Not reading what doesn't interest you - and the purpose of the blurb

[IdiotsRUs]

Once or twice over the past few days I have attested that it doesn't matter how good the writing is, if the subject matter doesn't interest me, I won't read it.

It would appear that this does not sit well with some people ( or it could just be the way I've phrased it they don't like...), and I'm not sure why. Rather than derail those threads any more I thought I'd ask.

As a reader I have my preferences - don't we all? I like my fantasy - but I can live without ever reading about vampires falling in love with humans, or farm boys whose dad is secretly the king or so much gritty realism I can smell the shit. I would rather poke my own eyes out than read a book about women shopping and doing lunch. No offence to people who like these things, but I can't stand them, in the same way my husband wouldn't read a contemporary romance if his life depended on it.

So why the feeling that if the writing is good enough, that I should enjoy it anyway? I can appreciate that something is well written without appreciating the story that it's writing about and not wanting to read it, surely?

Whihc brings me on to the blurb. It's the publishers hype, the author has nothing to do with it etc etc. Yes, those things are mostly true. But that;s forgetting the one thing that the blurb is really for, and this the author is responsible for in a way. The reader. A while ago there was a thread about 'stupid reasons you won't read a book'. Among the little ticks and foibles were several reasons that actually weren't stupid. And one was 'no blurb'. Blurb is vital to many readers. Watch the browsers in a bookshop - I do this quite often in my quest for info - what makes a reader buy a book? My own habits are too irregular to be much use here - all depends what mood I'm in! So I watch.

So, the browsers. They scan the spines of books. Maybe a title or the part of cover art jumps out at them. They pick it up and look at the cover. If there's nothing there to put them off, the vast majority will then flip the book to scan the blurb. Why - why not just start reading? Some do, but most don't - especially if they're standing in the general fiction section, where they could have picked up anything from a georgian romance to a book about black ops in Iraq. Why don't they just read? Because they are looking for the vital piece of information, one which is not always acurately conveyed by cover. 'Is this the sort of story I like?' So, if it were me and I saw the words 'sexy vampire' I know I've picked up something that's in a genre I don't particulary enjoy. However, there may be something about that blurb that interests me, or there might not. If not, I go on to the next book. Watch those browsers again. They go from book to book, putting some back if the sort of story doesn't interest them, reading a page or so of those that do. Writing style, while important, while it may be what sells the book, is not what made them open the book. Because I don't know about you but I can't tell whether somethings got a great style by the artwork.


In my view, life's too short to read about things that have no interest to me and no amount of style will make me like it. Am I being unreasonable here? Because I'm starting to think I have to like things even if I don't....

[shaldna]

I'm the same. If the concept doesn't appeal to me, then I won't read it.

I know what I like and what I don't.

[kaitie]

Gosh, I don't think you're being irrational at all. I speak as someone who doesn't read pages before buying at all--I make my entire decisions based on blurb (or the occasional nifty cover or title).

I have sometimes read things outside of what I would normally pick up and enjoyed them, but usually only because someone gave it to me to read swearing I'd love it. I've also come across some that I really didn't enjoy.

I agree with you, things are very subjective. What someone else loves may not be something I would enjoy. This isn't a 100% applicable, but I literally just finished watching Where the Wild Things Are. I've heard amazing things about it, that it was one of the best movies of the year, that it was fantastic and great. A couple of people I know who have watched it said it was wonderful and powerful.

Honestly? I really didn't like it. At all. For me, it was a reminder of all those things about childhood I hated, the parts I'd really rather not go back and revisit. It also felt unresolved and like these things were just going to go on continuing. The monsters were going to go on being miserable and sad, as was Max. Maybe that's just my take on it, but that's how it felt, and despite some of the things that were well done, I just disliked it. Another movie that fits this is Kill Bill, which I can admit was amazingly well done, but I still hated it. I read The Graveyard Book not long ago, and while I didn't dislike it, I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as the other people I know did.

Some things just aren't my style. Some I would read because someone on here wrote it and I want to be supportive, but for the most part I just really have no interest in certain topics. I really dislike war stories. Yes, a couple of the best books I've ever read in my life were war stories, but I'll still avoid them because they're horribly sad and depressing, and that's not what I want in a book.

To be honest, for the most part I don't mind missing something really good if it doesn't sound interesting to me because I'm enjoying the ones that I do read. Yeah, I still tend to read them when my friends say "Oh you'll love this," but in a bookstore you can bet unless the blurb sounds cool I won't be spending my money on it. I read for entertainment.

I think the important thing here is that we all have our own tastes and opinions. Just because one person loves something doesn't mean the next person will, no matter how well done it is. I try to be open-minded and try new things. I tried out a sci-fi book not long ago because it had won a novel of the year award. Wasn't a bad book, but it also wouldn't have been anywhere near my novel of the year prize. That doesn't make the people who awarded it wrong, it just means we have different tastes.

[shaldna]

I have to admit that the blurb will make me put down a book alot faster than it would make me read it.

Even if the idea sounds great, all it takes is for the blurb to be worded a certain way and I will put it back down, on principle.

I hate blurbs that sound smug, or like they are trying too hard to be mysterious or interesting.

If the word 'danger' or 'forbidden' is anywhere on the blurb then I set it down again.

[backslashbaby]

I can be very picky about what I like, and I don't even mean to. I don't mean to diss entire genres, certainly, but some just don't entertain me.

I also loathe canteloupe, although I'm sure it is a very upstanding and tasty fruit :D

[IdiotsRUs]

I have to admit that the blurb will make me put down a book alot faster than it would make me read it.

Even if the idea sounds great, all it takes is for the blurb to be worded a certain way and I will put it back down, on principle.

I hate blurbs that sound smug, or like they are trying too hard to be mysterious or interesting.

If the word 'danger' or 'forbidden' is anywhere on the blurb then I set it down again.

Lol horses for courses again. I know what you mean about the smugness but if the premise sounds 'oooooOOOooooh' interesting I'll give it a shot.

