Thought for the Day.......

 

 

Still at work, still bored and still thinking.

The thought for the day – am I a reader snob?  I started thinking this when I mentioned in my review of The Longest Ride that I’d never read a Nicolas Sparks book and had no intention of ever reading a Nicolas Sparks book.  I wondered why really and the “other” voice in my head answered “it’s ‘cause you be a snob beyotch!” (she sometimes talks to me like that – I really should teach her respect)

But I had to admit she might have a point.  Since I’ve never even tried one, how can I turn my nose up at this author’s whole body of work?  I like, and even love some of his movies though I haven’t seen them all.  I’m still a bit reluctant after watching Message in a Bottle.  I’ve heard his books aren’t well written and not all of them have happy endings and I’ve read where many question whether his books should even be called romances but maybe instead they should be qualified as romantic.

I’m the same way with Danielle Steele.  I think I read one of her book years ago and was less than impressed and scorned her too as “not a real romance writer.”  But she does seem to be popular.  They turned some of her books in to television movies and I think I might have started watching one once and thought “blech” and turned it off.  This is another author I’m a snob about.

Then we have Jackie Collins.  Now her books were popular back in the 70’s and 80’s.  I read one.  Once.  And that was quite enough thank you.  At the time I was also reading Mary Stewart, Daphne Du Maurier, Anya Seton so when I read Jackie Colllins, well, her book really was sleazy trash.

(OMG!! Squeak -  I sound like my mother.)

E.L. James is another author I can be accused of being snobby about, and probably with just cause.  I haven’t read the 50 Shades books, have no intentions of it, haven’t seen the movie and have no intentions in that either.  I’ve read and heard enough that the writing amateurish and the subject matter not true to life and not something I want to read about in any case.  I don’t really understand pain and sex together.

I have read so called racy books. I read quite a few Harold Robbins and Sidney Sheldon and I don’t have a problem with them.  I think, in my own convoluted mind that holds at least two people, that since they weren’t marketed as romance then I’m OK is their books are somewhat tasteless

I do believe it’s because I’m protective of the romance genre.  It’s my genre of choice and one of the big reasons is the quality of many of its authors.  I’ve read all genres and the authors themselves who write romance are some of the best actual writers and I don’t want what I consider ‘posers’ mixed into the genre – like fake chocolate chips mixed in with real chocolate chips.  They may look the same and at first glance they seem real, but the quality just isn’t the same.

But in my defense of romance authors, have I strayed too far into snobishood?

 

‘til later