honestfi
-
Posts
105 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Books
Posts posted by honestfi
-
-
You lot have at least succeeded in making me laugh
. I once suggested to Amazon to implement an "author alert" - which would inform you if a certain author released a new or re-released title. (i.e. more specific than the really really dodgy recommendations). You lot would be darn dangerous. Mission statement: Have iphone, will buy if desperate.But guess I'm on my own unless the lurkers are the silent minority.
Lemme tell you how random I can be. I got three books from the library today. I cannot remember any of the titles or any of the author's names. I only scanned the blurbs. They are my fave genre - thriller/crime. That's all I know. As I'm not obliged to, I may post the reviews. Well I might as well warn you. -
Don't take this the wrong way, but surely as a reviewer, you're hoping to encourage people to buy good books that they might never otherwise pick up? That's certainly why you're being asked to review the books. I agree to a certain extent that it's great to pick up books without any preconceived ideas or without being influenced by other people's views, and you're in quite a privileged position to be sent books for free to review without knowing what the next style, genre, author will be, but for me, I sometimes want to know that I'm sharing the very individual reading experience with people I trust and whose opinions I respect by reading books they've recommended.
Actually, the genre is fixed: thriller/crime. And yep, that is my (unpaid) job, to try and encourage you to read the books that I like. And it is just my personal opinion that I would be somewhat overwhelmed, literally and figuratively, if I started a TBR list. 1. I've got no room
, 2. If I started such a list I'd be so shockingly organised that I'd probably use MS Access to keep track of them all 3. In reference to 2., I'd probably feel it would take over my life. Sorta personality I have. I have an author friend who recommends books to me occasionally, and sometimes I follow the advice. I note on here that there are a few leaders, rather than followers, and yeah, to a certain extent I could be influenced by a review. But only sorta. Which you may think makes my position redundant. And yes, I do feel mighty privileged, particularly if I read a book that's not even out yet. That feels pretty special. And recently I've read author debuts, or at the very least their second novel and at times it makes me sad that so many fans of my genre stick to the same old best selling authors and don't take a chance with a newbie. Maybe it's different in other genres? K, it's all very well being 'safe' but a writer's gotta start somewhere....And please don't think I'm having a go at anyone on here. You all seem to have pretty mixed tastes and attitudes, I'm just stating my own opinion.
-
I'm sure we've had this sort of discussion not too long ago...
Don't mean to offend, if there was, I missed it.
-
Ok, what is your favorite book?
Um, I could say look at my signature, but that would be a lie. I have about 10 of them, so I'm not 100% faithful to TAL. uuuuhhhh....lemmee go away and think about that one.
-
I mean, I can see the point of a TBR pile, sorta, but surely there are too many books and too little time? I personally don't have an "official" TBR pile, oh sure, there are some books I'd like to get hold of/be given, such as some early Colin Dexter or Minette Walters, and maybe Raymond Chandler. But there is nothing fixed.
I review books for SHOTS online and when the editor asked me what books he wanted me to send, I said "surprise me". He sent me books that I would never have picked up myself, and I enjoyed every one - bar one. Reviewing them also helps objectivity and encourages me to read them through. Of course, it helps I get these books for free, but else I go to my local library, a large percentage of the books there are less than 2 years old. I'm sure that there are TBR lists that are longer, but I saw one on here for 66. 66? Even if you are a fairly quick reader, and, say, read them in around 6 months, there will be that number, and more, that could be released in 6 months. My opinion only - life's too short.
But am I the only one? Are there any other "take a chance" random readers out there that take one book at a time? -
I always try and finish a book, especially if I'm reviewing it. A couple of months ago I had to write in my review that I didn't finish a book cause it was so darn boring. It takes a lot for me to give up on a book, but if I can't connect with anything or anyone I begin to switch off and therefore it is impossible to finish reading it and give any proper synopsis.
In non fiction, I hate conspiracy theories that have no proper grounding. I read two chapters of a book on Tutankhamun, one of my fave historical eras, and the author drew on writings from someone who had already been debunked, presenting them as fact. Just makes me soooo mad. That one got resold on Amazon.
-
Too right I do, how I got myself into the mess I'm in now.
I've found some gems by reading authors I don't know. You really are missing out. You don't even have to pay for them - go to your local library. Recommendations are usually best sellers, I don't know what it is, but I've been frequently disappointed by books recommended to me and best sellers are soooo production line.
-
The Amazon Marketplace sellers frequently have books for as little as a penny. I got a couple of Denise Danks that way.
-
I suppose it can only just be classified as horror, it borders thriller/horror fiction, but I recently read and reviewed Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre.....
Different, f'sure.
-
Wracking my brain, I know it's my birthday but I'm not even sozzled yet.
I like short, snappy one-liners and Mike Ripley's full of them. So it's gonna have to be my sig. -
Hi Emm and welcome. See you're a fan of icanhascheezburger too, as am I...can't recommend anything to you I don't think as I'm more into detective/thriller/crime fiction, but hope you enjoy yourself here.
-
It may be somewhat ironic after Amethyst's post, but one thing that annoys me to no end is incorrect use of apostrophes. Thankfully you don't see much of this in books; but the general population - hopeless. I recall my English teacher telling me 98% of the British population could not use an apostrophe. I don't know his source, but it wouldn't surprise me the least. One particularly daft student in my class used to sprinkle apostrophes a little bit everywhere - sometimes next to random s's in the middle of words. Needless to say, I nearly strangled him.
