I'll take europe between the wars
and the lead up to the civil war as the most interesting time periods in history.
It boggles my mind that people make a lot of judgments about what other people read. Admittedly , Matt has opinions about what I read - but he understands that 1) it isn't going to stop me 2) ill informed opinions will be beaten by a large club and 3) and volunteering an opinion when I am trying to read is a sure fire way to annoy me. Plus he also knows that after himself, I am his best source for new reading material
I do not like most serious modern novels. I wish something to happen in a novel. Things happened in works of literature all the way up to around the 1950s, when suddenly writing had to be all twee and introspective to be respected. There was once a New Yorker cartoon that poked fun at the very type of fiction the New Yorker often runs. It showed a guy in the kitchen making a sandwich and said something like "He smoothed the peanut butter over the crisp toasted bread, the same whole wheat bread his mother had bought all those years ago. He watched as his knife formed hills and valleys in the brown paste and dreamily slid the knife over his creation again and again. There should be jelly, made from wild beach plums....."
Why can't you do both at the same time?
Because it shows you're not the serious-minded sort who can take their enlightenment straight-up, without being diluted with paltry pleasure.
up to around the 1950s, when suddenly writing had to be all twee and introspective to be respected
When the beatniks started being ironic and sophisticated, and enthusiasm became gauche.
I just took an online "Geek, Nerd, or Dork?" test, and the first question was "Do you read fiction?"
WTF?
well, obviously, reading anything other than non-fiction or technical manuals completely contradicts anyother geek/nerd/dork credentials you may wave at it
I do not like most serious modern novels. I wish something to happen in a novel. Things happened in works of literature all the way up to around the 1950s, when suddenly writing had to be all twee and introspective to be respected.
Ginger is me regarding the "modern" novel. And, when someone is obnoxious in their recommendation of the latest X, I usually refer to this trend as masturbatory fiction.
I like plots ... silly, I know, but I do. And character development. And things happening. That sort of thing has been relegated to genre fiction to a large extent, so a lot of what I read falls in that category.
It seems like mysteries and YA fiction are the last bastions of the plot.
I don't read that much, but I haven't had much of a problem finding plots when I need them. Thrillers, chicklit, science fiction and fantasy, wherever.
Hmm, reading the bestseller list reminds me of two things:
- Must read Dexter
- Hate James Patterson
