The Ugly Truth - Reading Snobs

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Kurt

As a side note - how does one find actual historical fiction instead of historical romance? Use to be my favorite category but there has to be a good way to distinguish between "history" and "bodice rippers"

You could use FictionDB to pull the title and see what they categorize it as. I use that site for everything.

Just so you know you'll hardly find Bodice Rippers out there in Digital unless it's a Self published backlist. All historical romance novels are not Bodice Rippers.

Bodice Rippers were Historical Romance mostly published in the 70s and 80s. It's actually frown upon now for forced seduction in a romance book and mainstream publishers wont touch it.

If you read the description of a romance it will always have two parts. A description about heroine and then hero or vice versa.

[Angst]

This whole thread is an evil attempt to get people to admit they've actually read 50 Shades of Grey. Won't happen.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Angst

This whole thread is an evil attempt to get people to admit they've actually read 50 Shades of Grey. Won't happen.

I've read all 3 books. I found it to be really badly written and and like most fanfic not really having a plot. I mean the author just wrote whatever she was thinking at the moment, by the time you reach the 3rd book there is no plot left.

Most Indie Authors do not write this way. I found alot of good indie authors after I read 50 Shades. So for me 50 Shades gave me the courage to read Indie books I would of never read otherwise.

[Freeshadow]

We won't read it, you won't admit you dread it. Got your point.

[Katsunami]

When looking through FictFact, where I just got an account to track my growing number of series, then I'd almost become a snob myself.

Where do all those "Vampire" series in the Most popular, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, *and* Adventure sections come from? And I'm not talking about 2 or 3. There are 8 Vampire series from diferent authors in the top 100 most of most popular series. That's 12,5%.

What's goin' on here; when did this stuff become so popular?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Angst

This whole thread is an evil attempt to get people to admit they've actually read 50 Shades of Grey. Won't happen.

I've the 50 books AND Twilight

Can't say I'm a huge fan or anything, but I made it through both.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

What's goin' on here; when did this stuff become so popular?

They've been hugely popular for years now. If anything they're less popular than they were a few years ago.

[Freeshadow]

What's goin' on here; when did this stuff become so popular?

I guess it happened when angsty teen girls collectively decided that boys suck

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I've the 50 books AND Twilight
They've been hugely popular for years now. If anything they're less popular than they were a few years ago.

*gulp*

In that case, it's a pity that I'm out of series and books with regard to the most famous authors. I haven't read all of them yet, but I know of them, so I can get the books when I get around to them. I was planning to read some new authors down the line, so I was looking around Literature Map (http://www.literature-map.com/), GoodReads and FactFict.

Shouldn't have done that. Vampire Romance is not my thing, I think....

[Iznogood]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

I guess it happened when angsty teen girls collectively decided that boys suck

Whereas vampires doesn't suck? .

Something, somewhere, went terribly, terribly wrong with the vampire character. They were created to be the scary bad-guys in horros stories, not actors in a love drama

[Freeshadow]

Just as I said. The girls wanted a different kind of sucking.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Kurt

I don't recall ever having been made fun of because of what i read, but for being a reader - lordy

Once made fun of my grandmothers reading material (romances)
Holy crap, that was a mistake
Got a bit of a tirade (for her) about her being a teacher her entire life and having to read stuff she had to and now she was going to read what she wanted to

As a side note - how does one find actual historical fiction instead of historical romance? Use to be my favorite category but there has to be a good way to distinguish between "history" and "bodice rippers"

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Read Amazon's book descriptions. It's usually pretty obvious whether you're getting romance or straight fiction, though in my experience it's pretty hard to get away from some romance in *any* historical fiction.

If you try to look at westerns, on Amazon, more than half are Romance Westerns. There should be a way to filter more closely than is now possible. Or else I am blind and it is right in front of me.This happens more frequently the older I get.
Apache

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Just as I said. The girls wanted a different kind of sucking.

And boys don't?
Apache

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by Iznogood

Something, somewhere, went terribly, terribly wrong with the vampire character. They were created to be the scary bad-guys in horros stories, not actors in a love drama

Actually, if you look at the original illustrations for the Victorian vampire stories, the eroticism is very thinly veiled.

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Speaking of covers. Mary Balogh who we know to publish traditional Regency romances has been fighting with her publisher on the cover of a paperback release of The Proposal. Her books covers usually feature a lady in a dress. Very pretty and tasteful.

The new cover is a guy taking his shirt off. She finally gave in. I don't think she should of. Almost all comments from her fans said they hated the cover as it misrepresented her writing and story style. I found the cover to be ordinary and would pass it right by.

If you have Facebook you can scroll through her timelime and see the cover and the original cover that should of been used.

So it's marketing to blame for these man titty covers. Majority of romance readers prefer tasteful covers. I like the ones with couples on it in romantic poses. One of my favorites is this one here

I'm late to the party -- I followed your facebook timeline link and it took a bit to get to the covers, but I saw this along the way and thought it fit with the discussion (that I've read so far; it might in out of place at this point in the discussion. )

[Iznogood]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Actually, if you look at the original illustrations for the Victorian vampire stories, the eroticism is very thinly veiled.

Yes, I know. It's quite clear in the dialogue too. In Dracula, where Lucy tells Mina about her dream, it is particularly clear. But nevertheless, the vampires have traditionally been the bad guys