What do you avoid?

[Janet]

What principle?

 

I can't believe I wrote principal!

 

I don't want to add to his millions. He thought he was so far above the law that he could not be found out.

It's easy to type the wrong thing - everyone does it.

 

I was a bit confused because Geoffrey and Jeffrey are two different people. My husband reads Geoffrey Archer and I wondered what he had done wrong, but your comment makes sense now.

 

I used to read JA, but I don't anymore. I'm not sure it's so much on principle, because I guess he did the crime then did his time, but I found they started to get less gripping than his early novels - especially "As the Crow Flies" which was a real let down.

[Roger53]

I skip over crime because, even though I have never read any adult crime, I assume it to be predictable. Is this something I am missing out on?

 

You don't know what you are missing. As a lot of crime series use the same detective, for instance Adam Dalgliesh by PD James, or Phillip Marlowe with Raymond Chandler, to use two totally opposite examples, a lot of each book is about the detectives personality. Rebus and Hercule Poirot are another two examples. There is usually more to the story besides just the crime. Agatha Christie managed to turn out 90 odd books about crime, albeit with a number of detectives. I am yet to read a bad one.

 

I read Rottweiler by Ruth Rendell last year. It is about a criminal, but it was such a good story that part hardly mattered. The best part of the story was the personality of all these people who live in the one building. An excellent book.

 

Needless to say crime books are among my favourites.

[Rosie]

When I'm looking for books to read the genres I tend to avoid are Science Fiction, Fantasy and anything with Vampires in it. Not keen on anything about war if it is about battles and the technical side of warfare but if it is about how people are affected by and cope with war e.g. Birdsong or The Night Watch then I will read and enjoy it. I never even think to look at Westerns or Mills & Boon type romantic fiction. I've just realised I'm probably stuck in a rut with my reading habits because I tend to choose what I like and what I feel comfortable with.

[wrathofkublakhan]

It seems that the things we avoid tend to be genre based and/or we get clues from the covers of the books.

 

I sometimes wish I could have a best of list in the genres I tend to avoid. It was a fluke when I read Lonesome Dove; and I enjoyed it. Chances of me browsing the "westerns" section are slim.

Later it won a Pulitzer Prize and then was made into a popular mini-series.

 

Now, some may avoid genres because they have had crummy experiences dabbling in the arena, others may avoid an area because it simply isn't in their interest.

 

In general, the idea of a vampire book seems darn silly - especially in the modern world!

However, if you wanted to dabble in the genre for a taste, ahem, you might try:

Anne Rice

Kim Harrison

Laurell K. Hamilton

Mario Acevedo

[JudyB]

I avoid biographies like the plague. I'm not sure why. I think I assume them to be boring and can't be bothered with nosying into people's lives, but I think there must be some interesting unintrusive ones out there somewhere.

 

 

I think also it's becoming a matter of overkill - there are so many and not always about 'great' people and it's amazing how some people in their 20's can have as many as three!

[Fiona]

I always assumed biographies to be boring too, but I have read two and enjoyed them very much. Both written by Claire Tomalin and I think she is an excellent biographer - I read the biography of Samuel Pepys and Jane Austen. i'd reccomend both those books to anyone.

 

I want to read Antonia Fraser's one on Charles II and I have another one by her called the 'Weaker Vessel' about women which actually sounds interesting.

 

But yeah, you're right Judy, there are SO many biographies out there (often on the same people, many on Henry VIII or his wives) it's hard to pick one. I mean, you don't want to read too many biographies on one person really do you...

 

I don't see and avoid these silly celebrity biographies. Jade Goody. What's so great about her life? In fact, biographies should be about dead people - the most interesting. Although I do have David Blunkett's bio (well... kinda autobio/memoir thingy and Piers Morgans) and they're not dead yet. But they lead more interesting lives then 'I got my tits out on national TV' or whatever it is or 'I'm married to a rich and famous footballer but I've in fact done nothing with my life other then shop.'

[JudyB]

I don't see and avoid these silly celebrity biographies. Jade Goody. What's so great about her life? In fact, biographies should be about dead people - the most interesting. Although I do have David Blunkett's bio (well... kinda autobio/memoir thingy and Piers Morgans) and they're not dead yet. But they lead more interesting lives then 'I got my tits out on national TV' or whatever it is or 'I'm married to a rich and famous footballer but I've in fact done nothing with my life other then shop.'

 

I think it was those sort that were in my mind when I wrote my message which just shows actually how saturated the biog market is by biographies of that nature.

[Icecream]

I agree Judy. There are so many. People just want a piece of the action.

 

Back on topic, I have bought some books today that will conquer my avoidance habits (or not depending). See the 'what books came into your house today' thread.

[pontalba]

Hmmm...authors I avoid would be Stephen King, because he just got waaay too creepy for me, and Anne Rice. To me Interview With A Vampire was good, and only a fluke. The following were increasingly boring and repetitive. Genres I avoid would be Harlequin Romances and True Crime, and I don't care for Fantasy too much, although will occasionally like one.

[poppy]

Harlequin romances sound like Mills and Boons ....definitely to be avoided along with chic-lit in general. Don't like horror at all, murders and who dunnits are ok as long as they are 'nice' murders .

I love biographies and autobiographies but not of the celebrity film-star kind.

[wrathofkublakhan]

I don't care for Fantasy too much, although will occasionally like one.

 

Indulge me if you will .... which one?

