Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ARCHIVE (General Topics)
>
What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
message 6301:
by
Anne
(new)
Jan 11, 2012 09:10AM
That's like some impossible dream, Josh. ;-)
reply
|
flag
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Wait, you have time to read? I need a sabbatical..."Yes. Indeed. In fact, I think sabbatical is ALL ABOUT the reading."
Definitely. My definition of heaven is "uninterrupted time to read"
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Definitely. My definition of heaven is "uninterrupted time to read"I absolutely agree.
Lisa wrote: "Ouch five that you couldn't finish? "Ditto!
Mod
Red White Black and Blue by Richard Stevenson
Blue's Bayou by David Lennon
Mahu Blood by Neil Plakcy
Malabarista by Garry Ryan
Second You Sin by Scott..."
I am sadly a less and less tolerant reader.
I feel I'm not so tolerant anymore (concerning books), but I've got this compulsion to see what's happening next... So if the book is not satisfying, I'll jump, because I value my free time ;-), but I'll still finish it.
Josh wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Josh wrote: "In the last six weeks I've read:Red White Black and Blue by Richard Stevenson
Blue's Bayou by David Lennon
Mahu Blood by Neil Plakcy
Malabarista by Garry Ryan
Seco..."
That isn't a bad thing. :D
I used to think that I had to finish a book out of respect for the author. But now I think there's only so much time and there are so many things I'd like to read, so I don't finish bad books out of respect for myself.
I have been getting up at 5:00, so I can read for 2 hours before it is time to get up for work. I haven't done that since I was 12 years old and reading Little Women.
Mod
From time to time there have been few books so bad I haven't finished them. And this jumping thing you do sounds quite familiar, too. :) But usually I tend to choose my books well beforehand so the chance that I end up hating them is minimal... and that's when all you guys step into the picture with your great recommendations! :)
Josh wrote: "I am sadly a less and less tolerant reader."I've been the same way for a while. It's frustrating; makes me feel like some old fuss-budget. (Sorry. That's a word from my childhood that I don't get to use very often. *g*)
So -- and I'm asking everybody, not just Josh -- what's the difference between stories that absorb you and stories that don't? What's the magical mystery quality? I've been thinking about this lately, because, as hungry as I am to read, I've done a lot of book jumping in medias res.
I am currently reading Second You Sin by Scott Sherman. Interestingly, this is my first return to print book after almost 1,5 years. I read everything in ebooks nowadays, I feel like I need to "challenge" myself to read print books
Mod
As far as books that I have not finished... Josh, I'm curious now to know what you didn't finish, but I know you don't want to post that online.
Usually, if I buy a book, I try to finish it because they're so expensive these days and I did spend my money on it. I feel like it would be a waste of money otherwise. That, and sometimes I hold out hope that something about the book will improve, if the problem is with the storyline.
But, that being said, I AM getting a LOT pickier than I used to be. And there have been a few books that if I were to start reading them now, I probably wouldn't finish them. And at least one I know I couldn't read past chapter two. The one I didn't finish, was because it was poorly written and I couldn't stand all the 'he said failingly's, all the adverbs attached to so many dialog tags that just weren't necessary, and I mean like five per page. It drove me NUTS. I even gave the book a second chance before dumping it, and didn't get past chapter one!
So, errors like that definitely don't help. Of course, that particular book, also happens to be VERY popular. It's one of those you either love it or hate it, I think.
Other books that I didn't like and ultimately got rid of included LOTS of boring sex scenes that were so repetative it was pointless. I could have kept rereading the first scene over and over again for the same effect. Another book was soooo unrealistic, even though it was supposed to have this minor "magical" element to it, that I couldn't suspend disbelief to believe it could actually happen. The book's premise had great potential, but the author didn't take it as far as it could have gone. I didn't feel as emotionally connected to the characters as I should have, and everything happened too fast to be believeable.
lol, that's what DIDN'T keep me reading. So, K.Z., you're asking what DID? Well, for sure, good writing is the most basic thing. If I can feel like I'm actually THERE in a location, if I can feel the emotions of the characters, no matter how farfetched an idea might seem, if I can believe it, those are awesome qualities.
