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What WON'T you read?
message 51:
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Tammie
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Dec 20, 2017 08:29AM
Also I'm debating not reading Rothfuss any more because of the way he has disrespected his fans with his comments in an article. Of course I'm not convinced that there will ever be another book to read anyway.
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To be honest Silvana if you told me that last year I would have called you a special snowflake or shit like that nowadays people have different tastes I guess people find different thing tolerable and it's very tiring cause I see a lot of people who say people are triggered or offended when they disagree with something and they just close themselves inPretty much you do whatever works for you 😊😊👍🏽👍🏽
Silvana wrote: "As for types of books I avoid, I generally avoid anything about two people (usually different sex) who had to endure hardship in a troubled land/kingdom/planet/dystopian world blablabla and they wi..."I agree with the animal abuse, or from an animal's point of view, cuz you know it means the animal is going to die. I can't be the only one who cries harder in movies when the dog dies than when the human does shortly after?
Why won't you read a book with over 4.5 star rating? I'm the opposite I guess. I always check goodreads ratings before reading a book and won't read anything under 3.9 stars.
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That was the end of book 4... Book 3 was the (view spoiler)
Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Iain wrote: "A bit of a discussion sprung up in the Buddy Read Invite thread, this is just..."Ah yes... KMM was really good with the cliffhangers back then. Makes me wonder if the same person wrote those books as the new ones.
Genres I won't read are:Erotica
Grimdark fantasy - I just can't take too much sadness and darkness.
Celebrity biographies and memoirs
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I'm pretty wary of books below 3.75-3.9 stars as well... it's really hard to go below 4 stars average on this site... that plus most of the front page being low rating reviews tends to be a bad sign... so I read some of the reviews to find out why, usually...
Genres: I'm also not much for non-fiction (outside of the occasional comedian memoir) and the classics... I'm lucky to read anything pre-1990, never mind going back further...)
Slightly tangential: I read a few Kay Scarpetta novels a year or 2 ago Postmortem, Body of EvidenceAll That Remains) and I dropped them because they weren't gripping me and I liked each book less than the last... but reading up on the rest of the series, the fact that the MC stays around 40-45 across 25+ books while her niece ages from 10-30 really annoyed me...
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The MZB thing was news to me, but I'm definitely not going to be reading her now. In all honestly, her books have been collecting dust on my shelves for years and I probably wouldn't have gotten around to them anyway.
I have a hard time reading any more from Orson Scott Card. I decided if I do continue, I'll take advantage of the library and won't be financially investing in him. No reviews/promotions on my blog either.
Jamie Maguire is also an author I probably won't buy from (I guess she made the "authors behaving badly" list because she bullies reviewers who didn't like her books). I'd already owned a few from her when she started doing that.
Of late, I'm considering not reading the final Rothfuss book even though it was my favorite series at some point. I just picture it will be filled with loathing and spite lol. (Ditto to what Tammie said above).
Overall, I'm really glad most authors are a delight. Plenty of amazing writers to support. There's a few I'll auto-buy no matter what. :)
Niki Hawkes wrote: "I probably won't read many things non-speculative fiction, but that's more due to a preference thing rather than true aversion. The MZB thing was news to me, but I'm definitely not going to be re..."
I remember the Jamie Maguire thing. I believe Leigh Fallon was also bullying reviewers around the same time. It was a wave of a few authors acting badly. I followed author behavior more closely back in the days when I had a book review blog. Good thing their books aren't that great anyway.
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The MZB thing was news to me, but I'm definitel..."
Is this the one where Goodreads caused controversy for deleting a bunch of negative reviews?
Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I probably won't read many things non-speculative fiction, but that's more due to a preference thing rather than true aversion. The MZB thing was ne..."
This blog post (not mine) sums it up nicely.
http://www.theyakitten.net/2012/12/28...
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The MZB..."
Then they all die from a sarcasm overload. ... I started giggling... legit giggling...
EDIT: I didn't read all of it, but damn... a lot happened there in 2012...
Googling "Goodreads controversy" showed that the deleted reviews happened in 2013, and seemed to stem from this stuff that happened in 2012..
Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I probably won't read many things non-speculative fiction, but that's more due to a preference thing rather th..."2 of those events directly effected the blog I co-authored. The drama, and my son's birth in Nov of 2012, resulted in me giving up book blogging.
To be honest at this moment in time apart from Orson Scott Card there are no authors that I won't read due to a dislike of the author personally. An author has to push my rules about separating artist from art extremely hard to end up on my 'banned list' hence there only being one name on there so far. One indie author nearly made the list when, because he didn't like a persons review he threatened to pay someone to put a curse on the reviewers and his family if he didn't remove it!As for topics that I don't like to read, they are a lot more common. But the main one is love-triangles (I've yet to find a plot improved by sticking one in there).
