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

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Apache

Damn, now I want to read The Wizard's Butler.
Apache

Glory Season was one of my favorite, and less popular, Brin novels.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by issybird

Please don’t. That kind of comment is always unfortunate and worse when it’s part of a disparaging review.

“It’s for people who like that sort of thing.”

I don't feel that I should apologize, so I'm apologizing for the fact that I didn't do so. None of my Goodreads friends took offence. One of them asked me why I said the book was for women. I gave my reasons and she said fair enough.

[Bookpossum]

You may not feel you should apologise Luffy, but the comment is still a putdown. As issybird said, it would be much more reasonable to say the book is okay for those who like that sort of thing, but that you didn't.

[Luffy]

It's not a putdown. I was simply trying to make sense of why I didn't like the book. Haven't you heard of the phrase 'different strokes for different folks'? Well, here the different folks were women.

[Bookpossum]

No: some of the folks who are different from you in liking the book are women. It's when one makes a sweeping generalisation that a statement becomes sexist or racist or whatever.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Luffy

It's not a putdown. I was simply trying to make sense of why I didn't like the book. Haven't you heard of the phrase 'different strokes for different folks'? Well, here the different folks were women.

Ah, so a book that is dull, repetitive, and relies heavily on fart jokes is more likely to appeal to women, and that’s not a putdown? it’s why I said blanket generalizations are always unfortunate. They tend to reveal an underlying bias, and when they’re coupled with negative comments, it’s hard to make any other inference.

You are free to think as you will, but justifying offensive comments to people of the demographic isn’t attractive.

[gmw]

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters - book 6 of the Amelia Peabody series. I'd loved the first book, liked the second and meh'd books 3, 4 and 5. So I left it 12 months before tackling this 6th book ... but it wasn't long enough, or something. Whatever the reason, this story dragged badly for me, even the supposed climax. But I did finish it. 2.5/5.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by gmw

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters - book 6 of the Amelia Peabody series. I'd loved the first book, liked the second and meh'd books 3, 4 and 5. So I left it 12 months before tackling this 6th book ... but it wasn't long enough, or something. Whatever the reason, this story dragged badly for me, even the supposed climax. But I did finish it. 2.5/5.

Perhaps it’s time to abandon the series?

I enjoyed it longer than that, but I gave up eventually. The next generation did me in.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

No: some of the folks who are different from you in liking the book are women. It's when one makes a sweeping generalisation that a statement becomes sexist or racist or whatever.

I am not saying that all women would like this book, or that everyone who loved the book is female. I'm simply saying that most of the people who gave this book a high rating are women because they were the target demographic, and that the author succeeded in her aim.

Originally Posted by issybird

Ah, so a book that is dull, repetitive, and relies heavily on fart jokes is more likely to appeal to women, and that’s not a putdown? it’s why I said blanket generalizations are always unfortunate. They tend to reveal an underlying bias, and when they’re coupled with negative comments, it’s hard to make any other inference.

You are free to think as you will, but justifying offensive comments to people of the demographic isn’t attractive.

What I am saying that despite having lewd jokes and being dull and repetitive, the book is a success with women because there was a connection. I didn't identify with the pains and troubles the females characters went through, because my limitation as a reader didn't allow me to do so. That's why I'm saying this book is for women.

Goodreads, as far as I've experienced it, be it groups that come with mods, or whether it's the authors's gender or the Goodreads librarians, are a slightly predominatingly female base. There are tons of groups about romantic urban fantasy, or classics, or what have you. Being in this environment makes me cock my head like I'm hearing a dog whistle whenever a bad book written by a woman, with a central female character, becomes a success in the ratings.

I love books written by female authors. My favorite genre is the cozy mystery. I have no problem liking good books that appeal to me despite being written for women. My limitation as a reader was what prevented me from liking that darned book. That's what it boils down to.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by issybird

Perhaps it’s time to abandon the series?

I enjoyed it longer than that, but I gave up eventually. The next generation did me in.

I had such high hopes after the first couple that I pushed things a bit further than I might have otherwise, but yes, I think I will give up on the intrepid Amelia for the foreseeable future. Eventually, I think it may be interesting to revisit the first book and just see whether I still enjoy it.

For the moment, for the want of some comfort and reassurance in these troubled times, I am re-reading (yet again) some of my Terry Pratchett books. It feels so good to settle in with old friends.

[CRussel]

I think a lot of us are doing some comfort re-reading, gmw. I know I am. At this point, I'm only buying books if it's a new book in a favourite series. And then only the most favourite.

Right now, I'm working my way back through the Bruno, Chief of Police series from Martin Walker. Mostly as Audible books, but some portion as eBooks.

The publisher of one of my favourites, Ian Hamilton's Ava Lee series, has just pushed off their dead tree date indefinitely, but pulled the eBook date forward to May from July. With Libraries and bookstores closed, DT books have no real place to be sold.

[Luffy]

My review of The Complete Sherlock Holmes:-

Spoiler:

It's great that we got Hound of the Baskervilles right before Return of Sherlock Holmes, because, after that, the knighted author would prove to be on autopilot.

I'm afraid that the test of time has not been overly kind to the canon Sherlock lore. It was a chore sometimes, to read through these short stories that have outstayed their welcome.

Maybe the detective ought to have stayed dead. But vox populi, vox Dei. Now that the work of Doyle is in Public Domain, many more new stories keep popping up. Incredibly, I've read only one such book. That must be remedied ASAP.

[pdurrant]

I liked all of the Amelia Peabody series. I found all the silliness rather fun.

[Bookpossum]

I’m currently reading Bring Up the Bodies, the second volume of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy on Thomas Cromwell. It has been languishing on the shelf for some time, but now the third volume is out, I thought I should read it.

[ReadingManiac]

On the subject of comfort reading and such, Neil Gaiman has put some extra activities for both adults and children on his website for people self-isolating. https://neilgaiman.com/

He's also given blanket permission for anyone to read his stories in audio to share for keeping people entertained.

Neil Gaiman is a real hero among writers.