K.Z. wrote: "Josh wrote: "I am sadly a less and less tolerant reader."I've been the same way for a while. It's frustrating; makes me feel like some old fuss-budget. (Sorry. That's a word from my childhood tha..."
The older I get the less tolerant I become, life is too short to read bad books, and there are so many good ones I rather read. So I stop if the writing is bad, the story is boring or it doesn't interest me. But I like to think I always give it a fair chance, some books need a little time to get into. But one thing that really turns me off is bad writing, clumsy language, bad grammar, in short if the author doesn't know her craft. With so many self-published books easily reached by Kindle, there have been a few too many of those. I have at least learned to sample first before I buy.
But the one most important factor is that I have to care about the characters in the book. They don't have to be handsome or clever or heroic, or not even likeable, but I need to feel an interest in what will happen to them. I also like books with a sense of place and setting, exotic or more mundane, as long as I get drawn into it. So people and places must trigger my interest.
Or that is what I think right now, but it is actually a hard question to answer. :)(Maybe it must also be a little touch of magic, that thing we can't explain)
Sloppy or stilted writing is a sure read-kill for me, too. As are hackneyed characters, nonstop smart-assery and snappy repartee (God, that grates on my nerves), too much violence, and too heavy an emphasis on sex. Normally I can determine from a blurb and excerpt if I'll be able to get into a book, but . . . sometimes I'm fooled. :)
L.C. wrote: "For me, strong characterization and solid craft are number one. If the characters are engaging, well-drawn, "alive" and I believe and care about them, I'll buy pretty much anything they go through. I like a good dose of angst too."That's a formula I can easily live with. But I do lose interest in sex scenes if there's an abundance of them, and I'm too squeamish to tolerate extreme and repeated violence (don't necessarily object to it, just can't take it).
The characters make the difference for me too, and the sign is that I can't stop thinking about them, or I find myself thinking about them in the middle of other things.
It might be a little too vague, but I have this 'thing' that I call writing style chemistry. I just need to 'feel' it. Characters can be engaging and solid but if I don't feel that kind of chemistry with the writing style, I might not be absorbed into the story as much. Genre is also one thing; I have a comfort zone. I know I will not too engaged with anything historical or too sci-fi. I know I have better luck in the mystery/murder or urban fantasy department.Buzz-kill? Too much sex can be one of them. Especially is the sex sacrifices character development. This especially in romance, though -- cause I definitely do not find too many sex scenes in murder mystey :-). For urban fantasy/paranormal genre, too complicated jargons can be a buzzkill for me too.
Yeah, I know it is vague definition, SORRY!
Ami wrote: "It might be a little too vague, but I have this 'thing' that I call writing style chemistry."I absolutely believe there is such a thing, Ami. I haven't been able to get through a whole lot of books, some by very popular authors, simply because their stylistic "signatures" either left me cold or annoyed me. If I don't find prose engaging, I can't muddle through it. That's one of the reasons I love Fitzgerald, for example, but am not too fond of Hemingway.
Ami wrote: "It might be a little too vague, but I have this 'thing' that I call writing style chemistry. I just need to 'feel' it. Characters can be engaging and solid but if I don't feel that kind of chemistr..."Actually, that's more or less what I was about to say. I think almost anything can be engaging, as long as there's that chemistry. I call it passion for the subject, but it's that same thing. Something that reels you in. I've read book where the blurb nearly put me to sleep but the book is fantastic.
I don't know if it's anything anyone can learn. My caveat is that this engaging quality can be killed by bad grammar, horrible formatting and/or other mistakes that distract from the story.
Mod
Yes, if I'm at all curious, I'll usually skim to the end, but more and more I feel less guilty about closing the book and moving on to the next thing.
One thing that I'm glad of is I still open every new book with a feeling of anticipation. I love reading and I love finding new good books, so at least that hasn't been spoiled for me.
Mod
:-D
Reading IS wonderful, no doubt about it. The excitement I felt reading the Rifter series brought back to me how much I love losing myself in someone else's imagination.
Mod
.."