Yanique wrote: "Biographies, auto-biographies, memoirs....I simply don't care enough about celebrities to want to know more about them, their histories or experiences. I also hate when random famous people who h..."
I'm not interested in them either, for exactly the same reason. I'm not a fan on the non-fiction genre as a whole really.
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This is really digging back into my memory, tho... and I may be getting details wrong or mixing stories... googling shows a long article on plaguirism and how she was banned from fanfiction.net... I'm not rereading it tho...
Hailee wrote: "To be honest at this moment in time apart from Orson Scott Card there are no authors that I won't read due to a dislike of the author personally. An author has to push my rules about separating art..."Huh just read up on the Marion Zimmer Bradley case. Guess there is another one to add to my list.
But to be honest I wouldn't buy anything from someone who did that to children whether its an author, artist, fashion designer or someone who owned a corner shop.
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Diana Stormblessed wrote: "This blog post (not mine) sums it up nicely.http://www.theyakitten.net/2012/12/28... "
... I have just gone through the post, but I only clicked on a few of the links for a greater understanding. I am stunned at shit like the dress-slutty-get-raped comparison (why are we still having this conversation?) and the "only post positive reviews or gtfo" implications.
But I get what Shannon Hale is saying about the 3/5 stars not being a "good" rating- I came to the same conclusion and tend to rate "books I actively enjoyed" as four stars because that's more in tune with percentages. She also backed off pretty fast, and I am unsure as to why it's bad behavior rather than expressing an opinion. I can't in good conscience laugh and smile at a book and then give it 60%.
Wow, nicely said Niki. You have me wondering if I should go back and put Goodkind back on my TBR.
Sha wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "This blog post (not mine) sums it up nicely.http://www.theyakitten.net/2012/12/28... "
... I have just gone through the post, but I only clicked on a few of the links ..."
I reserve 3 stars for books that were just ok. If a book made me connect with the characters in any way I'll give it 4 stars, but if I thought the book was nothing special but I didn't hate it I'll give it 3 stars. Authors need to deal with it because I'm not giving 4 stars to a book that wasn't great, so their options become 3 or 2.
Thanks Niki I'm glad someone had something positive to say. I'm still looking forward to starting the Sword of Truth series in May. But now I'll be a bit more aware now of the potential issues.
Niki Hawkes wrote: "I have something small to add about Goodkind (because this is where the conversation started, no?). I agree with most of the criticisms of the series (especially in regard to the ill treatment of w..."I haven't read his Sword of Truth series, but that's because I was told it was a poor rip off of Wheel of Time, which wasn't my favorite anyway. I'm assuming you'd disagree? Should I try reading it?
Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I reserve 3 stars for books that were just ok. If a book made me connect with the characters in any way I'll give it 4 stars, but if I thought the book was nothing special but I didn't hate it I'll give it 3 stars. Authors need to deal with it because I'm not giving 4 stars to a book that wasn't great, so their options become 3 or 2."I agree with that assessment, but for goodreads, three stars is "I liked it" as per the official (?) star chart thingy. For me 4 stars is "I liked it" and 3 stars is "meh". It's just- *makes incomprehensible hand motions* weird to see anyone claim 3 stars is a good rating. It's a "just okay" rating.
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Thank you. I'm clearly biased in favor, but I think he's worth a try. There were a few things I found hard to stomach, but nowhere near as graphic as what Brent Weeks and Mark Lawrence (Broken Empire) write (for me, anyway. We've established that I'm a wuss when it comes to that stuff). But the positives definitely outweighed the negatives. To be frank, my biggest complaint about the series as a whole (especially in two of the later books) is how often Goodkind feels the need to beat you over the head with a concept.
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Yes to both. Now, I've only read the first three of Wheel of Time, but for me the series couldn't be more different. The characters' motivations and dynamics are different, the world is unique, and the writing/storytelling is much more concise (ONLY when compared to Jordan would I say Goodkind's writing is concise hahaha. He is known for dragging things out a little longer than necessary, but it wasn't an issue for me throughout the WHOLE series, only for a book or two in the middle), and overall I was riveted with Sword of Truth for a vast majority of the series. Whereas you know the issues I've been having with Jordan in general haha. Atm there's no contest between them.
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I'm still looking forward to starting the Sword of Truth series in May. But now I'll be a bit more aware now of the potential issues."
I hope you enjoy it - you'll have to let us know what you think. :)
Thanks, Niki. I'll remember that and see where I'm at on reading when the group(s) get on that Sword of Truth buddy read.
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So much going on already for 2018. I'm certain I'm going to miss at least half of the reads I signed up for. If you do pick it up, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts. I'm glad to hear you ended up liking Red Sister (different thread lol).
