Do you think your reading tastes evolve - Page 2

pidgeon92 · 06-07-2012, 10:56 PM

Everything in my life has changed in the 43 years I've been here. In the last couple of years, my tastes have changed a lot.

taosaur · 06-07-2012, 11:15 PM

Suess is still pretty cool.

BeccaPrice · 06-08-2012, 11:36 AM

I've gotten much more picky about what I read than I used to be. I have certain requirements on how books affect me emotionally that I will not bend. Given the current trend toward apocalyptic and dystopian books, this means that I'm doing a lot of re-reads lately.

covfam · 06-08-2012, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I've gotten much more picky about what I read than I used to be. I have certain requirements on how books affect me emotionally that I will not bend. Given the current trend toward apocalyptic and dystopian books, this means that I'm doing a lot of re-reads lately.

dont blame you, i dont understand the whole sparkly vampire and misunderstood zombie fad. i cant seem to find any genre that hasnt been tanted by them! im sorry i just dont understand falling in love and having sex with a zombie/demon/vampire/wearwolf/unicorn fantasies these people have.... they should deal with it and go marry thier cat.

i gave up on my local B&N they have managed to squish all thier sc-fi and high fanstasy into 2 cramped rows then opened up 8 full rows of the sparkly vampire crap! apparantly tolkein,mcaffery,terry brooks are no longer viable to B&N

QuantumIguana · 06-08-2012, 01:58 PM

I can't stand unicorns. Originally, the unicorn was a beast so fierce that only a virgin was able to tame it. That got turned on its head; the unicorn became a pure and gentle that only a virgin was worthy of it. This of course led to unicorns becoming silly rainbows and puppies stuff. The original imagery is reduced to a footnote. I get so tired of seeing horse imagery where someone just couldn't resist putting a horn on the horse.

I wonder if vampires will just continue to get more and more sparkly until the concept of vampires as bloodthirsty, murderous monsters is lost to footnotes.

Penforhire · 06-08-2012, 04:24 PM

Ha ha, I can see it now. My Little Vampire dolls. Sparkles in the sun, glows in the dark, long pastel color hair, big anime eyes, soft voices, wearing Mr. Rogers' sweaters... <vomits>

fjtorres · 06-08-2012, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by covfam

im sorry i just dont understand falling in love and having sex with a zombie/demon/vampire/wearwolf/unicorn fantasies these people have....

You okay with telepaths?
I really like Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels.

fjtorres · 06-08-2012, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Ha ha, I can see it now. My Little Vampire dolls. Sparkles in the sun, glows in the dark, long pastel color hair, big anime eyes, soft voices, wearing Mr. Rogers' sweaters... <vomits>

Too late.
Mattel's already done it.
http://www.monsterhigh.com/
My cousin's six year old terror is into it.
"When first graders go goth. Video at 11."

Joykins · 06-08-2012, 07:53 PM

Sure. There are books I loved 30 years ago when I was 12 that don't work at all for me as an adult. Also, I tend to glom onto a genre for a few years and then move on to another one.

J. Strnad · 06-08-2012, 11:14 PM

I'm tempted to go back and reread some of the books I was forced to read in school and see if they've gotten any better over time.

Is Silas Marner in my future?

I don't know that I'm ready for that.

ebusinesstutor · 06-10-2012, 02:54 PM

My tastes have definitely changed.

But, I find some authors/books tend to age better than others. My tastes have definitely changed, but when I go back and reread old favorites like "The Mote In God's Eye" (Niven) and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" (Henlein) I am enthralled with them all over again. But other old favourites just aren't as powerful to me.

steven522 · 06-11-2012, 10:33 AM

I would say my reading "tastes" have not changed. From the moment I moved from the standard fare of beginner reading into my first science fiction book, I have been hooked and have hardly veered from that course other than a foray into the side worlds of horror. And my horror reads still have to contain some undertone of the science fiction and/or fantasy to them. Give me monsters and beasts and aliens wrecking havoc over standard serial killers and homicidal maniacs any day.

Now, saying that re-reading a book loved in one's younger-years and finding it less than palatable now does not necessarily mean a "taste" change. As you mature and your learning evolves with the current knowledge of the day, or your view of the world becomes more influenced with current society trends, you may find yourself at odds with these earlier treasured works.

Personally, many of my earlier favored science fiction works do seem a little outdated now. I still enjoy them, but what was considered cutting-edge and visionary in a lot of them are more mundane and sometimes outright wrong (several short-stories refer to the Milky Way galaxy as our "universe" and that there are hundreds more "universes" around us). Some of this can be overlooked easily and the story still be as powerful and some cannot. This is not an issue of "taste" but more of an issue of personal perspective.

That being said, no matter how much society pushes it on us, I will never be a fan of "sparkly vampires". Give me Dracula or Salem's Lot any day.

BWinmill · 06-11-2012, 10:48 AM

I have tried to read other authors and other genres lately, simply because I realized that my world-view was too narrow and wanted to see the world through other people's eyes. For the most part, I prefer those new reads over the old ones. So yes, my tastes have evolved.

