learn not to geek out immediately - there's nothing wrong with loving what we love, but being able to relate to people who don't is good too.

[Tom]

I usually just say it's fantasy Lord of the rings type thing