:motz:I so agree. Actually, you do get them in novels occasionally, where the proof readers miss a writer's brain-fade, most often it's the apostrophe at the end of a proper noun ending in 's'. I've been told that if you actually "say" the extra s, it needs apostrophe-s, if you don't then it's just an apostrophe. This is pretty petty though, do be honest misuse like this doesn't particularly bug me.
What I can't stand is greengrocers and their "tomatoe's" gggggggrrrrarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
{sigh}
-
I have never been able to enjoy John Steinbeck, quite the contrary, I can't stand his writing. I have completely read East of Eden and attempted some others. Tortilla Flat, The Moon is Down, and Of Mice and Men. Couldn't finish the latter three.
I wish I could explain what it is about him that puts me off so...to me he is flat and uninspiring and downright turgid. I kept trying because so many people think his books are so innovative and wonderful.
Oh well, lots of people don't like my favorites, so I guess the world will keep spinning, and we'll keep reading.
Thank goodness for that, someone else who doesn't like Steinbeck, I thought I was the only one. I was forced to read Mice and Men at school, and frankly, found it rather boring and overlong for a book that basically had one statement to make; albeit that it was a worthy one.
....and nobody seems to have heard of my fave book either.
-
Poorly executed plots - it doesn't matter if you've copied someone elses, providing it hasn't been used ad nauseum, but having a plot as transparent as a window makes for dire reading
Sex scenes with no purpose to them - I wish some authors would try and keep them plot crucial, rather than just throw them in to bed together to pad the book out, or because they need some breathing space
Repetitive theme - read a book recently that had a girl who at the end of every other chapter was teetering on the edge of death, but you knew she wasn't going to die, being the heroine, it just made it tedious
Plots that are up their own...erhem - I once tried to read a Booker Prize nominee and I have never read such anal trite in all my life. Did the author even understand or connect with the plot?
Any books where I'm unable to connect with any character (be he good or bad guy) - All are objectionable, and you just want to wring the hero's neck as they are eligible for the Darwin Award
The horrible, horrible, horrible vogue for sentences without conjunctions, probably for fear of repetition, but it reads like something a child would write, e.g. She wandered around the garden, didn't want to go back into the house. UUUUUrrrrrggggghhhhh sets my teeth on edge. Without Warning by Carol Smith is written like that
I can't remember any more. But I could go on.
-
It so odd to read that phrase without it being applied to Doctor Who . . .
Um..wasn't deliberate, I don't watch it.
-
One of my most favourite books of all time, and I do believe it is one of those books that everyone should read; Adams's description of the countryside and rabbit behaviour is just simply wonderful.
Yes - the film is a bit gory, but it shouldn't put you off reading the book, the book is much better than the film. The film bugs me a little, actually, because Hazel's "encounter" at the very end of the film is not who the book is portraying. The film does keep the essence of the story, but they could have made it longer and thus a little more accurate (okay, expense, particularly 30 years ago) considering it is definitely not a little kiddie's film, and the book is for teens upwards.
-
A Fish Called Wanda. The cinema was hot, stuffy and full of loudmouths, and we really didn't think the film was funny.
Still don't.
-
Thanks for all the welcomes, guys, you are a friendly lot.
-
Okay, someone has asked for it, and I don
-
Can't remember the name of it (or the author), but the story centred around a girl who had gone somewhere else to live or was on holiday, and got mixed up in some mystery about some young girls disappearing. Turns out some pyscho was locking them away to die of starvation - the girl's father dies horribly and she nearly gets locked away alive as well. Ghastly - but what was worse is that I sensed the author had actually enjoyed writing this stuff, made me very very concerned about his(?) state of mind.
-
Oh I am with you on this one!! I sometiems think I need to wear protective gear going into Tescos.
Used to think it was bad in my old home town, in a touristy area it's HELL on earth with the tourists stocking up on the buy one get one free deals (knowing full well they won't be cooking in their caravans, but eating fish and chips or kebabs every night, and the bought stuff will end up in the bin) and...AND...why do they insist on examining every piece of fresh merchandise. ***** It's a potato ***** yep, it's the same in your 'country', mate, a Welsh potato is still a ******* potato.
that's better. -
OMG plenty. Books that I hate or even don't finish are consigned to the bin or Amazon Marketplace (if I had to suffer, so should someone else.
)Books that I think are just OK are read at least twice. I usually find something I've missed second time round. Even fourth or fifth time round. Maybe I have a short attention span. Maybe I should get out more.
Every book in Mike Ripley's Angel series has been read at least 3 times. Some of them 5 or 6 times. Some of them I have even lost count.
Watership Down and The Compleet Works of Molesworth are in such poor condition from being reread maybe a couple of dozen times I couldn't sell them even if I wanted to.
-
Hi all
I'm Fiona and I live in North Wales. I'm a bit of a Mike Ripley freak (though I betcha there's only a handful out there reading this that have actually heard of him....maybe less...
) So much of a freak, I have a website dedicated to his Angel series.I'm into crime and thriller fiction, and reading is not just a hobby nowadays but a part-time (unpaid) job reading and reviewing books for SHOTS online mag. It means I get a lot of books nowadays for free
. It does however mean I'm running out of room...Anyhows, I may lurk more than post but look forward to a little sojourn here. At least this one is a lot busier than most of them out there...
Fi x
The most disturbing work of fiction that you have ever read
in General Fiction
Posted · Edited by honestfi
spelling, reword
Just remembered another one. The Frumious Bandersnatch by Ed Mcbain. It's got quite good reviews on Amazon, but I found it far too graphic and voyeuristic. Another which I felt that the author was enjoying what he was writing too much.