Anyway, good, I was beginning to think it was just me.

[kaitie]

I think what gets me in a blurb itself (other than just the topic doesn't interest me) is when they sound preachy. Doesn't happen often, but I've seen one or two. The ones that really frustrate me are the ones that don't really give any indication of the book, however. Those back covers where it's just telling you how great this book or the author is. Honestly...I don't care haha. Tell me what the story is about and if it sounds cool to me I'll buy it. ;)

[SPMiller]

I will read/watch/listen to anything that interests me.

Unfortunately, my tastes are narrow.

[Fredster]

Life is too short to waste it on stories you're not into.

I'd much rather read an enjoyable story with writing I didn't care for than a boring story where the writing won a Pulitzer.


Interestingly enough, I'm reading a Pulitzer novel right now (Lonesome Dove), and were the story not so interesting, I wouldn't be. McMurtry is very obviously a good writer, but his style isn't what I would normally read because I'm not a fan of head-jumping within a scene.

Unless, of course, it's Stephen King doing it. Then I like it. :)

[knight_tour]

I never read any pages before buying. I look at the cover and the blurb and judge from there. That may be unfair, but that is what I do. This is why I believe it is wrong for publishers not to give authors some input on these things. I have strong opinions on how I would like my covers to look.

I always choose based upon the story types I like to read. I would choose a book written so-so on a subject I love any day over a brilliantly written book about something I don't care about.

[IdiotsRUs]

I would choose a book written so-so on a subject I love any day over a brilliantly written book about something I don't care about.

I'm not alone! :D

[Sevvy]

Yeah, I'm not sure how anyone could ever get the idea that you should read something you don't like just because the writing is good. The only reason you should do that is if you're trying to learn something about how the book was written. But that's different than just picking something up off a shelf for your own enjoyment.

My friends keep recommending books to me, even though they know my tastes are limited. "Oh, you should read insert bestseller here, you'll love it." "Is it fantasy or science fiction?" "It's a thriller." "No thanks."

With school reading, my own reading, and all the other stuff I cram into my day, I really don't have time to waste reading books that I know I'm not gonna like. Life isn't high school, I don't have to read anything I don't want to anymore.

And I agree about the blurb stuff too, that's the first thing I read. If I like the blurb, or am undecided from that, I'll skim that random passage some books put in the front, or if they don't have that, the first couple of lines. That will usually make up my mind. But I hate blurbs that obviously only tell me about the very first chapter of the book. I would like an idea of whether I'm going to like the entire book, not just the first chapter.

And these days, if I see a sexy person with a gothic themed cover and the word "vampire" on the back, I put it down again. Maybe I'm missing out on the best vampire book since Dracula that way, but I seriously doubt it.

[knight_tour]

I actually came late to the game on George R.R. Martin's big series simply because I hated the Game of Thrones cover. I ended up reading the second book of the series first, because I was stuck somewhere and needed something to read, and that book was available. Then I had to go back and read the first book. When I saw the cover to the first book, it reminded me that I had passed on it in the past.

[Phyllo]

A long, long time ago, when I was in high school, a book we were required to read was Margaret Lawrence's Stone Angel. About an elderly woman looking back on her life in the prairies (more or less). As a seventeen-year old boy growing up in the city, I couldn't imagine anything more dull.

And then a magical thing happened: I was drawn into this character's life and started to care. By the time I was mid-way through, I couldn't put it down.

I went on to read pretty much everything the amazing Margaret Laurence wrote. Virtually none of her books would have appealed to me based on the story outlines (female-focused, usually set in small towns, no major "excitement").

All of which is to say that I learned a good writer makes a story interesting. Much more interesting than a mediocre writer working on what, on the surface, seems a story more suited to my interest.

[IdiotsRUs]

But I hate blurbs that obviously only tell me about the very first chapter of the book. I would like an idea of whether I'm going to like the entire book, not just the first chapter.

I know what you mean, and obviously this is the part of the blurb that the author has little or no control over - the style of blurb. But we do have control over our stories - what that blurb is about. I try to ignore the style of blurb and concentrate on the premise it's presenting me with - because that's the author, not the blurb writer, and is more of an indication of whether I'll like the book.

Although blurb writing is an art in itself - I just got my preliminary one through the other day and it was about a zillion times better than I could have done!

All of which is to say that I learned a good writer makes a story interesting. Much more interesting than a mediocre writer working on what, on the surface, seems a story more suited to my interest.

It happens, sure, and we all love surprises. But I've been burned too many times now....:D A good writer can make more people read that book. I do read outside my genre, in things that on the surface wouldn't interest me, but something in the blurb / premise tickles. something makes me sit up and think 'Oh hello. now that could be good' and I give it a go. But to me, a good style or writing ability can't make up for the fact that I'm not interested in what they are saying.

[Phaeal]

I read the blurb first, as a first filter, but I never buy a book without reading at least a few pages, usually the first chapter. In the writing itself, I'm looking for three vital qualities:

-- Technical competence. Not brilliant writing, not poetry, but prose clean and smooth enough so I'm not always getting knocked out of the story by fractured grammar, clunky rhythms, misused words and overly repetitive sentence structure.

-- Profluence: A sense that there's a story starting here and that the writer can keep it going. It can be starting slowly or quickly, so long as it's starting.

-- Voice. I'm going to like "listening" to this writer and her characters.

As for subject, about the only thing that will absolutely stop me from reading is my apprehension that a book's some kind of thinly veiled religious or political diatribe. I will only read thickly veiled diatribes. ;)

[kaitie]

You know what else is interesting, though? If you give me a mediocre book that's a genre I enjoy, I'm still going to like it more than one in a genre I don't like. Heck, I might even enjoy it more than a good book in a genre I don't like. My tolerance for mediocre increases greatly the more the story appeals to me, even if in the end the story itself turns out to be pretty blah.

[Summonere]

Not reading what doesn't interest you
...Am I being unreasonable here?