What a simple and yet great idea. I feel too guilty to delete books, but I hate having those titles mixed in with everything else. A separate collection would be perfect.
Mod
..."
So interesting. What makes it a challenge for you?
How are you enjoying the book, by the way?
Josh wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I've made some less than perfect choices and had to make a separate collection on my kindle for books I haven't finished. .."
What a simple and yet great idea. I feel too guilty t..."
I always save books in my harddrive. Then I'll upload some to my iPod to read. That way, I can delete books on my iPod if I dont want to read it anymore without actually deleting the files altogether. And I can sort them more easily.
Believe it or not, I have a folder named "Bad books". LOL!
Oh, and it's useful as backup too!
Mod
So much of it is not very good. The author has the rhythm but not the wit -- it's like a parrot mimicking sound without understanding what it's saying (or am I being too hard on parrots?).
Also I watch authors getting so caught up in trying to be smartassed and snappy that they miss opportunities to have the characters actually communicate -- which is the *point* of dialog.
Mod
If I like the characters enough I can overlook a lot. And in that way I think I'm actually a pretty tolerant reader.
K.Z. wrote: "...nonstop smart-assery and snappy repartee (God, that grates on my nerves)..."You are not a fan of Harry Dresden, I assume. XD
OT:
I'm currently reading Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling.
Mod
You are not a fan of Harry Dresden, I assume. XD
OT:
I'm currently reading Luck in the Shadows ..."
The Dresden books are on my To Read list. I love the premise. Even the TV series was not enough to totally spoil it for me.
I wish there was a way to return unfinished e-books. I feel like there should be a way to show the publisher that you've only looked at x number of pages or only read 30% of a book before stopping it. At least with print books I can return it if I don't like it. Perhaps we'd get better editing and formatting if the return policies were more lenient.
Josh wrote: "Lady*M wrote: "The Dresden books are on my To Read list. I love the premise. Even the TV series was not enough to totally spoil it for me."I'm not even going to try the series. I just can't imagine anyone at this point capturing Harry and his world at least competently. Especially since Harry is one of my favorite characters. I hope you'll like him. ^^
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "The characters make the difference for me too, and the sign is that I can't stop thinking about them, or I find myself thinking about them in the middle of other things."I couldn't agree more, and it happens to me too.
Lady*M wrote: "You are not a fan of Harry Dresden, I assume. XD"You assume correctly. ;-)
Actually, I did read a couple of Harry Dresden novels, because male UF protagonists are relatively rare. (I have one of my own -- gay, of course -- who came into being long before I'd even heard of Jim Butcher, so that made me especially curious.) But I'm afraid I found the execution of the concept a real letdown, for a whole batch of reasons.
The Markhat stories by Frank Tuttle are infinitely better, IMO -- better written, more original, more entertaining. I'd also like to read some of Rob Thurman's UF; her fiction is pretty highly regarded.
Mod
Yup yup. The kind of characters I keep thinking of in the shower, when I'm cooking, while shoveling snow, in the line of the grocery store, when I go to sleep and wake up... this is starting to sound unhealthy... but the characters that make the difference feel like old friends. :)
K.Z. wrote: "Lady*M wrote: "You are not a fan of Harry Dresden, I assume. XD"You assume correctly. ;-)
Actually, I did read a couple of Harry Dresden novels, because male UF protagonists are relatively rare...."
Rob Thurman is very good in my opinion, especially her Cal Leandros series. There is little romance but plenty of angst and dark emotions and a very beautiful relationship between two brothers. In a few of the books there is a little too much fighting in stead of real plot, but mostly they are very enjoyable in a dark, twisted kind of way.
Josh wrote: "So much of it is not very good. The author has the rhythm but not the wit -- it's like a parrot mimicking sound without understanding what it's saying. Also I watch authors getting so caught up in trying to be smartassed and snappy that they miss opportunities to have the characters actually communicate -- which is the *point* of dialog."
Yes, exactly. I love touches of humor in otherwise serious fiction (or serious characters), but if it's layered on like frosting on a cheap birthday cake, it quickly becomes cloying . . . and does take the place of more meaningful dialogue.