(And, for what it's worth, evolve means changing to be more suitable for the environment. The idea of evolution being progress is purely a pop-culture notion that no serious scientist would take seriously.)

Quexos · 06-11-2012, 02:45 PM

The only thing that has changed over time for me is that I read authors I didn't even know a decade or two ago. In other words I try books I wouldn't have long ago.

Joykins · 06-11-2012, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

I'm tempted to go back and reread some of the books I was forced to read in school and see if they've gotten any better over time.

Is Silas Marner in my future?

I don't know that I'm ready for that.

Odd, that, I thought Silas Marner was interesting and easy to read compared to most of our assignments. Hardy and Dickens were a bit draggy but worth it. James Joyce, however...*shudder*

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06-07-2012, 10:56 PM	#16
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Everything in my life has changed in the 43 years I've been here. In the last couple of years, my tastes have changed a lot.

06-07-2012, 11:15 PM	#17
taosaur intelligent posterior Posts: 1,562 Karma: 21295618 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ohiopolis Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Samsung S8, Lenovo Tab 3 Pro	Suess is still pretty cool.

06-08-2012, 11:36 AM	#18
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	I've gotten much more picky about what I read than I used to be. I have certain requirements on how books affect me emotionally that I will not bend. Given the current trend toward apocalyptic and dystopian books, this means that I'm doing a lot of re-reads lately.

06-08-2012, 01:58 PM	#20
QuantumIguana Philosopher Posts: 2,034 Karma: 18736532 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch	I can't stand unicorns. Originally, the unicorn was a beast so fierce that only a virgin was able to tame it. That got turned on its head; the unicorn became a pure and gentle that only a virgin was worthy of it. This of course led to unicorns becoming silly rainbows and puppies stuff. The original imagery is reduced to a footnote. I get so tired of seeing horse imagery where someone just couldn't resist putting a horn on the horse. I wonder if vampires will just continue to get more and more sparkly until the concept of vampires as bloodthirsty, murderous monsters is lost to footnotes.

06-08-2012, 04:24 PM	#21
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	Ha ha, I can see it now. My Little Vampire dolls. Sparkles in the sun, glows in the dark, long pastel color hair, big anime eyes, soft voices, wearing Mr. Rogers' sweaters... <vomits>

06-08-2012, 07:53 PM	#24
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,610 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	Sure. There are books I loved 30 years ago when I was 12 that don't work at all for me as an adult. Also, I tend to glom onto a genre for a few years and then move on to another one.

06-08-2012, 11:14 PM	#25
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	I'm tempted to go back and reread some of the books I was forced to read in school and see if they've gotten any better over time. Is Silas Marner in my future? I don't know that I'm ready for that.

06-10-2012, 02:54 PM	#26
ebusinesstutor Star Gawker Posts: 526 Karma: 6944314 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Spruce Grove, AB Canada Device: Kindle Paperwhite	My tastes have definitely changed. But, I find some authors/books tend to age better than others. My tastes have definitely changed, but when I go back and reread old favorites like "The Mote In God's Eye" (Niven) and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" (Henlein) I am enthralled with them all over again. But other old favourites just aren't as powerful to me.

06-11-2012, 10:33 AM	#27
steven522 binomial: homo legentem Posts: 1,061 Karma: 25222222 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Alabama, USA Device: iriver Story HD; Archos 80 G9	I would say my reading "tastes" have not changed. From the moment I moved from the standard fare of beginner reading into my first science fiction book, I have been hooked and have hardly veered from that course other than a foray into the side worlds of horror. And my horror reads still have to contain some undertone of the science fiction and/or fantasy to them. Give me monsters and beasts and aliens wrecking havoc over standard serial killers and homicidal maniacs any day. Now, saying that re-reading a book loved in one's younger-years and finding it less than palatable now does not necessarily mean a "taste" change. As you mature and your learning evolves with the current knowledge of the day, or your view of the world becomes more influenced with current society trends, you may find yourself at odds with these earlier treasured works. Personally, many of my earlier favored science fiction works do seem a little outdated now. I still enjoy them, but what was considered cutting-edge and visionary in a lot of them are more mundane and sometimes outright wrong (several short-stories refer to the Milky Way galaxy as our "universe" and that there are hundreds more "universes" around us). Some of this can be overlooked easily and the story still be as powerful and some cannot. This is not an issue of "taste" but more of an issue of personal perspective. That being said, no matter how much society pushes it on us, I will never be a fan of "sparkly vampires". Give me Dracula or Salem's Lot any day.

06-11-2012, 10:48 AM	#28
BWinmill Nameless Being	I have tried to read other authors and other genres lately, simply because I realized that my world-view was too narrow and wanted to see the world through other people's eyes. For the most part, I prefer those new reads over the old ones. So yes, my tastes have evolved. (And, for what it's worth, evolve means changing to be more suitable for the environment. The idea of evolution being progress is purely a pop-culture notion that no serious scientist would take seriously.)

06-11-2012, 02:45 PM	#29
Quexos Member Retired Posts: 1,999 Karma: 11348924 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Limbo Device: none	The only thing that has changed over time for me is that I read authors I didn't even know a decade or two ago. In other words I try books I wouldn't have long ago.