Not at all. To believe that anyone else should enjoy something that we do is absurd.

That's like saying “The cooking is good, you'll enjoy the mushrooms.”

Well, no, I don't like mushrooms at all. I'm never going to like mushrooms. So I don't care who your world-famous cook is, the dadblamed things are still awful, no matter the artfulness of the stew.

As for book buying, I always read the blurb, the first page or two, the last page. The blurb generally provides a reasonable sense of what kind of story I'm holding, and the first page tells me immediately if I can sit still for the writing inside, while the last tells me if this is a story I'll want to sit still for.

[myrmidon]

I think I'm with you on not reading subject matter that doesn't interest me. Heck, in a book store I rarely venture out of the sections that I know I love...which in some way may seem small minded of me...but there are already so many books in THOSE sections which I have not yet read...I suppose if one day I manage to exhaust all those sections I would widen my search area...but it seems unlikely.

As for blurbs. I hate them and refuse to read them. They sound like PR and salesman pitches to me and generally don't reflect the writing inside. I buy books based on three things - two of which have to hit hard in order for me to buy. Title, cover, and first line of the first page. The most important of those three things is the first line, and the least is the cover. I'd love to say I could ignore the cover since I know the author often has no control, but as an art major it seems impossible for me to totally ignore it.

This system has yet to let me down (I've been using it for maybe five years). And it HAS led me to a lot of amazing books that I don't know how I ever would have found without it. I'm pretty happy with it overall, though like any system I can admit it's not flawless. :)

[kuwisdelu]

Eh, I'm on the other side of the coin.

Life is too short to read mediocre writing.

My tastes are pretty varied. If a writer is good enough, he or she should be able to make any topic interesting to me. I don't pay much attention to genre.

I do admit to putting down anything where the blurb makes the book seem too plot-driven, because I prefer character-driven writing. Anything else, and I'll usually give the reading a try before putting it away or moving on.

If the writing isn't interesting, I'll put it down.

[IdiotsRUs]

Fair enough Kuwi

I do admit to putting down anything where the blurb makes the book seem too plot-driven, because I prefer character-driven writing. I like character driven stuff too - all I require to pique me is some intriguing character wassname

I read all sorts of genres ( though I have my limits) so it's not that that limits me. I read Atonement recently. Cover did nowt for me. But I read the blurb and the phrase 'Briony will have committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone' was what got me to read it. Because it sounded interesting. If I hadn't read that, then the first page probably wouldn't have done it for me and I'd not have read ( and loved) the book - and the writing, which was imo droolworthy.

[Libbie]

Oh, I am absolutely with you. If I can't find some reason to be at least interested, if not enthusiastic, about the story I won't bother with it. Why should I? I am definitely a blurb-reader, to the point that if a book doesn't have a blurb on it, I won't take a chance on it. I'd rather not pay money and waste time on something I may hate.

It's the whole reason why blurbs exist.

that being said, I think it's important to find stuff you might like within genres you normally dislike. Track down poetry you can appreciate and study it, even if you usually don't like poetry. Find literary fiction you might enjoy and study it, even if you hate the majority of literary fiction. Find a romance novel or two that has a plot or characters you think you can be interested in, even if you avoid romance. We have stuff to learn from all kinds of writing. But you're not going to learn anything if you can't stay interested in actually reading.

[ClaudiaGray]

The subject matter has to appeal to me, yes. However, there's a lot of different subjects out there. I'm not a big fan of Westerns, but if there was one that mentioned a character dynamic I especially like, that could intrigue me. Hard SF isn't a favorite of mine either, but there are certain author blurbs that would get me to flip through. So on and so forth. So I am not very absolute in saying what definitely will and won't interest me. There are a lot of different combinations of things that could appeal.

[Kitty27]

I pay no mind to blurbs. I read everything except chick lit. I can't stand it.

What catches me is a unique cover,especially horror. Then I read the first three-five pages. If I like it,I buy it.

I rarely read blurbs. It's all breathless excitement and hollering to me. I read it,buy the book and it's as dull as Georgia dirt. That's happened to me too many times.

I feel that a writer will catch you in those first pages and that's what I look for.

[dolores haze]

I think it's important to find stuff you might like within genres you normally dislike.

I agree with this. Since I've been writing I've actively pushed myself to read genres that, as a reader, I avoided. By pushing myself to read YA I've learned so much about writing in first person. By pushing myself to read fantasy I've learned so much about worldbuilding. I've been very selective, however. I don't just pick a book off a shelf because it's something I wouldn't normally read. I try to find books I would like in genres I wouldn't normally read. And that blurb helps a lot!

[knight_tour]

I used to think it important to stretch my horizons in reading, but the older I get the less I care. I like what I like and I'm happy with that. I'll occasionally read something outside my normal genres if it is getting a ton of press and it really sounds interesting. Basically, I don't have enough time in my life even to read everything I want within my favorite genres, so I see no need to look elsewhere.

[lilmamaross]

I don't know why anyone would say that you had to read things you didn't like/don't interest you. Wth? No. Haha

I go to a section in the library/bookstore that I want to look at and I'm kinda like you, depending on my mood one thing or another might make me pick a book up. Sometimes it's a catchy title or snazzy artwork. Sometimes I'm looking for a specific author. And other times, I'll just go in and pick up just about every book on the shelf haha

I usually read the blurb and if that catches my interest, I might read a prologue or preface or some sort of introduction if the book has one. If that interests me, there we go, I found a book! If I'm not sure yet, I'll read a few pages and make a decision. Otherwise? Forget it, it's going back on the shelf.

Everyone has their own preferences and I don't see any reason to read things that don't interest you. I don't think you should read things that will bore you to death just because it's well written. Pfft. You won't catch me doing that!

Two of my friends raved over the Ellen Hopkins books Burned and Impulse. I read ...one of them, I can't remember which now. The story didn't draw me enough as it were. Then add in the style and oh lord. It drove me CRAZY! That was enough to make me never even finish it.

