tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post5153887067436397358..comments2024-03-28T14:29:59.364-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Let's Grouse About Books!Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-18100709407874844002016-06-18T08:18:39.303-04:002016-06-18T08:18:39.303-04:00Hear, hear! I love a good kvetch. I agree with a...Hear, hear! I love a good kvetch. I agree with all of you, especially vampires, demons, and most of the Faerie, YA dystopia and also princess books, with the hilarious Meg Cabot exempted. The upsurge in unreliable narrators after Gone Girl is also been done to death. Who can a reader trust. I liked Gone Girl well enough but I hated all the characters. If I am going to spend the time reading, then I want to spend it with people I like. Eveytime I read a review comparing something to Gone Girl, I move on.<br />That's another kvetch I have about irresponsible blurbing. I want to know about the book, not who it reads like!Gailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07188481031730068168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22550512683976992962016-06-17T23:15:44.723-04:002016-06-17T23:15:44.723-04:00Oh, do I really get to kvetch? Such a deal! I ha...Oh, do I really get to kvetch? Such a deal! I have three gripes:<br />1. I loathe books that have multiple endings. You know, you're reading along, 100 pages to the end, and All Is Revealed. You know who did it, and how. But then, somebody keeps digging, or thinking, and you get to ending #2. This is completely different, but equally plausible. In this ending, somebody else did it, for a different reason. But wait! You're still 50 pages from the end! This won't be all... more endings loom ahead. To be honest, this is where I quit reading. I was happy enough with Ending #1. I was satisfied. Ending #2 didn't make me happier. And the possibilities of yet more alternative endings -- showcasing the author's creativity (Dan Brown is the worst of these authors, I no longer even start his books) leaves me cold and frustrated. One ending per book, please. if you have more endings than that, write another book. <br /><br />2. Unlike most females, apparently, I don't like books that involve Old Women Telling Tales. As far as I'm concerned, Margaret Atwood did that just fine in The Blind Assassin. Everything that came after -- especially those by Tana French -- is subpar. And besides, invariably, the "tale" the old woman is recounting has something to do with Forbidden Love, or an Illicit Child, or something that in today's world is hardly even notable, let alone shocking. I don't buy these books.<br /><br />3. Books in which the author revels in his drug-enhanced life during the 1960's. Look: in the 1960's, I was a buttoned-up Young Republican with a law degree working in the California State Senate. I had no interest in drug use -- of any kind -- then, and I surely don't now. But some authors -- Scott Turow, Peter Robinson and Dennis Lehane come to mind -- seem to need to Tell Us How It Was, Back There in the 1960's. Feh. I don't care. I don't think those authors were clever back then, and tales of their drug-infused activities as an alleged '60's hippie don't thrill me. i don't buy those books either.<br /><br />Ah. i feel so much better, having gotten that off my chest for the first time ever. Many thanks!bagelnosherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693678110909662794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2468477818671718172016-06-17T20:26:10.170-04:002016-06-17T20:26:10.170-04:00Detectives whose main identifier is that they are ...Detectives whose main identifier is that they are chronically depressed, troubled drunks, or recovering alcoholics and/or have to tell you about how much they love some particular form of music. Exceptions are made for books by really good writers. It's the "build your detective with one quirk from Column A and one from Column B" approach that gets me.<br /><br />Another peeve: a book in any genre other than romance that can immediately be identified as written by someone who usually writes romance.Tribblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995258021312296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38880250083098105802016-06-17T19:02:03.669-04:002016-06-17T19:02:03.669-04:00I have quit reading authors who end a book with a ...I have quit reading authors who end a book with a cliffhanger. It's just wrong to cheat a reader of the climax/resolution we have every right to expect. It's okay to dangle a little thread to lead to the next book, but resolving the pressing issues is necessary to my peace of mind.<br />I hadn't thought of italics as a problem. I have seen books change typeface for different points of view or times, so perhaps that's a better alternative.<br />My high school juniors loved reading and acting out the section of _Deerslayer_ in our anthology, grabbing a thrown hatchet mid-air and returning it with deadly accuracy. They also enjoyed Twain's essay on JFC's literary offenses, especially the renaming of the series as "the Broken Stick" series, for the habit of stepping on a stick just at the moment silence was most necessary and beginning a wild chase scene.