Ever kept reading despite knowing better?

[Rbneader]

Mercedes Lackey.

At first, I tried to take Valdemar seriously, and spent way too much time facepalming over the nonsensical politics and economics, the convoluted and handwavy magic, the way her characters have about 5 main personalities and can't be distinguished without heavy accents, and the really weird attitude towards romance. Oh, and how the 'heroes' are lauded for kidnapping and brainwashing kids and teens. All the villains are rapists, or at least bigots.

Now I read them as satires on the romantic fantasy genre (also, deleted most of the rape scenes. Hurray ebooks!). From that angle, they're excellent and hysterical.

I gave up on Salvatore, although I still read my favorites of his, and Nancy Drew, and never got into Shannara. But I keep coming back to Mercedes Lackey because she's found the perfect formula for distilled essence of romantic fantasy and it's both great and terrible. Her writing's really improved over the years too - the 500 Kingdoms series is mostly decent.

I think some books are like sugar cookies. They've got no nutritional value and there's nothing unique about them, but sometimes nothing else will do.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

This is the companion thread to "Ever put down a book because you were afraid of what would happen?" Let's see the other side of things

Have you ever kept reading a book, or maybe even a series, despite knowing what (probably) was going to happen, despite knowing that you wouldn't like it?
...

As one reviewer on Amazon, on one of the later Shannara books said: "I don't want to see a blasted Ohmsford ever again!" He is right. The series spans hundreds of years (at least over 1,000) at this point, and since the very first book, it's always the same. The world needs to be saved, and it can only be done by an Ohmsford. The Ohmsford is always supported by a Leah sidekick, some Elessedil royal family member plays an important role, and there's a Druid involved to get the quest started. After 25-ish books or so, this gets very tiring.
...
Anyone else still reading stuff, despite knowing better?

Guilty as charged. I once said on this very forum that I am guilty of reading too many fantasy books by authors named Terry. Brooks and Goodkind to be specific. Pratchett gets a pass because he's brilliantly funny.

I've read 20 Shannara books (and the six books from The Magic Kingdom of Landover). The saving grace is the last two series I read were reasonably different. I stopped after The Genesis of Shannara trilogy. The Word and the Void was quite enjoyable and Genesis was quite enjoyable and brings you to the origin of the world. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the reads. I did. I started reading when I was in my teens, but I'm glad I stopped too. I probably won't pick up the rest. It served it's purpose, but my reading has moved on.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Nancy Drew wasn't in high school. She just drove around in her roadster, shopped, went on vacations, and helped run the household. She would happily abandon anything else when she happened upon a mystery.

Have you ever looked at any of the modern "Nancy Drew" series? In one of them (the "Clue Crew" series) she's 8 years old .

Eg:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Camp.../dp/B00CWE8PEK

The young granddaughter of a friend of mine is a big fan. I don't read them myself. Honest .

[BretSingleton]

Well i'm also currently reading Shannara by Terry Brooks and it's a good story.

[Katsunami]

Which of the 27 or so Shannara books are you reading?

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Have you ever looked at any of the modern "Nancy Drew" series? In one of them (the "Clue Crew" series) she's 8 years old .

Eg:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Camp.../dp/B00CWE8PEK

The young granddaughter of a friend of mine is a big fan. I don't read them myself. Honest .

I'm a purist. I consider the first 56 books of the series as the canon. These were the hardcovers published by Grosset & Dunlap. After that, the series and the character went off in all sorts of directions, with spin-offs (featuring both younger and older, college-age Nancys), such that there was little attempt at consistency between the series. And the main series began to have so many different ghostwriters--new Nancys were being published every few months, instead of just one or so a year--that it too lost a lot of consistency from book to book.

In those first 56 books, Nancy started out as 16, but her age was quickly bumped up to 18, where she stayed perpetually.

I've sampled a book or two from the spin-offs and read a few dozen of the main series books beyond the first 56. They seem very generic, a bunch of impostors masquerading as Nancy and her chums.

[HarryT]

I agree. I collect turn of the 20th century children's books, so that includes things like Tom Swift, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc.

[Katsunami]

So you actually _do_ read Nancy Drew....

Yeah, yeah I know, only the older ones. Honest.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree. I collect turn of the 20th century children's books, so that includes things like Tom Swift, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc.

I collect later girls' series books: Cherry Ames, Connie Blair, Judy Bolton, Vicki Barr. I have a handful of Shirley Flight and Sally Baxter books from the UK too. Nancy Drew isn't my primary interest, but I do have original text versions of the first 56.

[NNolan]

I can't seem to quit Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, even though books 2 through 22 are just variations of the first book. Stephanie's car is always destroyed by one of the bail jumpers she's chasing, her grandmother is attending a funeral for the cookies and gossip, Lula will wear at least one article of clothing described as "poison green", Stephanie can't decide between Ranger and Morelli, etc, etc. At least I get them from the library now instead of buying them.

[Jane Oldaker]

Len Deighton - a trilogy of trilogies. Bernard Cornwell.....Neither got tired for me.

[PKFFW]

The Midkemia stuff by Feist went off the rails a bit in the middle but I stuck with it and rather enjoyed the final series.

I didn't particularly like books 5 and 6 of The Dark Tower series by King but finished the series anyway. Book 7, the ending, had problems but was good overall.

I used to always finish books and even series but now if I'm not liking it I almost never finish one.

The exception is my current audiobook.........Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. It's just so terribly awful, and I mean so eye searing, mind blowingly bad, that I feel compelled to finish it. It's become a vendetta that I must not lose! I simply must not allow it to defeat me!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

The exception is my current audiobook.........Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. It's just so terribly awful, and I mean so eye searing, mind blowingly bad, that I feel compelled to finish it. It's become a vendetta that I must not lose! I simply must not allow it to defeat me!

I love it. One of my very favourite Space Opera books. I must have read it half a dozen times. Just goes to show that we all have different likes and dislikes.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I love it. One of my very favourite Space Opera books. I must have read it half a dozen times. Just goes to show that we all have different likes and dislikes.

Maybe the book itself is great, but the audiobook version is bad. That's also a possibility

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I love it. One of my very favourite Space Opera books. I must have read it half a dozen times. Just goes to show that we all have different likes and dislikes.

Sure does.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Maybe the book itself is great, but the audiobook version is bad. That's also a possibility

Nope, it's definitely the book! lol