As far as I see it...if you like it and it interests you, read it. If it doesn't...nobody can make you read it. :)

[maestrowork]

I want good writing AND stories that I'd enjoy reading. Life is indeed too short. Of course, it's good to broaden our horizons. I love all kinds of movies, for example, and I read a good range of genres. Still, I don't like everything -- I at least have tried them to know that they're not really my cups of tea.

I don't read epic fantasy or vampires or zombies, for example. I applaud people who write them if that's their passion, and there are enough people who read those stories without my patronage. The idea that if it's well written then I should read it is silly. We all have preferences. Just because some liver is well prepared doesn't mean I should now eat that liver -- you may; I just don't.

I'm sure many people wouldn't touch my own novel with a 10' pole, no matter if it's well written or not. And that's fine. I also know people who will read anything. I'm just not like that. I'm a picky eater, and I'm a picky reader, too. There's nothing wrong with that and I sure am not going to apologize for my preferences.

[Sandy Shin]

You are definitely not alone (judged by the general consensus of the comments here). Back in high school, it used to be that I'd read anything that was recommended to me or seemed remotely interesting. Often times, I would finish them, too. Now, however, I barely have enough time to read the million pages of science textbooks I'm assigned each day. When I do have a little free time to read for fun, that's what I do: Read for "fun." There is really no point in forcing myself to read in genres and subjects I'm uninterested in merely because of good writing. There are plenty of beautifully written novels in the genres I do read.

I'm very particular about what I will read: YA and fantasy. I do try to pick up, on and off, books in other genres. However, chances are high that I'll put them down within the first 50 pages because, to me, they just aren't interesting and I can't be bother to read on only admiring the prose and nothing else.

Also, it used to be that I made my decisions to buy books based on blurbs alone. It's still how I primarily decide what to read. However, nowadays, I also read reviews in order to ascertain if the blurbs are (potentially) misleading. Often times, it's the online reviews that convince me to buy a book I otherwise wouldn't have tried (i.e. by mentioning an aspect of the novel I knew I'd enjoy).

But, yes, basically, what Kaitie said:

You know what else is interesting, though? If you give me a mediocre book that's a genre I enjoy, I'm still going to like it more than one in a genre I don't like. Heck, I might even enjoy it more than a good book in a genre I don't like. My tolerance for mediocre increases greatly the more the story appeals to me, even if in the end the story itself turns out to be pretty blah.

I'd much rather read a sub-par book in a genre I enjoy than a brilliant one in a genre I don't. :]

[Cranky]

Cover, blurb, first page. If I'm not hooked by any of the above, the book goes back on the shelf, regardless of genre. As many others have said, life's too short to read books I don't want to read, no matter how well-written they are. (Unless, as others have noted) I'm trying to learn something specific. But usually, I can find a story I like which will serve the same purpose without boring me to tears.

[maestrowork]

I'd much rather read a sub-par book in a genre I enjoy than a brilliant one in a genre I don't. :]

It is kind of sad, even though I understand... I won't read sub-par books at all even if it's a genre I enjoy. I'd take a brilliant book any time over a sub-par book, no matter what. Trash is trash.

[Adam]

Cover, blurb, first page. If I'm not hooked by any of the above, the book goes back on the shelf, regardless of genre. As many others have said, life's too short to read books I don't want to read, no matter how well-written they are. (Unless, as others have noted) I'm trying to learn something specific. But usually, I can find a story I like which will serve the same purpose without boring me to tears.

What the walking bomb said. ;)

[Cella]

As a learning exercise I can see how it would be beneficial to read in genres outside of what you would select for pleasure, just to get a feel for the way other authors write.

[KTC]

I never read stuff that doesn't appear to be something that would interest me. I avoid fantasy, western and sci-fi altogether. I don't care how good it is, it doesn't interest me. I can't believe someone would have a problem with that. We live by our preferences.

[Sandy Shin]

It is kind of sad, even though I understand... I won't read sub-par books at all even if it's a genre I enjoy. I'd take a brilliant book any time over a sub-par book, no matter what. Trash is trash.

After years of reading fictionpress.com stories with questionable grammar and spelling (and that's putting it mildly), I've become incredibly tolerant of sub-par writing in published fiction. As long as the story is interesting enough, I probably won't even notice the bad writing after the first few chapters. But then, bad story-stelling often accompanies bad writing, so I haven't encountered too many of those (bad writing with good story-stelling).

[Jamesaritchie]

I agree you should read books you don't like. But to eliminate a book simply because of subject matter strikes me as odd. Subject matter alone seldom has much to do with the quality of a book. I've read many a novel where the subject matter didn't interest me at all, and found I loved the novel, after giving it a chance.

Technically, a blurb is not the publisher's hype. A blurb is a little statement of quality by a famous writer, or plucked from a good review. What the publisher writes is the jacket copy, or jacket synopsis, but, sure, it's perfectly legitimate to put down a book if it doesn't interest you.

Having said that, not reading page one strikes me a nuts. I don't care how good the jacket synopsis is, the book may conatin bad writing, or writing you just don't like, and why on earth would you buy a book you won't read? That's having more money than sense.

Likewise, and this is the point, that jacket synospsis may not tell you what kind fo book you're really getting at all. A lousy, inaccurate jacket synopsis may be hiding a wonderfully written book, with a story and characters you would love.

I really don't think you should read books you don't enjoy, but automatically judging a book by genre, or subject, or jacket synopsis, makes no more sense to me than judging a book by its cover.

[KTC]

but if fantasy is the last thing in the world you would ever want to read...why read fantasy? life is too short. i don't like the genre. i don't get it. i'm not interested in getting it. hence, i will never read it. to me, that makes sense. it's a personal preference...it's not an attack on fantasy. it's just not my thing. it's a huge market with mega fans...they don't need a non-fan reading it.

[knight_tour]

...makes no more sense to me than judging a book by its cover.

