Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

That still doesn't make sense in the original context ("it always seems [unfortunate for me] that someone likes both YA and urban fantasy"), but I'll take it at face value...

In all honesty, reading one [insert genre here] book does not qualify someone to judge the entire genre - no matter what that book or genre is. Suppose someone said that they know they hate disaster movies because they saw Sharknado and didn't care for it. Would you consider recommending The Poseidon Adventure or Airport as other examples of the genre, or just write them off?

Remember that Sturgeon's Revelation applies to all genres, not just SF and not only in written form. There's a lot of crud out there, and the boom in UF and YA means that there's a lot of it in those genres...but the flip side of that is that there's also a decent amount of good stuff to be found.

Now, it may well be that a certain genre is not to your taste because of something inherent to the genre. I have no interest in Regency romances, none at all. I prefer my romantic storyline to be the B-plot (or lower), not the A-plot, and I have no interest in that setting, so no matter how well-written an RR book may be, I'll pass. Contrariwise, I like the contrast of a modern-day setting with magical elements, so I'll forgive some flaws when reading UF. Sometimes I'll even "cross the aisle" into paranormal romance, if there's something particularly compelling about a book. (Or, rarely, a series. Dakota Cassidy insists that her "Accidental" books are PR, where I enjoy them as comic UF that happens to have a romance A-plot. The romance A-plot would normally take 'em off my list, but the concept and comedy outweigh that "flaw" for me.)

All I'm saying is, since (part of?) your objection seems to be rooted in the level of the writing, don't miss out on a whole genre based on a single-book sample. Yes, I do happen to read and enjoy Patricia Briggs's "Mercy Thompson" books, but I also love Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" series. For that matter, I like Ilona Andrews's "Kate Daniels" series but don't really care for their* "The Edge" series - and they're both UF. I loved Kelley Armstrong's "Otherworld" books but couldn't stand the YA UF trilogy she wrote.

Tastes vary. Make sure you give yourself a fair shot.

* Ilona Andrews is a single name for a husband/wife writing team, hence "their" instead of "her."

Phew! I thought you were going to rip me a new one. I have read Storm Front, didn't find it very readable. Since I've finished my reading challenge, I'm willing to take risks and go out of my way. I'll check out the Kate Daniels and Otherworld recommendations.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

^ agreed with everything Rev. Bob has said. And especially "don't judge a genre based on one book". And especially don't judge the writing quality in an entire genre based on just one book in that genre.

(For the record, I like YA but I haven't read the Mortal Instruments either, as the description never really appealed to me, I've heard enough about it that I have a pretty good idea that it's not my thing, and I tend to stick to books that sound like I might like them. But a lot of people, young and less young, love the various series Cassandra Clare has written in that universe, and I'm happy for them!)

That said, yeah, we all have entire genres we're not keen on. I don't read romance (of any sort, including historical or paranormal) or erotica. I do read books that have romance in them - I've gone through a period of reading a lot of chick lit, which often has some focus on relationships, and many books in any genre have some romance included - but genre romance is just not what I'm after, not because I look down on them as somehow less good, but largely because I'm more into action/adventure/mystery plots, and not the least because I have rather specific, picky tastes in fictional men and love stories and it's incredibly rare that I find a male love interest appealing enough to want to read a romance-focused book.

But of course then I also enjoyed Pride & Prejudice (not as much as Sense & Sensibility though, which remains my favourite Austen book) and didn't find it too difficult, in spite of reading it first as a 17-year-old non-native English speaker, so my tastes are clearly deserving to be judged.



Thank you for clarifying. I do get that feeling (and now I understand that you meant it in the sense of you feeling wistful about others enjoying genres you don't!) - I'm still planning to give a good go and tackle some epic/high/non-urban fantasy I've heard a lot of good things about, also because I want to know what I'm missing.

My plan (and yes, I keep putting it off) is to try at least a handful of books in the genre that are a) as different from one another as possible, b) written in different styles, so that I won't, say, write off the entire genre as something "not for me" when I've tried, say, only Mistborn or only The Blade Itself or only The Belgariad. I'll write it off only when I've read all of those + some other highly recommended more recent fantasy books that also sound like they're something that might offer something of interest to me.

If you're really feeling wistful about missing out on entire genres, and wish you could enjoy more books, I'd advise you to try at least a handful of books in the category (I don't really want to call YA a genre - it's a category that includes YA UF, YA fantasy, contemporary YA, YA romance, YA mystery, YA action/adventure etc), making sure that they're pretty different from one another.

Since you've tried UF and YA UF with female protagonists, try UF and YA with male protagonists? They tend to be grittier and more plot-focused, with a little less romance (I'm aware this is a generalisation, with plenty of exceptions, but in those categories, books written by male authors and featuring male protagonists do tend more towards gritty than romance-oriented). Perhaps that might suit you better, at least to start with. But of course if it still doesn't work, it's just not your thing, or at least not at this point in your life, and that's perfectly fine.

If you, or anyone can recommend UF with male protagonists, then that would be much appreciated.

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Luffy

If you, or anyone can recommend UF with male protagonists, then that would be much appreciated.

