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What do you stubbornly refuse to read, and why?


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I won't read Mills & Boon, I tried once with Catherine Cookson now I just plain refuse to even try again and I'm really going to make myself popular with this one but:

 

I've kinda been avoiding Kelley Armstrong too, again as someone said before, simply because of the amount of hype - and yes, I know that's daft, if people are raving, it's bound to be good but it tends to have the opposite effect on me at times.

 

I'm weird like that.

 

I'm just weird :D

Not at all Tash, you sound a bit like me there :roll:. I have picked up Kelley Armstrong's books in Ottakers, read the back covers and it's not the hype, it's the subject matter, it just doesn't appeal to me. I read part of one of her short stories and I didn't like it at all.

 

Good job we are all different 8-)

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I've never read any Catherine Cookson either, despite my mother loving them & their being historical fiction of a kind. I've never even picked one up & I know I never will. I don't think I'll ever read the Earth's Child series by Jane Auel either - it's the hype thing. Plus I saw the film of Clan of the Cave Bear & thought it was utter tosh - not the acting/directing type aspects - the storyline itself - it just didn't inspire me to pick up the books at all.

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The film of Clan of the Cave Bear was embarassingly dreadful. The book was fantastic, I might read it again now that it's been mentioned.

 

I actually did read Catherine Cookson - once. I was off work after emergency surgery and was given an omnibus edition by a friend. I had run out of books to read and couldn't get out, so that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it :D

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Clan of the Cave Bear is one of the few books I've read twice.. and it was even better the second time round. Sigh.. I've just hyped it even more! LOL

 

As for Kelley Armstrong, if the subject matter puts you off, there's not much point really. But if you do like the subject matter, then they're great books. Oops.. more hype!

 

Ok, Clan of the Cave Bear and kelley Armstrong are rubbish.. DON'T READ! hehehe

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The film of Clan of the Cave Bear was embarassingly dreadful. The book was fantastic, I might read it again now that it's been mentioned.

 

 

I've not seen the film, but have the book coming to me. I'm afraid I tend to stick 2 fingers up at any hype that surrounds the book, if it sounds interesting to me, I'll read it. :D

 

Oh I did read a Catherine Cookson book once, never again though, was thoroughly boring :wink:

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The biography/autobiography thing is interesting. I can't face reading auto-biogs that are actually ghost-written. And if I'm reading biog/autobiog I want it to be someone who's lived a full and interesting life. Charles Darwin biography is OK. Wayne Rooney biog is not. Not that I read much of either, but a 20 or 30 year old can't have that much to say about their own lives.

 

But I also struggle with how friendly and personal biographers are about their subjects. I hate it when reading, say, a Darwin biog the author always talks about Charles, as if they were good friends.

 

Not reading the Mills&Boon/Jilly Cooper/Danielle Steele stuff should be taken as given from me, too.

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I will not read horror. Period. There is absolutely nothing but trash between the covers (and on the covers ) of them IMNSHO. Same goes for the serial killer type books. I can't understand the allure of reading about someone's sicko proclivities (Silence of the Lambs is one that comes to mind).

 

Not big on war stories, usually because they're written by some oaf with testosterone poisoning.

 

The only bios that I'll read are those of persons with historical significance or someone that I've found fascinating for whatever reason. I read a really good one recently called "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts. It told of what the wives, sisters and daughters were up to while the men of the house were plotting Treason against King and Country. :wink:

 

Being the upbeat, happy individual that I am, I really enjoy reading books that reinforce those feelings. Books with satisfying, often happy endings.

 

I don't like the syrupy Mills & Boon "doctor and nurse" type romances. Ugh! Those went out with disco. But I do really enjoy a lot of the new contemporary romances that are out these days. I feel I can identify with the strong alpha females who know what they want out of life and go after it. Or characters who have a bad experience, then learn and grow from it. :D

 

Oh, btw, Lonesome Dove was written by Larry McMurtry and it was made into a television miniseries here in the US back in the '80's. It was very well made and if you can find it, it's very much worth watching.