Personally I feel we should be able to judge a book by its cover. The fact that we can't is the fault of the publishers, and it is one my little wars that I won't win but will continue to fight. I believe a cover should reflect what is inside, and I strongly believe an author should have input on what the cover will be like.

[KTC]

Personally I feel we should be able to judge a book by its cover. The fact that we can't is the fault of the publishers, and it is one my little wars that I won't win but will continue to fight. I believe a cover should reflect what is inside, and I strongly believe an author should have input on what the cover will be like.

word. me too.

[Jamesaritchie]

Gosh, I don't think you're being irrational at all. I speak as someone who doesn't read pages before buying at all--I make my entire decisions based on blurb (or the occasional nifty cover or title).

I have sometimes read things outside of what I would normally pick up and enjoyed them, but usually only because someone gave it to me to read swearing I'd love it. I've also come across some that I really didn't enjoy.

I agree with you, things are very subjective. What someone else loves may not be something I would enjoy. This isn't a 100% applicable, but I literally just finished watching Where the Wild Things Are. I've heard amazing things about it, that it was one of the best movies of the year, that it was fantastic and great. A couple of people I know who have watched it said it was wonderful and powerful.

Honestly? I really didn't like it. At all. For me, it was a reminder of all those things about childhood I hated, the parts I'd really rather not go back and revisit. It also felt unresolved and like these things were just going to go on continuing. The monsters were going to go on being miserable and sad, as was Max. Maybe that's just my take on it, but that's how it felt, and despite some of the things that were well done, I just disliked it. Another movie that fits this is Kill Bill, which I can admit was amazingly well done, but I still hated it. I read The Graveyard Book not long ago, and while I didn't dislike it, I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as the other people I know did.

Some things just aren't my style. Some I would read because someone on here wrote it and I want to be supportive, but for the most part I just really have no interest in certain topics. I really dislike war stories. Yes, a couple of the best books I've ever read in my life were war stories, but I'll still avoid them because they're horribly sad and depressing, and that's not what I want in a book.

To be honest, for the most part I don't mind missing something really good if it doesn't sound interesting to me because I'm enjoying the ones that I do read. Yeah, I still tend to read them when my friends say "Oh you'll love this," but in a bookstore you can bet unless the blurb sounds cool I won't be spending my money on it. I read for entertainment.

I think the important thing here is that we all have our own tastes and opinions. Just because one person loves something doesn't mean the next person will, no matter how well done it is. I try to be open-minded and try new things. I tried out a sci-fi book not long ago because it had won a novel of the year award. Wasn't a bad book, but it also wouldn't have been anywhere near my novel of the year prize. That doesn't make the people who awarded it wrong, it just means we have different tastes.

It may be wrong, but it's an opinion I've heard from a lot of writers, and one I strongly agree with, so I'll give it a shot. Those things you hated from childhood are usualy the very things you should revisit, and that will make you a much more successful writer, even if all you ever write is adult fiction.

This is precisely what Flannery O'Connor meant when she said, Anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life. Maybe your childhood was grim and horrible, but grim and horriible is okay, if it is well done.

It's also why Stephen King has made such a good living. Pretty much all teh horror he writes goes back to his own childhood.

As for war stories, they are not always horrible and sad. Some of the most uplifting stories I've ever read were war stories.

[Priene]

If an author has a good reputation, and they're in a genre I care about, then I'm automatically interested enough to read the first hundred pages of one of their books. The blurb is more or less irrelevant. If I don't know an author, I'll make a quick judgment by reading page 67 (page 1 tends to be a poor estimator), and I'll take the blurb into consideration as well. But, yes, I'll read books whose premises don't grab me. Apart from anything else, I've found my blurb-based expectations don't correspond terribly well with the experience of the book when I actually read it.

[KTC]

If an author has a good reputation, and they're in a genre I care about, then I'm automatically interested enough to read the first hundred pages of one of their books. The blurb is more or less irrelevant. If I don't know an author, I'll make a quick judgment by reading page 67 (page 1 tends to be a poor estimator), and I'll take the blurb into consideration as well. But, yes, I'll read books whose premises don't grab me. Apart from anything else, I've found my blurb-based expectations don't correspond terribly well with the experience of the book when I actually read it.

huh. i read page 40. it's the page where it should be far enough into the story to engage you. in my opinion, anyway. i always read page 40 before i buy.

[IdiotsRUs]

But to eliminate a book simply because of subject matter strikes me as odd. Subject matter alone seldom has much to do with the quality of a book.

It has nothing to do with the quality - but everything to do with whether it gets my interest. Just because something has quality writing in it, doesn't automatically mean I'll be interested in reading it.

You could write the tightest plotted book, full of beautiful prose - but if the book is about women shopping for designer shoes and moaning about men, or a low fantasy world where everything is shit in the streets and pus oozing out of every orifice in the name of gritty realism*, it doesn't matter how well you've written it, how splendid your prose, I'll still want to poke my eyes out rather than read it.

* Okay I may be exaggerating. A bit :D But these things just do. Not. Interest. Me.

[eyeblink]

I've long since resigned myself to the fact that I'm not a typical reader - though I do read a lot of fiction.

Subject matter is less important to me than writing style, and the writer - a good writer can make the most unpromising subject matter. For example, one of my favourite writers is William Golding, and one of my favourites of his novels (not the best, just favourite) is Free Fall. If you described the premise of that novel, it sounds dry as dust - but the way it was written made it fascinating.

I do have a bias against some genres - pulp war novels and westerns and technothrillers I have no interest in at all. But if an author I rated wrote one of these, you can bet I'd read it.

I'm also untypical in that I hardly ever rely on the blurb in a bookshop. Almost always I'll have heard of the novel in question, or at least the novelist, from reviews or word of mouth from people I trust. The few times I've tried the test of opening a book and checking the opening page I've been turned off the book so much that I put it back on the shelf.

There's also the issue that I do review books, and some depth of knowledge of the given genre is the least you can expect from a reviewer, if you want to take his/her opinions seriously. So I have read things simply because they're there...and I'm often glad I did.

