Vimes
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Posts posted by Vimes
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Exactly! So being offended because of good marketing is pointless!
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I think everyone would agree that a single individual can judge for themselves whether they feel a book is good or bad. However, books are very subjective, and there are plenty of books out which are loved by some, and hated by others. I don't think anyone would argue with that?
What I don't like to see are individuals believing that their opinion is the only one. CG, what I personally got from your original points was that you believe that HP is a bad book, and everyone who likes it only does so because they're stupid/gullible enough to fall for clever marketing. Please tell me if I've got that wrong.
By all means, please discuss the merits of a book, that's what a forum should be for. But please all accept that everyone reads different books for different reasons - not everyone wants to read difficult, challenging books, and everyone has different tastes. No one should feel bad on this forum because of what they choose to read, and no one should have to justify why they like a book.
I asked a while ago that this thread was drawn to a close, but some people have continued the discussion, and on the whole, the points are interesting. Please do not make comments personal, and please respect what I've said in this post.
All and I mean ALL of us are taken in by marketing at some point in our lives it doesn't mean you are stupid! Take the new washing powder that came out here by me a few weeks ago, there was a hooha and I bought the washing powder! I fell for the marketing! That doesn't mean a thing and there is no point in getting upset about it, it happens! You still read HP and I still use the washing powder. Marketing works and exists if I buy something and then someone says that Whatever used a clever bit of marketing I would say yes and it worked so well that it got me to buy it! I wouldn't be upset or insulted about it and it is interesting to see how marketing works.
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The way I see it, is that if you haven't read the book, you can't know what the whole book is like. And therefore you can't really go by someone else's opinion on the book. If you find articles on the books where people don't like the book and discuss all the negatives on it, how can you really agree with it if you haven't read the whole thing. And by 'you' I mean a general you.
But like I said to CuriousGeorgette, I realize that there is no point in me continuing to say these things because it seems that my point is not coming across.
Well this goes back to my question of if I stop reading a book, and almost everyone has admitted to doing that at one point, because it is bad dose that mean that the book was bad or that I just hadn't read the good bit yet? You can't have it both ways, either I have a right to say X book was so bad I stopped reading it or I don't! And if I read part of a book and then read a review that agrees with my point of it being bad dose that mean that I am wrong and that I can't post it on a forum and say this was a bad book?
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Well I have just read the last two pages of posts and there are a few things I would like to comment on.
1. There has been quite a few comments along the lines of - 'they can't be bad because they were a best seller' now my question is (and I have puzzled over this for years) if I go into a book store and see a new book for sale and it has just been published how can it be a best seller? WHO has been buying them? If you just follow the logic for a moment, a book can't be brand new AND a best seller AT THE SAME TIME! So are they good or are you just being taken for a ride?
2. I am young enough that growing up my friends were all reading HP and if your thoughts are that as a child I must have instantly loved them you are wrong, my brain almost melted! The horror of how bad the writing was and the plot! But then at that time I was reading Black Beauty, Lassie and Narnia so I might have been already too exposed to too many good books to fully appreciate the HP books.
Oh and P.S I have never been so patronized in my life as when I read those few pages of HP.
3. You can say that a book is all about what you get out of it and connecting with the characters and yes that is a big part of it but it still has be be well written!
4. As I child I hated books that tried to be all "let's all sing together and no one is all bad" and as for seeing myself in the characters? Ai! What I wanted was my bad guys to be truly evil with a capital E and the good guys to come along and kick their bottoms! And my heros to be heroic and not all human, they are the good guys! But then that might have just been me, I was always a bit odd. Oh and I liked my books to be something that I could learn from and enjoy at the same time, not all children want easy books that are no challenge to read.
5. If I have followed your logic correctly you think that I have to read every book that I start to the end in order to know if that book is good or bad, yes? But in the few posts above this one you have all been admitting to not finishing books because they were not for you or you thought them bad, yes or no? So if I have read a bit of a book say HP and then did not finish it as it was bad does that mean that it was actually good and I just didn't read the good part and should have wasted my time and finished all of the books or that it was bad and that I had a right to stop reading it? Just a thought.
I wasn't refering to you, it was an impersonal YOU, not you in particular. I think you have the absolute right to say you don't like a book, obviously.
Well you may have not meant me in that moment but others have at other points.
I personally like to decide for myself. So if there are 'capable judges' in the world, I don't go by their word: I like to read the book in question myself, to know what I think of it.
You have yourself attacked people who do enjoy the books in this thread, and insulted their intelligence, and you don't even see that. So I think you and I have come to a point where there is no point in dragging this on any further
Well instead of telling us how wrong we are and how misguided we are in are thinking why don't you tell us why we should change our minds about HP and read the books? As far as I can see all you have done so far is say we have said anyone how reads HP is stupid (not that those actual words have ever past my lips) and not once come up is an augment for HP.