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-65178366232317031622016-06-17T16:39:10.111-04:002016-06-17T16:39:10.111-04:00Oh, dear, Julia, I agree with most of your peeves,...Oh, dear, Julia, I agree with most of your peeves, but my book-in-progress has flashbacks set in italics (as do many of my earlier books.) I've never been able to figure out another way to set the backstory off from the contemporary story without totally confusing the reader.<br /><br />I was too buried in my manuscript to comment on last week's post on unreliable narrators, but I will not read books where the main character turns out to be a serial killer, or to have murdered his or her spouse, etc., etc. It makes me feel cheated, and I do not want to waste my valuable reading time with characters that turn out to be despicable.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9985388050721699642016-06-17T16:11:50.853-04:002016-06-17T16:11:50.853-04:00I'm with you, Julia! It seems the only time I ...I'm with you, Julia! It seems the only time I get to read for fun is when I'm sick, so maybe I'm grumpier because of that, but books that make you feel as if you're re-reading the same book for the umpteenth time or where logical behavior is totally contravened are just too, too much.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84322903008630574332016-06-17T15:39:17.523-04:002016-06-17T15:39:17.523-04:00I am a retired lawyer. I very much enjoy mysteries...I am a retired lawyer. I very much enjoy mysteries. I try to willingly suspend disbelief and enjoy most fanciful aspects of plots. However, some plot devices miss the correct rules of basic law so completely I get annoyed. A pet peeve is when a suspect is presented as genuinely in line to inherit and, thus, motivated to kill competing heirs when there is no way this could happen under any US legal rules. These authors seem clearly confused and I wish they would consult a lawyer and alter their plots. (The claimant is not presented as being in error but as having a real claim if a few people are killed off.)<br /><br />Similar issues with rules of evidence, dying declarations etc<br /><br />Love this blog and am a fan of every one of the Jungle Reds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64723020036056878412016-06-17T15:36:29.899-04:002016-06-17T15:36:29.899-04:00Thanks KarenThanks KarenAnn in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44315641649867205182016-06-17T15:17:11.419-04:002016-06-17T15:17:11.419-04:00May I just say I'm so happy I'm not the on...May I just say I'm so happy I'm not the only grumpy reader out there!Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49524402760113186602016-06-17T15:08:03.649-04:002016-06-17T15:08:03.649-04:00Great blog...I love Mel Brooks! Loved him and his...Great blog...I love Mel Brooks! Loved him and his cohorts since Your Show of Shows...Gramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027824918114690029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-47401519824866734032016-06-17T15:06:42.658-04:002016-06-17T15:06:42.658-04:00I just powered through about 20 summer reads and m...I just powered through about 20 summer reads and my pet peeve: books that feel as if the author took two too-short novels, overlapped their characters, and turned them into one too-long novel that weaves back and forth between their stories. Usually one story is stronger than the other and I find myself skipping over the weaker one. I'd say half the books I read had this going on in them.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62332646347613573332016-06-17T14:58:36.430-04:002016-06-17T14:58:36.430-04:00Unrealistic circumstances, incorrect description o...Unrealistic circumstances, incorrect description of a known place, too many red herrings, too many subplots, introducing the killer in the next to last chapter.Jerry@thecloakanddagger.comhttp://www.thecloakanddagger.com.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55696996216061010352016-06-17T14:37:15.652-04:002016-06-17T14:37:15.652-04:00You hit all of my particular bells, but I must spe...You hit all of my particular bells, but I must speak up on behalf of Maine. It's either that or I will NEVER write my cozy mystery set in the Crown of Maine. Not a cute shop in sight, nor many recipes, unless you want to make ployes. <br /><br />My pet peeve is not so much about where a book is set, but the cookie cutter town it's set in. Places in VA will fit seamlessly into CA, or ME, or MI, or WI. And yes, girl comes back to small town after big disaster in the big city. On return she uses her acumen learned in the big city to rescue her small town. Finds love along the way. Hows that for the ever elusive elevator pitch!Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86999312344071605092016-06-17T14:27:55.653-04:002016-06-17T14:27:55.653-04:00the "and..and...and" for me is tedious a...<br />the "and..and...and" for me is tedious and bland. I agree with the above about women as victims. I do not like to read books, which encourages stereotypes of "damsel in distress".