[ishtar'sgate]

Once or twice over the past few days I have attested that it doesn't matter how good the writing is, if the subject matter doesn't interest me, I won't read it.

So why the feeling that if the writing is good enough, that I should enjoy it anyway? I can appreciate that something is well written without appreciating the story that it's writing about and not wanting to read it, surely?

Whihc brings me on to the blurb. It's the publishers hype, the author has nothing to do with it etc etc. Yes, those things are mostly true. But that;s forgetting the one thing that the blurb is really for, and this the author is responsible for in a way. The reader.

In my view, life's too short to read about things that have no interest to me and no amount of style will make me like it. Am I being unreasonable here? Because I'm starting to think I have to like things even if I don't....
Nonsense. My brother loves Annie Dillard. Admittedly her writing is good but I do not enjoy her books. I've tried to like them for his sake so we can talk about them but I can't. I also don't like anything involving vampires or the undead or psychic powers. I'm sure not going to force myself to read something someone else thinks I should (except my brother maybe - or at least I'll try). Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and I see no reason why anyone should be castigated for personal preference.
Regarding the blurb, I had some input into mine so it's not all the publisher's way all the time. Whether I scan bookshelves or online sellers I always always read the blurb first before making a decision. I take recommendations into account but I don't make my final decision based on anyone else's opinion but my own. After all, I've got to pay for and read the darned thing so I'd better be pretty sure I'm going to enjoy it.

[shaldna]

Interestingly enough, I'm reading a Pulitzer novel right now (Lonesome Dove), and were the story not so interesting, I wouldn't be. McMurtry is very obviously a good writer, but his style isn't what I would normally read because I'm not a fan of head-jumping within a scene.

. :)


Lonesome dove is one of the best books I have ever read.

[Albannach]

Interesting. I rarely read the blurb. I judge by the first page or two of the novel. (which means the first paragraph or two better be good)

I frequently deliberately browse novels outside my normal range of interests. I normally dislike vampire novels (whomever they fall in love with or don't) but first read GRR Martin in his fantastic vampire novel Fevre Dream which I picked up before I knew anything about him. I picked up Picoult although I'm not quite sure what her genre is called but the "women with terrible problems" genre isn't one I normally enjoy. Can't say I cared for it but I don't regret reading it.

No one is going to twist someone else's arm. I can't say I care whether IdiotsRUs reads outside a small subset of novels or not. I'd miss a lot if I did though so I'm not going to limit myself. I might KNOW that I'll enjoy a certain novelist. I might think I'll probably enjoy a certain genre. But I like to be sometimes surprised by enjoying something totally unexpected.

Edit: I don't like westerns. I couldn't possibly have less interest and hence haven't read Lonesome Dove but my next trip to the bookstore I think I'll pick it up. There's no way to read everything. Too much comes out, but I'm not ready to limit myself by the assumption that no one can surprise me.

[jinap]

Author name, title, blurb, and then a random page flip through to see if the story seems to live up to the blurb. Covers don't influence me much - I'm not that visual. I'd pick up a book with a plain black cover if the title seemed interesting and go from the blurb/first few pages.

[DisobedientWriter]

I love buying at independent bookstores because it's like having a personal shopper. I tell the staff my favorite authors and they produce a stack of choices that almost always works for me. I make my final choice from the title & page one (especially the first line).

I'm with Knight Tour as far as reading outside of my interests goes. I tried reading stuff I normally wouldn't for a while and it didn't work. My writing suffered and I read less.

[sunandshadow]

I've definitely had people tell me I should not only read, but write, genres I don't like. WTH? Actually I've had people tell me a very similar thing about my art, that all artists ought to practice all artistic styles but especially realism, and it makes no impression on them at all when I mention that I dislike realism. I wonder if some people have the odd idea that to be a true 'artiste' you must be totally unbiased. I don't agree at all, I think that one's personal taste aka bias is the core of our motivation to create. Because after all we have to create something specific, we have to decide somehow what's the best thing to create at any given moment.

I also agree that life, and my supply of good mood and tolerance, are too short to waste on any subject I dislike. There's nothing wrong with avoiding whole genres as long as you're not trying to tell other people they shouldn't like them (or create them).

[Maxinquaye]

So why the feeling that if the writing is good enough, that I should enjoy it anyway? I can appreciate that something is well written without appreciating the story that it's writing about and not wanting to read it, surely?


Life's much too short to waste on books you don't like. I read a lot. I think I hold one kind of book or another in my hand for most of the day. So I'll be as discerning as I want, and not ask permission to be so. :)

Thing is, I read for enjoyment primarily. Studying text comes later. Learning the ropes too. If I don't enjoy reading, I might as well do something else, and I'll have no patience with what I don't like.

I think I can learn as much, and be as well read as required, even if I'm picky. There's just so many books out there. So no, you're not alone. Welcome to our big, big club. :)

[ishtar'sgate]

Actually I've had people tell me a very similar thing about my art, that all artists ought to practice all artistic styles but especially realism, and it makes no impression on them at all when I mention that I dislike realism.
My brother is an artist. He too has never liked realism. He's an impressionist and always has been. He's doing very well with his art and no one suggests he should paint anything other than what he loves to paint.

[Albannach]

Does he also never look at any art except what he paints? Just curious.

I write historical novels and have every intention of continuing. That that would mean that I never read anything else would make a pretty boring world as far as I'm concerned. But that's my choice.

I enjoy reading all kinds of novels and non-fiction. Sometimes I find something I'm not enjoying. Chances are I'll finish it depending on how MUCH I'm not enjoying it. Thomas Covenant I not only didn't finish--I threw in the trash. And I normally like fantasy--but I don't write it. Why would I only read what I write? Heck, if there's nothing else around I'll read the label on a can of soup.

Edit: I must admit that for me reading romances about the equivalent of reading the label on soup. I have to be pretty desperate for reading material, but I'll even read that on occasion. *shrug*

Just how I look at it.