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Having a laugh to myself Mamacita, I looooove serial killer type books. However I have to say they tend to repeat themselves after you have read as many as I have.

 

I do read fact as well which can be very disturbing, but it's all in the name of research for me. I'm more interesting in the 'catching' rather than the 'doing' side of things e.g. Ted Bundy the whole case rested on a bite mark. Sad thing about that case is no-one knows how many poor women he killed.

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Hi Jake--

 

I'll read some of the true crime books if the case is one that interested me. I read Ann Rule's "Small Sacrifices" mainly b/c my sister's husband worked with the woman's father and also from time to time with her. It was interesting to me because right after "the incident", Jim said "she did it. She's just nutso enough to have killed her own kids." Sure enough, it turned out he was right. :shock:

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Yikes Mamacita :shock:. I've read a few of Ann Rule's books, not sure if I've read Small Sacrifies though, although I may possibly have it stored away somewhere.

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  • 4 months later...

I won't read Steven King, i've seen the films and thought they were either pants or too disturbing so i've never bothered with the books. I won't read chick lit, ever. I won't ever go near Jade Goodys or Posh's biography and i pray for the day they emigrate or decide to become hermits.... and i won't ever read the idiots guide to microsoft windows/excell, the history of physics or a journey of the mathematical world.

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Not sure. I loved the Dave Pelzer books, but people making money out of whingeing about the past seems defeatist. I think all the Grisham books seem too much the same, but I would probably still read the ones on my shelf at least, and I would not read anything to do with celebrities either yin/yang

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Stephen King's films are almost all pants, but the books are great! If you don't read anything else by him, read the Green Mile - it's high on my favourites list!

 

I have to agree on the biographies of people who are famous for no reason - the very fact that they are constantly in the media is infuriating enough, why do they think we want to know everything about them! And not just one biography, but multiple? No thank you!

 

I tend to avoid sloppy romance stuff, as I just find that kind of thing nauseating and a bit girlie, and I'm not really a fan of sci-fi either.

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I agree about the nonenitity celeb bios - I never know sho these folks are anyway, as they all seem to be off Bog Brother (or so I'm told - I wouldn't know, myself) which I've never watched as it holds no interest for me. However, some celeb autobiographies have been wonderful. Some notables have been:

 

Christopher Reeve (both of them)

Michael J Fox

Christopher Lee

Cybil Shepherd

 

They've led incredibly interesting lives &, in some cases, overcome huge obstacles or suffered great tragedy & worked back towards trying to lead a normal life - amazing stuff.

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I've just scrolled back and noticed a lot of talk about Harry Potter, but I'm glad to see you guy's were'nt caught up in the hype either.

 

I flaked and read Dan Browns Da Vinci Code but regret it now. For me it was a cheap thrill that ended at the last page, I didn't get anything from him.

 

As for biog's - Stephen Fry's Mowab Is My Washpot was such a disappointment. I can't fault the man but his recital of days gone by taught me nothing of the public persona we see today. But I do know why his nose is crooked!

 

I want the books I read, the movies I see and the artwork I take a peek at to have a lasting affect on me...is that asking too much?!?!?

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I absolutely refuse to read biographies or autobiographies! I can't bear the general theme of how people have struggled to reach fame, what a difficult life they've had or dishing the dirt on their friends and families - no matter how cathartic it is to the writer!

I see it as a choice of who you read. These are the ones I have read. And I don't see them as a waste of time reading.

 

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Faith of My Fathers by John Mccain, Mark Salter

The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill

Just As I Am by Billy Graham

 

I don't read many cause I am picky.

 

As far as other genre's/authors. I won't read Stephen King. I won't read MOST Science Fantasy but adore Science Fiction.

 

Not big on war stories, usually because they're written by some oaf with testosterone poisoning.

 

And those are MY favorites. :) Esp authors like Tom Clancy and W.E.B.Griffin. Liz

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