A quandary about bad books

[The Ace]

I found a fiver once.

 

[Connavar]

I stay away from bad books as much as i can. I rarely read bad books cause these reasons:

1. I always borrow my first book of author from the library before buying his books cause i thought he/she was good.

2. I dont read reviews other than the reviews in Scifi.com where they write well about Fantasy and SF masterworks.

3. I listen to people with the same taste and what they think about certain books. For example if Gemmell or Micheal Connelly fans recommend a book to me i look that book up.


So when i read a bad book its a library one by an author i wont spend money cause he didnt pass the test phase. If i read a good book its one i usually bought after he/she passed the library test phase



So far the only book i have bought that have dissapointed me after buying is The Black Company by Glen Cook. Thats only cause i thought it was a military fantasy. I listened to the wrong type of fantasy fans. Ones that think GRRM and S.Erikson are great aka not fantasy fans like me

 

[GOLLUM]

So far the only book i have bought that have dissapointed me after buying is The Black Company by Glen Cook. Thats only cause i thought it was a military fantasy. I listened to the wrong type of fantasy fans. Ones that think GRRM and S.Erikson are great aka not fantasy fans like me

Hmm..wonder who that might be.....

 

[Nesacat]

Pyan ... absolutely. Sometimes just taking the chance works. Okay closing your eyes works even better. Found Kij Jonhson that way.

Jack ... Just eat the chocolate. I like some libraries. But I agree that some of them can be very intimidating and off putting especially if the library staff go out of their way to discourage anything to do with taking books of shelves and reading them.

I love second hand and remainder books stores though along with book sales. I've bought almost every single one of my books the past couple of months this way. And you do pick up odd gems since the prices are much lower and you don't mind paying to try new books and writers.

As for reviews ... Fried Egg is right. Someone may dislike a book for the exact same reason that you will love it to bits. But again, reviews are a good way to get a feel for the book especially if they are well thought out and well written. If the reviewer says for instance that he didn't quite like it because the ending was too open, I'll probably be keen to read it simply because I like that sort of thing.

The best for me, aside from the just going and picking up books, is the people who share similar interests. Many of them are here and they tend to give clear reviews of the books, which makes them a good place to start.

 

[chrispenycate]

I've been testing Sturgeons law for a good many years now, and have bought read some (to me) very bad books. I don't have an English language lending library in the vicinity, and most of the speculative fiction in the English language second-hand book shop was put there by me, so this has been quite a major expense (there again, I have no offspring, no money-consuming hobbies, and since I'm no longer allowed to eat, what else do I spend money on?)
But every book in the airport kiosk someone has thought was "good" (at least, they've thought they could sell enough of them to make a profit, which is an important part of their definition of good) And every book you've thought was absolutely superb, unforgettable, you can find someone (probably even on this forum) who couldn't get through two pages of it.
Which is great. If we were all in agreement, I'd be worried. I've a couple of friends to whom I can confidently reccomend (or lend) books that I know will appeal to them, as subsets of books that have pleased me.
Otherwise, scientific method; predict from theory and experiment.

 

[Connavar]

Hmm..wonder who that might be.....

Yep!

"Note to self never listen to Gollum when its about fantasy"

 

[rune]

Its a sad fact you dont tend to know a bad book until you get it, as there is nearly always someone that will give a book a good review, even if its a crap book
I tend to know the type of book i like now, but i still get caught out with those bad ones and once i realise ive got a bad one, I wont bother finishing it

 

[Jack]

‘Jack ... Just eat the chocolate’

I’m old and dum enough to know one cannot have one’s chocolate and eat it, as there is usually a catch just waiting to pounce around the corner – So I’m not falling for your mistruths! You’ll have to get up relatively early to pull the chocolate over this ferrets eye’s!

‘The Black Company by Glen Cook. That’s only cause I thought it was a military fantasy. I listened to the wrong type of fantasy fans. Ones that think GRRM and S.Erikson are great’

Gollum! How could you, sure I would have agreed with you that they are great books, but that’s not the point!
The most military books I’ve ever read is by Chris Bunch, though they go in my ‘Ah! The horror!’ pile of books never to be reread. But 80-90% of the books where quite good, just a little bit OT with the intimate chapters.
Gollums pretty good at suggestions – I loved Viriconium

Well Talysia – Good luck! Ha ha!

 

[Lith]

libraries- lots of good books. Too many, sometimes, if you have even a hint of ADD. And there are those pesky late charges. (But hey, it's like a donation, right?) Never have run into much of the shrivelled, evil librarian, though I do avoid unnecessary interaction, such as asking for help finding a book.

I used to buy a lot of books used (okay, I STILL do!) but the downside is your house starts filling up with too many books- I really need to reconsider my "don't-buy-it-unless-you've-already-read-it" policy.

Haven't hardly read a book review in my life. I flip through the pile of books, and whatever catches my eye (due to title or cover) gets flipped over so I can read the plot summary. If it's interesting, I flip it open to the intro, and then to a random page, to test out the author's style. And this usually lands the book back in the pile. If their way with words irritates me (and most modern books do), I won't put up with an entire book of it.

Usually, then, I find an author I like, and read whatever they liked, after exhausting their own body of work. Or I read whatever's sufficiently old and/or famous. It's not an adventurous way of reading, but there's more than enough such books to fill my time.

 

[McMurphy]

house of cheap paperbacks

I've been wondering about this for a while, so I wondered if anyone could help me with a little quandary. Do you have to read bad books to better appreciate the good ones? Or is it better to ignore reviews and find your own way?

Good question. I almost never read literary reviews---not because I snub my nose to them, but because I never seek them out, and they are typically not thrust below my nose like film or music reviews. Often, the recommendation or, in this case, warning by friends guide my purchasing dollar. Also, random impulses.

Convenience more often than not is the source of reading bad books. I remember growing up and my parents dumping on me nickel science fiction and fantasy paperbacks swiped from country-side rummage sales. I spent far too many of my summers nose deep (again with the nose...) in utterly forgettable books. In fact, I will see those samples of literature surface in used books stores and have overwhelming episodes of forgotten memories.


Because of those moments, bad books do make me appreciate the proverbial diamonds in the, um, proverbial rough even more. I enjoyed my time reading those bad books in the summer nights. Reading a bad book while curled up under four blankets while below temperature winter winds howl through window panes doesn't sound like such a horrible time. They were still adventures. They still sparked the imagination.

Once and a while I will pick up a "drugstore rack" paperback knowing that it won't serve up quality, but it will offer a cheap thrill.

Heh, I, at this point, have no idea if I am on or off topic, but I will cut my loses nevertheless and end the post.