[IdiotsRUs]

I can't say I care whether IdiotsRUs reads outside a small subset of novels or not. I'd miss a lot if I did though so I'm not going to limit myself. I might KNOW that I'll enjoy a certain novelist. I might think I'll probably enjoy a certain genre. But I like to be sometimes surprised by enjoying something totally unexpected.

I don't limit myself by genre ( except chick lit...I might even be tempted with that, if they aren't shopping and there's something else of interest) but by interest. And I have a broad definition of I what I call interesting. So in effect I'm limiting myself to what I think I'll like - whether that's literary or fantasy or thriller.

See this is the thing. You say that and people say 'oh, but you're missing out this book X is great'. It might be, to you. It might have wonderful prose etc. But if the prose is about something I find boring, it doesn't matter how wonderful it is, so I'm bored. Where's the point in that?

ETA: though surprises are nice, which is why I occasionally read the first couple of pages of a book whose jacket synopsis sounds boring. 99 times out a hundred, I find the first two pages boring too, so down it goes. The hundredth time is nice though - if it doesn't become boring later on.

[sunandshadow]

My brother is an artist. He too has never liked realism. He's an impressionist and always has been. He's doing very well with his art and no one suggests he should paint anything other than what he loves to paint.
You asked him, and he said no one ever told him he needed to study and practice realism (specifically anatomy or light and color or perspective) before he could be good at impressionism? Because really, I've heard someone make that general statement at least 20 times, sometimes directly to me and sometimes not.

[sunandshadow]

There are whole genres I avoid, but it has nothing to do with writing them. I do not want to read any horror or tragedy because I simply do not want to feel the emotions those genres are designed to produce. I think real life has too much horror and tragedy already, I certainly don't need to pour extra into my mind by reading it in fiction.

[bearilou]

I'm not a blurb reader. Nor do I really do a lot of hard judging on the quality of a book based on its cover.

By the same token, if your book cover (which is not the author's fault) or your blurb don't hold my attention, you'll be hard pressed to get me to open the damn thing, regardless of whether the genre interests me or not.

The last hold out for me, though, because I am one of those readers who understand that a cover does not a book make, is the page 69 test. I open the book to page 69 and read it.

IF it has managed to hook me, interest me (again, regardless of genre), then the book, awful cover and all, goes into my basket.

On the flip side, I'm not interested in reading about graphic murder mysteries. Or stories that feature graphic rape. Or child abuse (even if the story ends well for all). I don't give one flying rat's booty how well it's written. If what I see on the cover, the blurb and on page 69 gives me any warning that it might contain those, I reserve the right to NOT FREAKIN' READ THEM.

Judge me, if you like, as being closed minded. I choose what I bring into environment that will uplift me and keep me happy, engage my imagination and indulge in my fantasy escapism. No one else's business why.

As to what IRU said...that happened to me some time back when I was researching purchasing a book series that numbered in 10 volumes and was still growing. All the reviews, good and bad, said the first book dragged on and that the story picked up in the second book if the reader can just get through the first book.

I'm sorry. Really. I'm sorry. If I have to drudge through an entire 400 page book before it 'starts to get interesting'...um no. Call me impatient. Call me a lazy reader. Call me whatever. If it is WORK to get through and ENTIRE BOOK, it ceases being enjoyable for me and I put it down.

If someone says "you'll love this" and my research all points to the fact that I may not? I'm not going to use what time I have available to read, indulging in something I suspect I may not like at all. Not when I have this pile of books over here that appear to have a closer fit to what I want to indulge in.

[LuckyH]

The learning process to become a writer is varied and complicated, some people learn it from books read during childhood, others need to spend years at university, and a few lucky ones may only need a sensible writing forum before putting pen to paper.

But the learning process doesn’t stop when the first book, in its glorious cover, with a blurb you could die for reaches the bookshelves, and why the OP and the other commentators (writers) have expressed their opinions here. We don’t stop learning, it’s impossible to stop, there’s always another bookshop around the corner, or the big one in the sky.

I tend to search for authors I like, I read blurbs and sample pages, I try strange genres to further my education, but most of all the writing must live up to my expectations - I refuse to read shite.

[The Lonely One]

I'm one of those who can be drawn in by any various kind of genre or story based on the writing.

But that's me. And I agree with the summary statement of your post: life's too short to read a book you don't like. How can anyone fault you for that?

[SPMiller]

I like the way Tor, a large fantasy publisher, does business with unagented submissions. They refuse to consider query letters and instead accept only synopsis + sample pages + cover letter. Granted, I'd rather submit to them via an agent, for which there are different requirements, but I respect that they believe that "[it's] practically impossible to judge a project from a query". I feel the same way about blurbs, which, to my eye, are similar to queries.

[LuckyH]

I like the way Tor, a large fantasy publisher, does business with unagented submissions. They refuse to consider query letters and instead accept only synopsis + sample pages + cover letter. Granted, I'd rather submit to them via an agent, for which there are different requirements, but I respect that they believe that "[it's] practically impossible to judge a project from a query". I feel the same way about blurbs, which, to my eye, are similar to queries.

I agree, but that’s a writer’s response, not a reader’s. I watch readers in bookshops, they are drawn by the cover and the blurb and that’s all they need before parting with their money.

I don’t know why it should bother me, it may be the green-eyed disease, but I hate it when I see a queue of buyers pick up a book from the large pile of the latest bestseller strategically placed at the shop entrance and proceed to the checkout without even glancing at the book in their hands.

[LuckyH]

I should have added that I have lingered both inside and outside a book shop for hours, watching the buyers, knowing that my book was on display on a back shelf under its genre. I thought at one stage that I was going mad, but convinced myself that it was all during the course of valuable research.

Maybe I was going mad, because at one stage I was standing next to a fat woman who had taken my book down from the shelf and spent a long time looking at the cover, the blurb and then started reading sample pages.