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For every single thing in the world I think everyone has the right to like or dislike it without being judged.
This goes both ways! Why is it that I am being mean and unreasonable for saying in a calm and logical way why I don't like HP when you and those how do like it are the injured party and get away with jumping on us for saying we don't like HP and that our opinions sent worth **** because we don't have a 20 page essay on why we don't and when we do find links to those who do (many are respected people in the book industry) we are accused of saying that you are stupid and that we need to change our attitude? Why is your option better than mine just because I haven't studied every page? I think you say a lot about respecting others rights to like or dislike something but are bad at practising it here. And this is not pointed at you personaly but to all of you who have been prejudiced against those of us how have not agreed that HP is the best thing since ever.
And I thought this was a thread about discussing IF IF HP is good or not, this means there has to be people how don't this that they are good participating in the thread or it is just another group of HP fans talking about the books.
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Well I have just read the last two pages of posts and there are a few things I would like to comment on.
1. There has been quite a few comments along the lines of - 'they can't be bad because they were a best seller' now my question is (and I have puzzled over this for years) if I go into a book store and see a new book for sale and it has just been published how can it be a best seller? WHO has been buying them? If you just follow the logic for a moment, a book can't be brand new AND a best seller AT THE SAME TIME! So are they good or are you just being taken for a ride?
2. I am young enough that growing up my friends were all reading HP and if your thoughts are that as a child I must have instantly loved them you are wrong, my brain almost melted! The horror of how bad the writing was and the plot! But then at that time I was reading Black Beauty, Lassie and Narnia so I might have been already too exposed to too many good books to fully appreciate the HP books.
Oh and P.S I have never been so patronized in my life as when I read those few pages of HP.
3. You can say that a book is all about what you get out of it and connecting with the characters and yes that is a big part of it but it still has be be well written!
4. As I child I hated books that tried to be all "let's all sing together and no one is all bad" and as for seeing myself in the characters? Ai! What I wanted was my bad guys to be truly evil with a capital E and the good guys to come along and kick their bottoms! And my heros to be heroic and not all human, they are the good guys! But then that might have just been me, I was always a bit odd. Oh and I liked my books to be something that I could learn from and enjoy at the same time, not all children want easy books that are no challenge to read.
5. If I have followed your logic correctly you think that I have to read every book that I start to the end in order to know if that book is good or bad, yes? But in the few posts above this one you have all been admitting to not finishing books because they were not for you or you thought them bad, yes or no? So if I have read a bit of a book say HP and then did not finish it as it was bad does that mean that it was actually good and I just didn't read the good part and should have wasted my time and finished all of the books or that it was bad and that I had a right to stop reading it? Just a thought. -
Started the sixth Ramage book yesterday, Ramage and the Guillotine! On the edge of my seat already, smugglers and spying on the French as they prepare to invade Britain.
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I have been reading the Ramage books and have just started book five, Ramage's Prize. I am injoying them greatly, they are exactly how I was told the would be, Sharpe at sea lol.
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What genre is it?
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Hmm a few books that I would suggest,
The Death Gate Cycle
Corean Chronicles
Riyria Revelations (this is just a great Epic fantasy)
Some of David Eddings books (they are all good but don't know which it suggest)
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Well here is what I think....
“If you only read the books that
everyone else is reading, you
can only think what everyone
else is thinking." - Haruki
Murakami
And YES word of mouth is a great advertising tool, one that all advertisers use to great effect. They would have you talking about whatever they are trying to sell regardless of it being good or bad as long as you are talking about it!
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Male or female author?
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Why genre is it?
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Umm, when was it published?
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What genre is it?
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Correct! LOL over to you!
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Ok here is a quote
"The problem with the valley was this, the Monk currently believed that the valley and everything in the valley and around it, including the Monk itself and the Monks horse, was a uniform shade of pale pink. "
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Waiting on the edge of my seat lol!
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I think that there are a few people playing and of course the more we play the more people will join in! (says I in a hopefully tone of voice
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I think this is the first time I hearing about him
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Yes! Nothing is ringing any bells
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This is a wild guess but is it the new pratchett book?
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Well I managed to read all of it, but wow! I think I am speechless! LOL I now see why it is a challenge to read and I worry for those who might attempt the Challenge of Death, an injury mght occur from trying not to laugh.
The Fantasy Book and the Movie
in Horror / Fantasy / SF
Posted
Well I don't think that anyone has really made a great Fantasy movie yet besides LOTR and the Hobbit, so all I have are the books...