@Sha I don't get goodreads review system. If 3 is I liked it, what's 4? What's 5? I mean how many levels of like is there? Should it be like and then love? Sorry, /rant.@Niki, you won me over. I'll give it a try :-)
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@Niki, you won me over. I'..."
I hope it works for you. :D I really didn't think I'd feel spurred to championing that series today. Surprised myself haha.
Just personally, I won't read Stephen King. Something about the writing and content of his books just turns me off completely. But then, I honestly will probably never read the horror genre in general haha. Thrillers I can handle. Horror just doesn't do it for me at all.
Also the idea of a grown man sticking a 12 year old orgy scene into his book basically is disgusting to me haha.
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On Goodkind. I read his books back before I was on GR or any other social book sites or forums so I didn’t know that many felt so poorly about this series. I got his first book from the library and loved it. I went and got the next 5 or 6 at the bookstore and liked them to varying degrees but needed a break and could never motivate myself to pick them back up. Like Niki I think are definitely some positives but I think the story got too repetitive for me. He also really hammers home certain concepts and that got a bit tedious for me.
I don't like sappy contemporaries, myself. Specifically, I didn't care for many 2017 contemporaries, which was sad since I bought most of them.
OMG, I go to work, and this thread takes off like wildfire! I want to read through the whole thing, but probably won't be able to until the weekend.@Chris, I understand what you were saying earlier. I don't always let politics get in the way of my entertainment, nor do I search out that information, but the minute I know someone is racist, homophobic, transphobic, a misogynist, a misandrist, xenophobic, or the like, I walk away.
In other words - all people should be treated with decency and have their fundamental human rights observed and respected.
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Nyssa wrote: "the minute I know someone is racist, homophobic, transphobic, a misogynist, a misandrist, xenophobic, or the like, I walk away. .."I think the problem I see on GR, and other social sites, is defining these things. I've seen a lot of bullying and shaming done to people that admit to being Republican or Conservative. Sometimes simply admitting to being "Christian" is enough to be labeled those "-ist" words forever.
Short version, I wait until an author has offended me before I get offended. If I'm concerned with something I hear, I'll research and see what the person actually said to get people going. Most times it's just blown out of proportion.
Chris wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "the minute I know someone is racist, homophobic, transphobic, a misogynist, a misandrist, xenophobic, or the like, I walk away. .."I think the problem I see on GR, and other social ..."
Same, Chris.
There's too many accusations going around these days. I'd rather make decisions for myself, because it's too easy to get caught up in the general uproar of the masses. I've seen good people (including friends) get very hurt from stuff like that.
100% agree with you chris you see this every where people making sweeping generalisations and accuse people for stuff they didn't do if you lean right you racist if you lean left your an sjw and all that and looks like I took us down the political route now 😂😂
No worries, Ahdam. That's part of it as many avoid authors that offend us, for whatever reasons. Those "-ist" and "-obic" words are trendy right now and do affect choices, and unfortunately politics gets into everything we enjoy.Thanks, Liam. You put that into a shorter version that works better I think lol
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I think this route is inevitable in a conversation like this. I've lived in the US for over 10 years now and the politics is still baffling.
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@Chris, I understand what you were saying earli..."
I agree, I have no interest in supporting these types of people or reading their work. However; since I don't follow any of these people on any type of social forums (I just don't get celebrity and really don't care about anything they do or have to say outside of their books) I never know about this issues until things like this thread.
C.H. wrote: "Mortgage Guidelines."haha, good one!
I won't read anything with zombies in them or that can be categorized as horror. Also, I tread lightly around YA fantasy and I definitely don't read any Stephen King novels. There may be others but none spring to mind at the moment.Edit: Oh yeah, something did spring to mind just now. I will never ever read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.
Dani wrote: "I won't read anything with zombies in them or that can be categorized as horror. Also, I tread lightly around YA fantasy and I definitely don't read any Stephen King novels. There may be others but..."Haha I could have written this whole comment myself. I do have two Joe Hill (King's son) books on my shelf but I'm too scared to read them lol. Never seen the appeal of zombie books or movie's for that matter.
Chris wrote: Short version, I wait until an author has offended me before I get offended. If I'm concerned with something I hear, I'll research and see what the person actually said to get people going. Most times it's just blown out of proportion. ..or taken a comment out of context.
Chris wrote: Short version, I wait until an author has offended me before I get offended
I think this is an excellent rule of thumb to live by and I think I'm gonna shamelessly steal it from you Chris.
I don’t jump to conclusions about anyone either, which is why I enjoy a diverse group of friends and acquaintances.As for reading “no”s - I don’t understand the fascination with zombies, and I don’t like love triangles.
I was a Stephen King fan as a high school student, And there are a few of his novels I wouldn’t mind reading again; in fact two of them are on my favorites list.
As for horror in general, I tend to tread lightly.
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All That Remains (other topics)
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