I tried everything. I couldn’t hypnotise her because she wasn’t looking at me, so I tried thought transfer and my thoughts were pretty simple, I just kept repeating over and over again: Buy the fucking book.

It didn’t work, She put it back on the shelf and walked out of the shop. I had to leave as well, the staff were getting suspicious.

[knight_tour]

I tried everything. I couldn’t hypnotise her because she wasn’t looking at me, so I tried thought transfer and my thoughts were pretty simple, I just kept repeating over and over again: Buy the fucking book.

It didn’t work, She put it back on the shelf and walked out of the shop. I had to leave as well, the staff were getting suspicious.

I think it was your mental cursing that turned her away;)

[James D. Macdonald]

Blurbs, cover art, bookstore shelving, all has one purpose: To tell readers "This is the kind of book you like, if you like this kind of book."

The practical result is higher sales.

[Satori1977]

I totally agree with the OP. This is the way I buy books (most of the time). I usually walk into a bookstore knowing what type of book I want. My favorite genres are fantasy (UF, PNR, epic, all of it), sci-fi, and fantasy. I read several books at a time, and at least one of those books fall into one of those categories. So I will walk over to the section I am looking at and start browsing. I look for names I recognize first, then look onto new books. I am generally wary of buying books that I don't know, authors I have never read. I have spent too much money on books that weren't good. One of two things will catch my attention. A clever or catchy title, or a cool-looking cover. I pick it up and read the blurb on the back. If it is something that I might like reading, I look at the excerpt from the book (if it has one, a few pages in). Then I read the first few lines, maybe a page or two. Sometimes I even pick a spot in the middle of the book and start reading. Just to get a feel for the author's voice. The blurb is VERY important to me (if the blurb doesn't sound good, I put it down), but I have spent too much time and money on awful books because the idea sounded interesting. Now I like to spend a few minutes to see if I like the writing. The book might still be crap, but I feel this way, I have weeded 90% of the horrible stories out.

Lately I have been trying to read other genres, expand my library. Fort these I usually go to the library, pick up something that sounds interesting, or go by recommendation. For buying, my method above usually works better, though mostly I only buy authors I know and love.

Oh, and for the couple of people discussing Lonesome Dove....excellent book! I never read western, ever. But that book I love (I adore the movie and my father lent me his copy of the book, still haven't given it back, LOL).

[Satori1977]

I should have added that I have lingered both inside and outside a book shop for hours, watching the buyers, knowing that my book was on display on a back shelf under its genre. I thought at one stage that I was going mad, but convinced myself that it was all during the course of valuable research.

Maybe I was going mad, because at one stage I was standing next to a fat woman who had taken my book down from the shelf and spent a long time looking at the cover, the blurb and then started reading sample pages.

I tried everything. I couldn’t hypnotise her because she wasn’t looking at me, so I tried thought transfer and my thoughts were pretty simple, I just kept repeating over and over again: Buy the fucking book.

It didn’t work, She put it back on the shelf and walked out of the shop. I had to leave as well, the staff were getting suspicious.

I think this is funny. If I ever published a book, I could just see myself standing in a bookstore for hours near it, hoping to see someone buy it. If a person picked it up, I would probably start raving about it, "Oh, I read that book, it is amazing. You should totally buy it, you'll love it!" I'll probably end up scaring people away, maybe even get kicked out, LOL.

[kuwisdelu]

Anyone else here walk into a bookstore with no idea what they want? (Including no idea what genre you feel like reading?)

Oddly enough, when I'm looking for certain types of books, I go by tone. I don't care what genre it's in, but sometimes I'll feel like reading a certain kind of tone or voice.

[Lady Ice]

I don't read fantasy. At a stretch I consider urban fantasy but generally I say away from the genre. Same with true-life abuse stories.

People should read books about things they want to read about; but we should occasionally try to challenge ourselves by picking something that doesn't look like the sort of thing we'd normally read.

[IdiotsRUs]

Anyone else here walk into a bookstore with no idea what they want? (Including no idea what genre you feel like reading?)



Yup, all the time. I wander about till I find something that seems interesting :D

[scarletpeaches]

I have no interest in reading Idiots' threads, which is why I never post in them.

[IdiotsRUs]

Sorry, I lost interest after 'have'

:D

[Alpha Echo]

There are some books I read in AP Lit that I would never have chosen on my own but ended up loving. All the King's Men, Native Son, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Prayer for Owen Meany. I ended up loving these books, but I only read them because it was required reading.

Now, I read what interests me. I have struck out of my own comfortable genres a bit. I used to read only suspense/thrillers/mysteries or women's fiction type books. Now, I'll venture out into just about anything except fantasy or science-fiction. I've learned a lot by broadening my horizons. Someone else mentioned learning about first person from reading YA. I have as well. I've learned a lot about people by reading memoirs and learning how to watch people around me with a different...in a different light so that I can make my characters real. But fantasy and scifi...I'm just not interested, and even if one of my favorite author's switched to one of those genres, I wouldn't follow.

I've often thought there was something wrong with me. There are some classics I have tried to read but can't get into. I still have Atonement and will probably try a few more times to read it, but so far, no go. I've felt almost guilty for that. The Memory Keeper's Daughter...I skipped the last hundred pages and wished I hadn't wasted time reading the first hundred. Some of the books I can't get through are praised as wonderful, creative, well-written, and when I put the book down and stop reading, I feel guilty for that. I'm a writer, I should love these books, right?

Do I still appreciate the author's ability to write? Absolutely. But it's enough for me. I don't have to read books anymore for anyone other than myself. I'm not going to waste my time reading something with a plot that is uninteresting to me, no matter how acclaimed it may be.

As for blurbs, I will put down a book that doesn't have a blurb. Once the blurb brings me in, I'll usually skim the first few pages. Although, I have bought books because the blurb alone sounds interesting, and sometimes it works for me, and sometimes it doesn't. I've found amazing books by first-time, unknown authors, and I've found books I couldn't stand.