Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Book snobs
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The world has enough cheap paperbacks at the airport I reckon.She was this older lady, retired. I think some of the meanest ladies are the retired ladies because they are gossips and busybodies.
One of my friends said there's this one group who meets at the community house and they are the nastiest old hags ever. They just complain about everyone else and their families and moan.
I am not sure why but I get the impression that I am not of their babybooming generation so don't understand their priveliged lifestyle.
Mod
I think there are all kinds of book snobbery. Some of the statements people make are truly stunning. "I would never read THOSE despised, second-rate teen vampire novels -- only THESE refined, meaningful teen vampire novels." And for someone NOT to want free books at a swap event reeks of mental illness. Being a cranky old busybody transcends the generations; it's not just the Baby Boomers, although they do seem to feel as a group that they are pretty gosh-darn special in some way they can never quantify. Once you pass a certain age you become susceptible to busy-body-dom. If that's a word.
if I see someone reading a light romance I say, well, they are reading something. lolI am catholic about books I suppose. I don't judge books by their covers, even though some covers are absolutely awful.
If a book is bad, its a bad book it doesn't matter what genre it is.
I had a manager who read mills and boons. She managed the Engineering Library. Of course I didn't read any of the engineering books because I didn't study engineering, but, I would if I did!
Maybe the people reading light romance just want to know what its like to have one. But that doesn't mean they can't read a biography or memoir once in while, which CAN have romance in it.
Mod
I am catholic about books I suppose. I don't judge books by their covers, even though some covers are absolute..."
I used to read all romance and chick-lit so I'm not judging. I just want to tell them how much more interesting nonfiction is. I like fiction once in a while if it has some substance. After reading romance for so long it all started to sound the same.
Yea it seems some people are just locked into one genre and snob everything else. They don't know what they missing.
I mainly read non-fiction, true crime and biographies specifically. But in my reading life i have read: romance, historical romance, horror, paranormal, urban paranormal, paranormal romance, vampires (serious-think Bram Stoker, and non-serious, Susie Stackhouse), erotica, thrillers, mysteries (adult and children-Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys) other children serial books (Bobsey twins, Boxcar Children), comic books, and graphic novels. I'm pretty sure there are more genres I've read just can't remember.Anyway, I think I've earned the right to be a book snob, about what I READ. What other people read is their business, at least they are reading.
What I find funny are people to tell me they read just to be entertained not enlightened. Studies have shown that people who read on a regular basis have improved cognitive function, so they are being enlightened whether they like it or not.
Mod
Well said, Bel. I like what you said about being a snob about what YOU read.
I tell my grandchildren that there are no stupid people, just uninformed. People I play trivia games with think I am really smart. I don't think I am at all. I just pick up a lot of things when I am reading. I like presidential biographies so I do well with presidential trivia questions. Nobody is born knowing these things. You have to educate yourself.
yea this lady was being snobby about what she thought others wanted to read. And I like gardening books so if they have too many I will take them. But I judge on the individual books not the whole genres.
For example within gardening I would prefer nz gardening books to any other countries because that's relevant to me. But doesn't mean I don't read or appreciate other kinds of books. And someone else might like what I don't like or have time for. And that's ok.
I mean if the whole book exchange was just restricted to paperback novels I wouldn't even go there and they should just call it something else, like, I don't know, pulp fiction exchange only. And then I would know if one day I really wanted to read pulp fiction, to go there and get the same back.
anyway its no use telling someone who donates things we don't want your stuff. You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libraries I've started up I just take them all and then sort through them, I don't go to the donor oh no we only want this or that. How were they supposed to know the criteria. I think its a bit rude.
Selina wrote: "anyway its no use telling someone who donates things we don't want your stuff. You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libraries I've started up I just take them all and ..."
I agree.
Koren wrote: "Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "I mainly read non-fiction, true crime and biographies specifically. But in my reading life i have read: romance, historical romance, horror, paranormal, urban paranormal, par..."I read a lot of different things now. In the past I would go through periods where all I read was certain genres like mystery, science fiction or romance but while my favorite now is non-fiction or biography I still read anything that looks interesting and especially if it has been recommended.