<br /><br />I was surprised about the SF novels comment because I thought women in Sci Fi novels were supposed to be super strong like Wonder Woman?<br /><br />And I agree with the above comment about the token gay person. This reminds me of our creative writing teacher advising us to write what we know. Whenever I read something like the token whatever friend, I wonder if the novel is written to a formula,<br /><br />I get the Regency romance comments. When I read history books as a child, I read about royalty, etc. I wonder what commoners' lives were like at that time in history.<br /><br />One of the reasons I love Jane Austen is that she gives us a glimpse into lives of people who were not royal, though there are a few aristocrats.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39745384521405100632016-06-17T14:18:47.367-04:002016-06-17T14:18:47.367-04:00Another great post, Julia. Your complaining is alw...Another great post, Julia. Your complaining is always entertaining. Hahaha! <br /><br />I found #4 particularly interesting, as I just finished a book that brilliantly handled flashbacks. Len Berney's The Long and Faraway Gone integrates the flashbacks from current day to 1986 in a smoothly flowing, flawless manner. This book just happens to be nominated for an Anthony in the Best Original Paperback category, and I can't believe I waited until now to read it. But, I agree with you Julia, that the lengthy flashbacks that separate you from the main character are highly annoying. <br /><br />Kristopher, the token gay man or woman with the affections is bothersome to me, too. And, I'm sure you were referencing Sarah Hilary's Noah Jake in the Marnie Rome series as the successful way to integrate a gay couple into the story. I think the mark of success there or in any book is that I don't even think about Noah being gay as a great part of the series; I think about Noah being a great character.<br /><br />Oh, and Julia, I definitely agree with you about the YA Dystopias. I love YA, but I have grown so weary of the flood of dystopian stories that seem to be on an ever-repeating loop. I've pretty much had my fill, although if Kristopher recommends Patrick Ness' series, an excellent author, I may have to reconsider. <br /><br /><br /><br /> Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13687904876754651842016-06-17T13:13:39.170-04:002016-06-17T13:13:39.170-04:00Those are some great pet peeves, Julia. I don'...Those are some great pet peeves, Julia. I don't mind the YA Dystopians, so much, because I go in expecting that they will be a realistic. But then something like Patrick Ness Chaos Walking series comes along and everything actually makes sense (to me) and I realize that some authors are just lazy about thinking about the ramification of the society they create. <br /><br />For the mystery genre, if I read one more cozy where the heroine ends up alone, in a secluded location, with the killer, for no logical reason, I might scream. <br /><br />On a larger topic, I am annoyed by characters - and by extension authors - who think they are helping the diversity issue by having the token gay (almost always flamboyant) best friend, or by interacting with the African-American co-worker who offers sage advice. You know, the cop can be a gay man in a successful long-term relationship - it does happen. Or the CEO of the company where the dead body was found could be from Kenya.Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5866485529778068792016-06-17T12:37:05.850-04:002016-06-17T12:37:05.850-04:00Oh, wow, this post made me laugh out loud. It also...Oh, wow, this post made me laugh out loud. It also made me truly understand how idiosyncratic our reading tastes are. My latest pet peeve: turning the stories of real life women into fiction. I recently read a piece by a reader who was inspired to read "West with the Night" (Beryl Markham's autobiography) after reading the novel about her life, "Circling the Sun." The reader was disappointed with the autobiography because it did not contain this, that and the other thing. I wanted to call her up and say, "This, that and the other thing were fiction!" Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354719566758459929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34311827476915282052016-06-17T12:25:14.321-04:002016-06-17T12:25:14.321-04:00Snort. You're right about the multitudes of du...Snort. You're right about the multitudes of dukes, earls, etc. And so many war veterans too. I enjoy a good Regency tale but feel I'm reading the same ones over and over again. Back in the sixties I started reading some of Mom's Victoria Holt books. After a few I asked her if she had any family secrets I needed to know about. Unknown relatives who are rich and childless. Family who didn't marry well and were cut off. She snorted.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-56780419846820858862016-06-17T12:16:42.239-04:002016-06-17T12:16:42.239-04:00I have issues with protagonists who own four or fi...I have issues with protagonists who own four or five businesses, are actively involved in each one every single day, and still have time for hobbies and for working out AND for a social life. Most people I know who are self- employed are worn out by the end of the day! And they own only ONE business!<br /><br />DebRomanoDeb Romanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01650858888197217258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-18098275317965014512016-06-17T12:10:32.432-04:002016-06-17T12:10:32.432-04:00Last of the Mohicans, sheesh.Last of the Mohicans, sheesh.Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-89053359562948847412016-06-17T11:55:01.823-04:002016-06-17T11:55:01.823-04:00All good examples, Julia, thank you.
