It's time again for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.…
Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Popular or Famous Books I Don’t Plan to Read
It’s time again for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.
Today’s topic is: Popular or Famous Books I Don’t Plan to Read
So … those of you who know me, know I don’t do unhappy endings. In fact, I’m one of those people… the ones who will flip to the end and read it before I read the book, just to make sure it ends okay (assuming there is a doubt it will). I was wrecked as a child by Where the Red Fern Grows and never recovered. It’s true. It’s why I’ll read Dean Koontz, but not Stephen King. Koontz, despite the torture he puts his characters through, has never failed to have a happy (or at least as happy as it could be) ending. King revels in unhappy or ambiguous endings. It’s why I’ll read Nora Roberts, but not Nicholas Sparks. The world is largely an unhappy place anymore…why would I purposely choose to read books that don’t leave me feel warm and fuzzy inside? What’s the payoff of an unhappy ending?
I also don’t tend to read fiction for edification. If I want to learn I’ll grab a non-fiction book.
I’m not a fan of literary novels. I actively avoid Oprah’s book picks. I don’t love the classics. I’m all the things I shouldn’t be as a reader and writer, I suppose. I love the stories in many of the classics (Charles Dickens is freaking amazing), but the books themselves bore me. So … I admit, I’ve seen the movie (or mini-series) for many classics: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Nicholas Nickleby, etc. but have not read, nor do I intend to read, the books.
I read to be entertained. And the older I get, the harder I am to entertain. I also have very little patience and won’t give a book more than a chapter or two to get me hooked. There are millions of books out there to read, so I don’t waste my time on something I’m having to slog through.
I just checked the NYT Bestsellers list, and there’s only one book in the top five I’d even consider: “Bloody Genius” by John Sandford. I used to read his “prey” books and loved them. The others? Nope (as an LOL, one is actually an Oprah pick… see above re: my feelings on that).
I don’t read to be cool. I don’t read because “everyone else is reading it”. I could care less about any of that stuff. Just give me a good, interesting, well-written story that ends happily (or as happily as it can), and I’ll be your biggest fan…
I like the way you think!
My post.
Thank you!
I totally get you. I’m like you–I read the ending first. Oh, and yeah, I was wrecked by WTRFG, too. To this day, I won’t read it again or watch that bloody movie. I even DNFed a book for book club (I wouldn’t have normally read it anyway) because of something that happened to the cat AND the not so happy ending. Can you tell it’s a bit of a rant for me? Lol!
Never, never EVER mess with the pets. The first book I read of Nicholas Sparks was “The Guardian”. … spoiler alert: the dog dies. Yeah, he’s on my s**t list forever.
Welcome back and a well-thought out blog!
Thanks!
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I don’t *need* a happy ending unless I’m reading a romance, but I can completely understand why it’d be important to others. I read a book years ago and it was amazing and then it ended – with BOTH MC’s dying. I was traumatized. Hahaha.
Reading “Allegiant” was bad enough for me, esp since Tris’ death was completely unnecessary to the plot. And I’ve never read another author’s books after she killed off the heroine’s love interest at the end of one book in a series (mailbox bomb in the last paragraph). Yes, I do hold grudges.
The ending of Allegiant ruined any good feelings I had about the series. I’m sure she was supposed to be sacrificing herself for the greater good, but it made no sense to me. None. Sometimes, characters have to die, but she was not one of them. *sigh*
Hahaha… I hold grudges, too. I read the first Alex Delaware novel several years ago but, because it dealt with the sexual abuse of mentally disabled children, I haven’t been able to force myself to read another (even with the assurance that the rest don’t have a similar theme). The book was good, despite the theme, but it makes me ill to think about risking it again, if that makes any sense.
Hooray for happy endings!
Seriously, we need more of those. I do like my Stephen King books, but sometimes you really DO need a lighter tone at the end of a book 🙂
I’ve read my share of Stephen King, but always end up annoyed and irritated at how he chooses to end things. Kootz does a great job of keeping me frightened and entertained, but gives me the payoff of the happiest possible ending under the horrible circumstances his characters go through. King is a master storyteller, for sure, just not for me 🙂
I agree about needing to get interested in a book by the first ten or twenty pages otherwise toss it. Easy to do with Kindle Unlimited. Old Yeller did it for me with the sad dog story.
Oh man … “Old Yeller”… horrible. Actually, a lot of the kids classics are desperately sad. “The Yearling”, for example. What the heck, people?
I agree with you on the unhappy endings. I hate the sort of romance that ends with death.