One series that is definitely different from a lot of mainstream UF and that I've enjoyed quite a bit (although I haven't got to the most recent book yet) is the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (the first book is titled The Rivers of London for the UK edition and Midnight Riot for the US edition).

I've also heard good things about Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles and Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim, but I've yet to read either of those, although I've bought the first books in both series. Same for Paul Cornell's London Calling, which I want to give a try to pretty soon.

[Luffy]

I've read the first 6 Iron Druid Chronicles books. The series is fun to read, but the annoying stuff in the background (mainly the "humorous" musings of Atticus's hound) got too distracting for me. Some female readers (from Goodreads reviews) have found the books to be misogynist.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

One series that is definitely different from a lot of mainstream UF and that I've enjoyed quite a bit (although I haven't got to the most recent book yet) is the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (the first book is titled The Rivers of London for the UK edition and Midnight Riot for the US edition).

I've also heard good things about Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles and Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim, but I've yet to read either of those, although I've bought the first books in both series. Same for Paul Cornell's London Calling, which I want to give a try to pretty soon.

Thanks for the precious tips, Yapyap!

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Luffy

If you, or anyone can recommend UF with male protagonists, then that would be much appreciated.

Not necessarily personal recs but popular/books to consider: Dresden Files, Gaiman's Neverwhere/American Gods/Anansi Boys/Ocean at the End of the Lane, Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros books, Stross's Laundry Files series, the Iron Druid Chronicles, A Madness of Angels, The Demon's Lexicon, Ben Aaronivitch's Peter Grant series, Lish McBride's Necromancer books, the Felix Castor series, Stephen King's Dark Tower series and Talisman, Crowley's Little Big, The Night Circus (male & female MCs), Mieville's King Rat and The City in the City, Lavie Tidhar's books, Hines' Libriomancer series, Levitt's Dog Days, Lev Grossman's Magicians series, the Alex Verus books, Jamieson's Death Works books. And Harry Potter.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by meeera

Not necessarily personal recs but popular/books to consider: Dresden Files, Gaiman's Neverwhere/American Gods/Anansi Boys/Ocean at the End of the Lane, Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros books, Stross's Laundry Files series, the Iron Druid Chronicles, A Madness of Angels, The Demon's Lexicon, Ben Aaronivitch's Peter Grant series, Lish McBride's Necromancer books, the Felix Castor series, Stephen King's Dark Tower series and Talisman, Crowley's Little Big, The Night Circus (male & female MCs), Mieville's King Rat and The City in the City, Lavie Tidhar's books, Hines' Libriomancer series, Levitt's Dog Days, Lev Grossman's Magicians series, the Alex Verus books, Jamieson's Death Works books. And Harry Potter.

Love the Harry Potter afterthought! These do look like information that will save me plenty of trouble. For that I thank you.

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Luffy

Thanks for the precious tips, Yapyap!

You're welcome.

Although looking at the compare books thing on Goodreads, our tastes in general seem diametrically opposed to one another, so maybe I should instead suggest books I hated. (Lev Grossman's The Magicians comes to mind. And sort of fits the "UF with male protagonist" thing, too.)

[Luffy]

Yeah it's true our ratings don't match. But if I hate the books you hated, is that a good thing or not? Can't decide...

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

You're welcome.

Although looking at the compare books thing on Goodreads, our tastes in general seem diametrically opposed to one another, so maybe I should instead suggest books I hated. (Lev Grossman's The Magicians comes to mind. And sort of fits the "UF with male protagonist" thing, too.)

How do you explain The Magicians' poor score on GR?

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Luffy

How do you explain The Magicians' poor score on GR?

It's a rather polarising book, I think - some people adore it to bits, some loathe it with a passion.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I didn't like P&P. It was difficult. And it's a hated book that has impressed on a few former students' minds till their adulthood. It's both respected and disliked equally, IMHO.

Sorry to hear that. Being forced to read any book in school is usually detrimental to the enjoyment of the book.

For those of us who like Pride & Prejudice, I highly recommend the You Tube series "Lizzie Bennet's Diary", a modern day re-telling via video blog.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Joy736

Hey, I'm back after being gone for a while.
And I'm currently reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I'm about 3/4 through and I totally regret not reading this sooner. I'm sooooo in love with it!
Ofcourse it's not an easy read, especially since English is not my mother tonge. But I understand it fine enough to enjoy it so much. Along with it I'm watching the '95 BBC mini-series on Netflix and I also love that.

Hey you're back!

I'm glad you're enjoying Pride and Prejudice. I love that novel. And the BBC series is equally good.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

For those of us who like Pride & Prejudice, I highly recommend the You Tube series "Lizzie Bennet's Diary", a modern day re-telling via video blog.

I stumbled upon this YouTube channel by accident about a year or so ago. Fun content.

[Joy736]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Sorry to hear that. Being forced to read any book in school is usually detrimental to the enjoyment of the book.

For those of us who like Pride & Prejudice, I highly recommend the You Tube series "Lizzie Bennet's Diary", a modern day re-telling via video blog.

After finishing the book and the BBC-series, I will give it a try.