I categoric...All good examples, Julia, thank you. <br /><br />I categorically refuse to read another book with "fem jeop", or what I call the "tortured woman in the box with clock ticking". Puhlease. Criminals have enough bad ideas about how to harm women without giving them any more, thank you very much. There's enough cruelty in the world in real life; I can't imagine "entertaining" myself by reading about made-up cruelty, too. I get it about the need to put suspense into a book, but why does it always have to be a woman or a child in jeopardy? <br /><br />Ann, I agree with you about the 100 yards! It reminds me of the critique Mark Twain wrote of James Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking" books, including "Last of the Mohawks". He made supreme fun of the hero's ability to even see the half-inch target on the tree 300 yards away, let alone hit it. Forget that he was supposed to have hit it three times! And naturally he could tell that he had from three football field lengths away, with his naked eye. <br /><br />If you are in the mood to laugh, Google "James Fenimore Cooper literary offenses".Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-25354586177804763172016-06-17T11:44:51.914-04:002016-06-17T11:44:51.914-04:00Uh, it was a joke dear. However, there is nowhere...Uh, it was a joke dear. However, there is nowhere in that sentence that requires a comma per Strunk and White. A more difficult thing to do is use an elipsis correctly. Ann in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69169952359268519992016-06-17T11:07:26.227-04:002016-06-17T11:07:26.227-04:00Julia, I love you. No, I really do. Remind me to b...Julia, I love you. No, I really do. Remind me to buy you a drink if you are at Bouchercon.<br /><br />My pet peeve - the successful woman who doubts her ability to be a good wife/mother and actually submarines her chances for success by holding herself back from any chance of BEING a good wife/mother. Sheesh. Professional women in my life are not nearly so insecure in their home lives. Urgh.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-65370507424471245602016-06-17T10:12:03.973-04:002016-06-17T10:12:03.973-04:00Oh my goodness you hit all my pet peeves, plus I ... Oh my goodness you hit all my pet peeves, plus I never even consider anything about vampires.<br />never read any passage in italics, it's always the perpetrator explaining his or her movements and actions and reasons, which I figure will be answered in the rest of the book. Refuse to read anything about a child harmed in anyway. And I'm at an age where I'm not interested in cluttering my brain with lots of gore,, nastiness and evil. Roberta Gunningnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-91005237777533667482016-06-17T09:12:48.799-04:002016-06-17T09:12:48.799-04:00Interesting post this morning. Since I am partial...Interesting post this morning. Since I am partial to historical mysteries, I do not mind flashbacks, as long as the author and editor makes it clear. For example, in Maisie Dobbs, before the first chapter starts, there is a page that says "Spring 1929", which takes up the entire page. Before Chapter Eight starts, there is an entire page titled "Spring 1910-Spring 1917".The last part of the book takes us to Summer 1929, which is also another page before Chapter 21.<br /><br />What are my literary pet peeves? When I know the author is a wonderful writer and I can see the editorial mistakes that the editor makes. And when a wonderful series that I love is discontinued and the new series by the same author is not as interesting as the old series.<br /><br />Though I am partial to historical fiction, there are a few contemporary cozy mysteries that I really like. I loved a chick lit series that was set in England in the earlier books. The last two books were set in Hollywood and Las Vegas. For some reason, when I tried to read the last two, they were not as interesting. Maybe I am partial to the location of the story? Or it was the writing?<br /><br />One major literary pet peeve is when I see "and...and....and" in one sentence. Good grief! Why cannot the editor have used semi comma or comma? Perfect example is in the comment above. The character hid her wheelchair and made her way carefully over the rocks and quicksand. Could the editor have used a comma or a semi comma? Get a copy of White and Strunk guide!<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com