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This week: Don’t Be Afraid of the Book Snobs! Edited by: zwisis
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| I’ve got a confession to make – I’ve just finished reading Danielle Steel’s latest book “Winners”. I last read a Danielle Steel novel nearly 25 years ago. I realise that this admission may not cause too much concern to some readers/writers, but to others it may seem laughable. Me? I’m glad I read it. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. |
| ASIN: 1542722411 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
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It took me six days to read my first book this year. I downloaded Debbie Macomber’s “Starry Night” because it featured on the New York Times Bestseller list and I’d not read anything by this author before. I was excited and looking forward to a good read. I should mention the hardcover version of the book runs to 256 pages, so it’s not a big read.
The story was a silly and very unbelievable romance, with undeveloped characters and writing so rushed I can only think the author was under a strict deadline to produce something in time for Christmas. I hated the book but persevered with finishing it, hoping against hope that its success meant it would improve.
It didn’t. After turning the last page on my Kindle I went to write a review on Amazon, only to discover that just a handful of the 546 reviews the book has received gave it one or two stars. I wondered how a book so lacking in depth and character with such a pathetic flimsy story could have done so well. After reading such fluff I felt unable to start reading a more substantial book so I started “Winners”... and I am so glad I did.
Ms Steel may be accused of fluffy writing, but her characters are well developed and believable. While all her stories generally follow the same formula and feature the same themes her writing flows well and she offers an easy escape into her books. “Winners” is a light, easy read and cleared my head so I’m now ready to tackle the first in Lee Childs’ “Jack Reacher” series.
The reason for my reluctance to admit to reading a Danielle Steel book is book snobbery. I think it’s something all of us – readers and writers – can admit to feeling or experiencing at some point in our lives. Nobody wants to be accused of writing - much less reading - a frivolous, lightweight story. Yet it is important to read published books if you want to write. Danielle Steel has sold over 600 million books, so she’s doing something right.
Artistic snobbery is rife in the literary world, and it is not restricted to authors. Genres also tend to suffer - adult books over children’s, comedy over dramas, reality over fantasy... Stephen King, one of the world’s most successful writers, is a common target for book snobs. Nevertheless this master of the horror genre calls books “portable magic”. He’s right – when we read we are transported to another place where we encounter excitement and adventures and meet new people.
Book snobbery is dangerous because it may just lead to worse books being produced. Imagine the worst scenario, where genres like fantasy, horror, romance or young adult fiction disappear. Narrowing genres will lead to lazy writing and boring stories. Book clubs will become really boring, run by the same very book snobs scoffing at so-called “lightweight” novels. I don’t want to be a member of that book club – do you?
Some of the world’s most successful books have been written in the genres most targeted by books snobs. J R R Tolkien’s “The Hobbitt” and “The Lord of the Rings”, Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games Trilogy” and the Twilight series are all members of the fantasy genre, one of the book snobs’ most favourite targets.
When we read a book we want to be entertained and immerse ourselves in the story. Reading is an escape into a different world, and books snobs do not comment upon the actual book. Instead their snobbery is actually a personal attack on the book’s writer, not the book. Books should be judged on their words, not on their writer. Reading Shakespeare or Martin Amis will not make you more intelligent than someone who enjoys Danielle Steel or Stephen King. How you read a book is just as relevant to you as what you read.
Writing connects us to the world and to people we may never meet in the flesh. Writing is a wonderful way of communicating with different cultures and faiths in different countries on different continents. Language is the way we connect with each other and storytelling is the best way of communicating.
Am I a book snob because I didn’t enjoy Ms Macomber’s book? I don’t think so, because I am prepared to read another of her books. I just hope the characters in the next book have a bit more depth and the story is more believeable.
Final message to any book snobs you may know: Do not make anyone feel guilty or bad about what they are reading. You will make them stop reading, and that could lead to the death of books.
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#1959722 by Not Available. |
We stopped walking as I leaned against a building and began to cry. I was sobbing and she began to comfort me. When I could speak again I started to apologize and stopped.
|  | Letters (13+)
What is the cost of true love? How far would you go to protect it?
#567686 by Matthew C.   |
One by one, Jack read the stack of letters exactly as he’d received them. He kept them in chronological order, tucked away in the box with his memories.
I guess I didn't know how to handle the unexplainable attraction I held for her since kindergarten. The teasing eventually stopped and during our last years of school we were simply good friends; friends so close, we probably knew more about each other than many married couples.
She took his hand in hers, like all those years ago, before he ran terrified out of her living room. "Tom, we've known each other for over ten years. Do you think dating is really necessary?" she said in an effort to sound clever.
The trolls were loath to share the root with anyone else. Every winter they expected a nymph to come and steal what they considered solely theirs.
| | The Room (13+)
Sometimes letting go is the only thing you can do.
#940275 by dmack |
The voices behind the door stopped. He heard a clicking sound, as though someone had unlocked the door. He turned the knob, pushed the door open, stepped out of the room and found himself surrounded by a bright white light.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1210542 by Not Available. |
I expected him to come to me; I wanted him to. It would have flattered me and didn't care at that moment that he was an outsider. To my disappointment, he went straight to the bar behind the room.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1177433 by Not Available. |
She told of writing private poems while alone on a hillside near her home. Not love poems, but about hope and wondering and happiness. |
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Quick-Quill 
I promise I will finish this revise and get it to my friend (english teacher) who has offered to edit it. Then I will issue a call out on WDC for help with where and how to submit for publishing!
Sounds like a great plan! Good luck!
Rhonda
Thank you so much for including "Welcome To My Reality Forum" in this weeks newsletter. It is greatly appreciated.
You are most welcome!
Dan Hiestand 
This incredible newsletter has met so much to me over the years, along with several of the others I get on a regular basis. I just wanted to say thank you, and just for the heck of it, attach my epic fantasy novel that this wonderful newsletter helped me to produce!!
Your novel is highlighted, and thanks for the kind words! |
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Drama: January 29, 2014 Issue [#6129]
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