I am now reading The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition by Lewis Carroll which is so interesting but it is considered fiction but as you read the story, you find out what Carroll eluded to in what he wrote, historical information about the period, what those old English phrases mean. Kinda of a bio, dictionary, historical non-fiction, children's fiction all rolled up in one book.
I've read Annotated Alice, had to read it for a literature paper, but it kinda ruined the story for me. Well, it was interesting finding out all this stuff, but the theories behind it were a bit..weird. I don't think Lewis Carroll actually meant it to have Freudian dream things in there. He was a mathematician, not a psychiatrist.
Selina wrote: "anyway its no use telling someone who donates things we don't want your stuff. You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libraries I've started up I just take them all and ..."
It's foolish to do anything other than take every single book gratefully. No matter how unsuitable a book looks to you, it's going to be exactly what someone else is looking for.
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "anyway its no use telling someone who donates things we don't want your stuff. You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libraries I've started up I just tak..."
When people donate books to our library, they are sorted by the Friends of the Library for their book sale. Some go on the free shelf, some are put away for the book sale and some are sold online. Some books are taken by staff especially popular books. The teen librarian has all these extra copies of the Harry Potter books and when the ones in circulation get in bad shape we remove them and then process the extra copies and add them to the collection.
Mod
You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libraries I've star..."
I just found out our library is not going to have a fall sale and may discontinue the annual book sale altogether. They say it costs more to pay their help to organize the sale than what they made.
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "anyway its no use telling someone who donates things we don't want your stuff. You either take it all or you don't.
When people donate to the libra..."
Our Friends of the Library does our sale and it is all volunteers. That's too bad.
Mod
You either take it all or you don't.
When people donat..."
Our library uses volunteers to run it the day of the sale but I don't think they use volunteers to set it up or to take all the books out of the computer system. There's another library close to me that is having a sale next Fri. but I have to work and don't think I want to drive that far when its been going on for a full day but we will see...I will probably be obsessed and have to go anyway.
Its easier just to have a regular withdrawn trolley and sell them bit by bit then have to organise a big one day sale.
Selina wrote: "Its easier just to have a regular withdrawn trolley and sell them bit by bit then have to organise a big one day sale."We also have book trolleys. One is by the checkout desk and all the books on there are 50 cents. Then we have one with newer books and those are marked with prices, anywhere from $1 to $6. The volunteers handle those too. The 50 cent books are very popular. Who can pass up a 50 cent book?
Not I!Where I live, the Lions hold a $1 book sale every month in their hall. I think anything that doesn't sell at the library goes there.
Selina wrote: "Not I!Where I live, the Lions hold a $1 book sale every month in their hall. I think anything that doesn't sell at the library goes there."
Monthly- that seems like a lot of work. But $1 a book is pretty reasonable.
I went to buy a withdrawn book today and the librarian gave it to me for free. It was a lonely planet guide to Vietnam, only two years old, so not too out of date. A friend is going.
Now that's the right price! Have the friend give my regards to the giant Mekong Delta catfish!
Mod
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Now that's a big fish.,
I have a neighbour who is really into biography, memoir, true story same as me. He reads them by the dozen. But he got so many that he didn't have room for them so I offered to take them to the book exchange for him.
(if I want any I can just go there and exchange them again). But this one lady at the book exchange was acting like a real snob and said you know theres some books we don't take here.
I'm like, I don't know whats in these boxes (there were like 4 of them chock full of books) but if you don't want them I will just take them to the sallies.
She then complained that they didn't want any...gardening, cook books, or heavy books.
All they seem to want is 'light reads' whatever that is. The books were mostly biographies.
I was like, lady, if you don't want all these FREE books which would have cost an arm and a leg and they are in good condition, then just say. Well, I didn't say that I just said if you don't want them I will take them to someone that does.
I wasn't going to sift through them all and how would I know what books they would like? its a free book exchange for goodness sakes. grr.