To be clear, I’m not really ashamed. I’m a 40 year old grown ass adult and I can do whatever I damn want.
But maybe I am…
I mean, there are so many things I find ridiculous in Fantasy. Like the book covers with the dramatic poses for the men and sexy poses for the women. Thank god I read on a kindle otherwise I would be ashamed to take out my book during my commute or when I’m waiting for a doctor appointment.
I would probably still do it, pretending to not care at all about what anyone might think, but deep down, in my heart, I would still be a little bit ashamed.
There are also the book titles that always use the same big dramatic words like “chronicles” or “crimson” or “dagger” or any other medieval weapon or “War” or “King”. You would be hard press to find a book titles with none of the same keywords.
And even putting aside the covers, there are tropes inside the pages that makes me groan every time I read them because there are so ridiculous. Things like Chosen Ones and …
I have just finished a trilogy and went on Goodreads to express my thoughts and appreciation. I did skim through the reviews to see what others thought of the books, as one does when stumbles onto the biggest book review site. What I have found is that people leave one star reviews saying “it has sexual slavery in it” “it has rape in it” “it has lots of mention of gay sex in it” “it contains dubious consent” etc etc. so it contains what is otherwise known as triggers in it. Now, this series’ description is quite clear that it has mature content, it has slavery and that this is an enemies-to-lovers, fantasy with M/M romance in it. So assuming one doesn’t blindly grab books from the bookshelf/download random stuff to their e-reader it is safe to say that readers are well aware of the summary before diving in, thus giving themselves and the writer consent to deal with and read about such unpleasant or out-of-the-ordinary themes. …
Doesnt matter if its fiction or nonfiction, fantasy realms or real world locations; it almost universally expands my enjoyment of reading a book.
For example Thror’s map in the Hobbit as well as tolkiens drawing of the wilderlands, i love to flip back while reading to see the map when locations are mentioned. Same with Song of Fire And Ice. On the flip side the lack of an actual map hurt my enjoyment of the Witcher series (though there are maps made by fans online and playing the games helps) as i think especially for fantasy its crucial for world building.
I just got a copy of The Terror from the library and nearly jumped for joy when i saw a map on the inside of the front cover.
I love reading, always have, but after being laid off and not reading on my commute, I stopped for a good 6 months. I look at my home library of novels next on my list and am overwhelmed.
Fortunately, Little Libraries are popular in my area, and I have picked up several whodunit thrillers, adventure novels, and horror books. I am currently reading “Cyclops” by Clive Cussler and couldn’t be happier.
Don’t judge anyone, nor yourself on their choice of literature. Sometimes we read to think, sometimes to emote, and sometimes to forget.
Just something that I find quite annoying when looking for a new book, especially when trying to pick up a classic. I don’t mind if there’s a few reviews or even an opening paragraph that talks about the novels success but please give me some idea of what its actually about.
An example: To Kill a Mockingbird. I’ve been trying to catch up on some classics and this book was not taught in my high school and surprisingly, I know very little about its plot. It’s back cover and Goodreads synopsis is nothing but praise and I don’t to ruin it by reading the Wikipedia plot.
Does this bother anyone else?
By which I mean, like, relatively low-stakes scifi. (Or fantasy, for that matter.) Things that are more character-focused, and while maybe not necessarily light, then certainly not ultra-serious. I hesitate to use the word cozy, but I guess I just did, so there it is.
Anything spring to mind?
Some of my personal favorites are the Far Regard and the Invisible Hand which just is a great name for a ship from a hyper-capitalist culture.(Deepness in the Sky). Of course, the culture series probably has the best page to great ship name ratio, like The Hand of God 137 or the Kiss My Ass. Would like to hear some of this subs favs.
I was watching an episode of Casa de Papel and Denver said something along the lines of - “you gotta be like the Terminator, you know- ‘sayonara baby’”. It’s one of those things that seems so obvious now that you know.
Just to explain it - ‘hasta la vista’ is a Spanish phrase he says to sound cool. Obviously it makes no sense in the Spanish dub to say that, so ‘sayonara baby’ is switched in its place.
It’s hard to believe this movie is 13 years old. I know it’s no “underrated gem” or anything, but it’s a great movie that should always be celebrated. And with it being that old, I’m certain there are a lot of younger people that haven’t seen it.
Jason Segel came out of the gate with his first written film and nailed it. And it’s all thanks for Judd Apatow. Jason wasn’t getting work after Freaks and Geeks was cancelled and same for Undeclared (both Judd Apatow shows). Judd gave him the advice to write something for himself so that he has something to sell to a studio rather than auditioning. What Jason wrote became Forgetting Sarah Marshall.