[madcow]

I usually avoid Sci-Fi/Fantasy (although i did enjoy Philip Pulman's Amber Spyglass trilogy), Horror, Vampire books as they just don't appeal to me. As a teenager I loved Catherine Cookson, they were my first taste of adult books so to speak and I did like Danielle Steele after that but then they started becoming to predictable. I never read thriller/suspense books until I got hold of a copy of Martina Cole's The Lady Killer and now I would say I'm hooked, they are now one of my favourite genres and since joining BCF i've managed to expand my tastes in this area i.e. Kathy Reichs, Tami Hoag, Natsuo Kirino and Karin Slaughter to name but a few. Another auther i am particularly (?sp) fond of is Lesley Pearce, her books are very easy to read. I only ever read one Mills and Boon and never again is the phrase i'd use, Barbara Cartland is another i avoid.

[Echo]

I avoid sci-fi and fantasy in general, except for books by Tolkien. I also have an intense dislike of Rick Moody, so I would probably steer clear of any other post-modern writers. Reading him was one of the angriest literary experiences I ever had.

[Adam]

I stay clear of sci-fi and really old dry stories. I also stay clear of romance too.

[writeoff]

I generally stay away from detective stories and romance.

[Bambi-eyes]

For me it has to be the current trend of 'misery-lit' books, I just cant stand them. All my friends at work circulate them between themselves and I shocked that I don't want in on the action...absolutely no.

 

Also, I feel the same about celeb bios ~ I saw Lewis Hamilton has one out, he can't be more than 22! What's the rush?!

[Kell]

I actively avoid books that have a pale cover with a small child on the cover and a title that looks handwritten. Yup, you've guessed it, I have a BIG thing against all those millions of child abuse stories that have come out in recent years. They all follow exactly the same formula and are marketed in exactly the same way. yes, i have sympathy for those who have suffered in their lives, but the amount of folks cashing in with identi-kit stories does my nut in!

 

I also get really riled at all the "I'm a celebrity (i.e. I lost Big Brother) get me an autobiography out there!" These people have been "famous" for al of 5 seconds and are desperately clinging to the limelight as long as possible, as they are in denial about the fact that sooner or later they're going to have to go back to the day job at Burger King or sweeping up hair at the local salon. They're also all in their very early twenties and haven't even lived yet, so what could they possibly have to say that's of any interest? "Oh boo-hoo, I didn't win Big Brother and as a result I ended up in rehab 6 times with drink and drug problems!" Grow up, get a life and shut up - that's all I think when I see those books.

 

ETA: I've had to go and blog about it to blow off steam!

[angerball]

Yup, you've guessed it, I have a BIG thing against all those millions of child abuse stories that have come out in recent years.

 

I'm with you on this one, Kell. I avoid these books like the plague, and at the risk of sounding a bit harsh, they irritate the heck out of me. It's the cashing in factor that you mentioned. I'm of course very sympathetic to a genuine case of child-abuse (or any other kind of abuse), but a lot of these cases lose their authenticity (in my eyes) when they are marketed in a way as to promote a best-seller. I'm willing to bet that a great number of these stories have stretched the truth, in order to up their sales, and to shock the reader. Ever since A Child Called It became a best-seller, I have seen these types of books everywhere. WHSmith even have their own separate sections for them (can't remember what it is called, though!).

[Kell]

The worst thing about those books (to me, anyway) is that I seem to have become almost immune to them - if I'm reading them I don't seem to get affected like I used to. And then I feel bad because I'm not crying inside over the horror of it all. I don't read to make myself feel bad - I read for enjoyment - therefore, none of those books will ever come into my home again.

[Maureen]

That's how I feel too, - I read to enjoy myself - not to be faced with horror and sadness.

[michael]

anything that mentions the booker prize on the blurb (especially "nominated, runner up, shortlisted"). Also any auto-biogs of people I LIKE: too many of them turn out to be not so nice when you read their words. michael cane was a case in point for me, one of the very few books i've ever given away.

[Roland Butter]

Yep, I'm with Kell too. There are so many of these childhood abuse memoirs on the market that, in my more cynical moments, I question the authenticity of some of them.

 

And Irish misery, too. My wife's people are from Ireland, and I'm sure it's nowhere near as miserable as the glut of sub-Angela's Ashes memoirs would have you believe. Frank McCourt has a lot to answer for.

 

And fantasy-type books. Can't be doing with all them dragons and wizards, me

[Icecream]

Kell, Angerball, I agree. I have been watching these books come out ever since Dave Pelzer's books. You see them straight away because of the covers. You can write these stories in plenty of different ways. I know because I have been through abuse. Obviously, therefore, I understand the pain of such an experience, but I can still see that these books are too promoting an identikit image.

[Kell]

Another set of identi0kit books I'm refusing to read due to the publisher's lack of imagination on cover design is all the dog books about lately. It started with Marley and Me, but since then, I've seen books about loads of other people's dogs too, including (to name but a few):

 

A Friend Like Henry

Walking Ollie

From Baghdad With Love

My Life With George

Amazing Gracie

Buster's Diaries

Copper - A Dog's Life

 

Now, I want to point out that I am a dog-lover and have had dogs myself, but I'm willing to bet that, with very few exceptions, the stories of these dogs will be almost identical to the story of ANY dogs ANYWHERE and that dog owners will recognise many of the escapades in these books (I can't say for sure as I've never read them and have no intention of doing so, but I think I'm fairly safe in surmising this!). Every pet owner likes to think that their pet is special in some way - and they're right - their pet IS special - TO THEM. I just find it amazing that all these people are able to cash in whittering on about their dogs!

[angerball]

^I wouldn't want to read any of those dog stories, simply because how most of them would end.