Josh wrote: "So interesting. What makes it a challenge for you?How are you enjoying the book, by the way?"
What makes it a challenge? Simply because I haven't ready ANYTHING in print format since 2010. I love reading with Kindle too much, that I feel lazy of going back to read print books. I like being able to search for words, look up on the dictionary, as well as highlighting words. I cannot do that with print books ... well, not as easily.
Second You Sin is GREAT. I'm having fun with it. Kevin is just adorable.
K.Z. wrote: "Actually, I did read a couple of Harry Dresden novels, because male UF protagonists are relatively rare...."I agree that male UF protagonists are rare. But, I was having great luck last year finding some; like those from Mark Del Franco, Trent Jamieson, Rob Thurman, Sonya Bateman, and Kevin Hearne . Of course, Harry Dresden is still my #1 Male Lead in UF :D.
I'll try to check Frank Tuttle, but at the moment, I'm trying Anton Strout
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Candice wrote: "Re: Dark Soul 3. I enjoyed the first two offerings quite a lot. The 2 MC's are very hot, and I was interested in following their romance and their war. Part 3, however, gave me pa..."I hope you're right. I'm ready to move on into the meat of the story, no pun intended--Yeah, it was just that 3rd part with Franco and feeling this was setting up for a three-way that left me sort of bored. Voinov is fond of his three-ways.
Johanna wrote: "Candice wrote: "Re: Dark Soul 3. I enjoyed the first two offerings quite a lot. The 2 MC's are very hot, and I was interested in following their romance and their war. Part 3, however, gave me pa..."Cool. I'll have to hang in then.
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "The characters make the difference for me too, and the sign is that I can't stop thinking about them, or I find myself thinking about them in the middle of other things."I think we're real lucky when we finish a book and can't stop thinking about the characters. Doesn't happen much, but when it does...It's worth all those frogs I had to kiss, you know?
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Wait, you have time to read? I need a sabbatical..."Yes. Indeed. In fact, I think sabbatical is ALL ABOUT the reading."
Josh, don't forget Map of the Harbor Islands. It's only in print, last I checked. If you don't like it, don't finish it--I'm aware I keep thumping my head against the same brick wall, but I keep hoping someone fm this group will read it and remark. It is, simply, one of the best m/m books I've ever read.
Candice wrote: "Josh, don't forget Map of the Harbor Islands. It's only in print, last I checked. If you don't like it, don't finish it--I'm aware I keep thumping my head against the same brick wall, but I keep hoping someone fm this group will read it and remark. It is, simply, one of the best m/m books I've ever read."I bought it exactly because it was privately recommended as excellent from someone from this group, but I haven't read it yet.
You can buy it used from $3.19 plus shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listin...
Josh wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "The characters make the difference for me too, and the sign is that I can't stop thinking about them, or I find myself thinking about them in the middle of other things." If I like the characters enough I can overlook a lot. And in that way I think I'm actually a pretty tolerant reader.
I feel the same way, about both of these comments. You know they're great characters when you can't get them off your mind! :D And there have been quite a few times where I've been able to overlook a sloppy and/or mediocre plot if I'm in love with the characters (character development is my favourite aspect of a story, even a tiny bit more important than the storyline itself).
@Josh: I noticed that your FB page says it's your birthday today, so... Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have an awesome day today. :)
Mod
Oh, I wasn't on facebook yet. From me too then: buon compleanno!
@ Josh: Happy birthday! Gratulerer med dagen!
Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin! Have a lovely one, Josh. (Take that any way you choose. *g*)
Have a glorious birthday, Josh. You deserve the best, today and all year through!
CK wrote: "Josh wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "The characters make the difference for me too, and the sign is that I can't stop thinking about them, or I find myself thinking about them in the middle..."It's your birthday? Happy b-day, Josh!
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Chained Melody (other topics)The Far Pavilions (other topics)
Death in Kashmir (other topics)
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (other topics)
Mistress of the Art of Death (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
M.M. Kaye (other topics)Elspeth Huxley (other topics)
Lauren Willig (other topics)
Charlie Cochet (other topics)
Damon Suede (other topics)
More...
