The Ugly Truth - Reading Snobs

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

What I liked about the cover is crossing out A Miles Vorkosigan Adventure and replacing it with "An Ivan Vorpatril Adventure" - the background is immaterial.

But Ivan would never do that!
People would figure out he can write!

[Sydney's Mom]

I go in spurts. My last romance spurt before I got my kindle, I had about 12 books come in at once, all with bodice ripper covers. I am sure it was my imaginaton, but the librarian (I live in a snall village, and there are only 2) always glances at the books. I saw (and this is where I am imagining it) a look of distaste. I would never read a bodice ripper on the train - the guys are all in suits reading their WSJ. I am a professional as well, but no longer feel I have to wear a suit for work. But I would die if someone I knew saw me reading such a book. That is why electronic readers have taken off amoung women!

My husband says I am "dumbing myself down." I don't think that is a nice thing to say, because obviously I am not dumb, and I sure don't watch "Gold Rush." But he reads nonfiction, so he is immune.

I don't have any friends who read romances, but I read enough political commentary to carry on a conversation with my "better read" friends and my inlaws.

Given that I read several books a week (because some books are so good I read them in a single sitting. No Easy Day and Hopeless are the most recent - one an autobiography and the other a romance), anyone who turns their nose up at my reading list, can kiss my . . . .

Sorry, but even my family used to complain. I worked the late shift at a factory one summer, and used to buy a book on the way home every night. They were the suppermarket romances, which you can finish in a couple hours (189 pages). Between right before bed, breaks and lunch the next day, I would finish it. I felt kind of bad at the amount of money I was spending (about $1.50, which I believe was the minimum wage, which is what I was making), but I needed something to keep me going.

It is not illegal, or bad for me, or keeping me from doing something I shouldn't (I wouldn't be doing it anyway!) Once baseball season starts, reading will take a back seat (I knit during Cubs games) until the Cubs are out of it - I think that was around May 1 last year, which is one of the earlist I remember.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

My husband says I am "dumbing myself down." I don't think that is a nice thing to say, because obviously I am not dumb, and I sure don't watch "Gold Rush." But he reads nonfiction, so he is immune.

Sounds like our hubbys would get along. Does your hubby watch TVs and movies as much as you read? Mine does.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Once baseball season starts, reading will take a back seat (I knit during Cubs games) until the Cubs are out of it - I think that was around May 1 last year, which is one of the earlist I remember.

This year they very likely will stay in the wild card hunt till the Fourth of July, maybe even the All-Star break. Epstein *is* a certified genius, after all.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's the books with the half-naked man on the cover type of romance that I think is the reason romance gets dissed. When romance is mentioned, those are the types of books most people think about. And as long as those types of books are published, romance will always be dissed.

Now, can you give us some good recommendations for romance that does not include any cover that has a half-naked man, no cowboys, no Nascar, no construction workers. None of the books the frustrated housewife would read.

Sleaze is not genre-specific.




Don

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Sounds like our hubbys would get along. Does your hubby watch TVs and movies as much as you read? Mine does.

My husband watches things that I find distasteful and un-funny, so he can't complain about what I read.

On the other hand, I've got him hooked on the In Death books <evil grin>. When he's done with those, I'm going to start him on Nora Roberts' romatic suspence books (he did like Remember When, which is a combination of contemporary romatic suspense and the In Deaths), like Blue Smoke, or maybe Northern Lights. NL is my gateway drug for men, since it is written from a male point of view.

[Geralt]

People say: You are what you eat. Or, you are like those you are with.
I think same goes for reading. You are what you read. Or at least some part of you is.
I think I would have really tough time talking about books with a person who reads exclusively romance novels. If that makes me a book snob so be it. Maybe we would connect on some other level but there is too much of a different sensibility between me and a person in example to relate on book reading one.

That being said, I read philosophy and fantasy. Let the judging begin

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

My husband watches things that I find distasteful and un-funny, so he can't complain about what I read.

On the other hand, I've got him hooked on the In Death books <evil grin>. When he's done with those, I'm going to start him on Nora Roberts' romatic suspence books (he did like Remember When, which is a combination of contemporary romatic suspense and the In Deaths), like Blue Smoke, or maybe Northern Lights. NL is my gateway drug for men, since it is written from a male point of view.

My hubby isn't even interested in that. Last book I got him to read was Harry Potter and he lost interest by book 6. He rather play his Harvest Moon Animal Parade game for 14 hours straight.

I haven't read much of Ms. Roberts I read Night Moves and Night Shadow. A little dated but they weren't half bad.

[auntykatkat]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Not a fan of them. I do love vampire books though but before there was those vampires there was Lindsay Sands Vampires.

Lynsay's Vampires in 2005
Katie Macalister's in 2003
Sherrilyn Kenyon's in 2003
Christine Feehan's in 1999

And the original Twilight Vampires started in 1993: Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night Series

I recommend them all. I am beyond being teased for my Vamps, Dragons, Starships or Wizards

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by auntykatkat

Lynsay's Vampires in 2005
Katie Macalister's in 2003
Sherrilyn Kenyon's in 2003
Christine Feehan's in 1999

And the original Twilight Vampires started in 1993: Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night Series

I recommend them all. I am beyond being teased for my Vamps, Dragons, Starships or Wizards

Lynsay's Vampires were 2003 not 2005.
Sherrilyn Kenyon is 2002

Maggie Shayne rocks!

Let's not forget Linda Lael Miller's in 93. I think that was my first vampire book.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

I'm not a fan of the sparkles, but I wouldn't mind a vampire with superhuman strength, golden eyes and a sexy body spending every night with me .

I have a friend that rants - at considerable length - about how that's necrophilia.

We mostly throw things at him.

[auntykatkat]

Originally Posted by alucarda

People say: You are what you eat. Or, you are like those you are with.
I think same goes for reading. You are what you read. Or at least some part of you is.
I think I would have really tough time talking about books with a person who reads exclusively romance novels. If that makes me a book snob so be it. Maybe we would connect on some other level but there is too much of a different sensibility between me and a person in example to relate on book reading one.

That being said, I read philosophy and fantasy. Let the judging begin

I think you are wrong. And there are a few fantasy romances that would surprise you. It is that attitude that helps the snobs. I get it not just for my romances but for my fantasy stuff too. Examples:

1) the Pern series: Dragons eat people not be friends with them. (Kind of like what others were saying about vamps)
2) Stasheff's Wizard series: How is an explorer suddenly a wizard? Magic?? Please, that is against God.
3) Tanya Huff's Quarters Series: LBGT issues

I picked the examples I had to fight over since I was still in school for the first 2.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Is that real? The one I read wasn't quite that bad. Bujold is great, and often more than a bit romantic, but Baen's covers are poor even by the garish standards of US SF.

They got nothin' on the Russian covers:

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by auntykatkat

Lynsay's Vampires in 2005
Katie Macalister's in 2003
Sherrilyn Kenyon's in 2003
Christine Feehan's in 1999

And the original Twilight Vampires started in 1993: Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night Series

I recommend them all. I am beyond being teased for my Vamps, Dragons, Starships or Wizards

I'll take Anne Rice's, Jim Butcher's and Kim Harrison's Vampires over those ones any day.

But have you ever read about Bigfoot and his son Irwin?

[Ravensknight]

I AM a book snob. Take those vamps, romances and zombies and...