Disappointments

One of the reasons I rarely participate in bookish memes is that I never remember to take part until I’ve seen everyone else’s posts, by which time it’s too late. Having read a couple of people’s answers to this week’s BTT, though, I’m inspired to add my views, even though it’s Saturday. So, here goes:

Which is worse?  Finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author, or reading a completely disappointing book by an author that you love?

Out of those two, a completely disappointing book by an author I love is much worse for me. I prefer to read new authors, rather than sticking to old favourites, and so in order to have carried on reading the same person’s work, I have to like them a lot. Reading disappointing books by authors I like always feels a bit like a betrayal.

However, I’d argue that an author you expect to be good and turns out to be terrible is even worse. I’m thinking of Douglas Coupland. I read a synopsis of Girlfriend in a Coma and excitedly ordered it from the library, convinced it was going to be brilliant. One book later, it turned out to be mediocre. Undeterred, I recently read The Gum Thief, which turned out to be just as boring as you’d expect a book about office superstores to be (though if I’d expected it to be boring, I probably wouldn’t have read it). I still have Jpod waiting for me on my shelf, but I’m not sure now whether or not to bother with it – two disappointments is enough for me, I think.

An example of the first disappointment given is Christopher Brookmyre. I read The Sacred Art of Stealing and if I made a list of my favourite books – and I’m sure you fellow bibliophiles can empathise with how difficult that would be – then it would probably be in it. After reading it, I stocked up on his books in a charity shop and have since read Quite Ugly One Morning, Not the End of the World and One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night and they’ve all failed to be anywhere near as good as The Sacred Art of Stealing. I still have Country of the Blind, A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil, Boiling a Frog and All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye, but unfortunately, I’m expecting that they’re going to be the same.

Reordering TBR pile

One of the recent Booking Through Thursday topics was how people arrange their books.

I didn’t participate, but I read lots of responses, and I was surprised how many people didn’t order their books alphabetically. I’ve always thought that arranging books by author’s surname is the ‘right’ way to do it and I’ve always poured scorn on the idea of arranging them any other way.

I do like having my main bookshelf ordered alphabetically as I normally look at it wanting a specific book, but my TBR pile is another matter. Quite often I’ll look at the two shelves of unread books thinking ‘hmm, some crime today’ or something similar and have to search through them all to find what books I have that fit the bill.

Today, I decided to bite the bullet and reorganise my TBR pile by genre.

I took all the books off the shelves and then put the ones I could definitely fit into categories (eg. crime) on the shelves. Then I worked from what was left to decide what the other categories should be.

Here’s what I ended up with:

• Crime and thrillers
• Drugs & America
• Comedy and lighthearted crime/murder
• Nonfiction and memoirs (real and fictional)
• Classics, chicklit and everything else (in that order but all stored as one block on the shelf)

I think I’ll end up preferring this system, but there’s no way I’d reclassify all my books like this as it requires much more thought for me to decide what genre a book is than it is to arrange it alphabetically. I had quite a lot of fun trying to categorise books I haven’t read, which is why I ended up with almost 1/4 of my books being in the ‘everything else’ pile.

I’ll give the new system a try and report back!tbr

Booking Through Thursday

This week’s BTT is about the condition of books:

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

Most of the books I read have been read by someone else already (secondhand or from the library). I quite like that: I feel guilty whenever I break the spine on a brand new book! I also like to feel like someone else has enjoyed the book before me.

I have been known to dog-ear, but only when I have nothing else to hand. 99.9% of the time, I use a bookmark. I have one memory of being told off by a teacher at primary school for tearing paper out of my maths book to use as a bookmark, and I totally didn’t understand when she told me to fold the page over to keep my place – it’s a book! You can’t do that!

Bending the cover all the way round does make me flinch! There’s no excuse for doing that, unless it’s to keep it open at a certain page, and even then, it’s far better to use one of those book stand things.

Overall, I guess my book-treating philosophy is this: I treat books with respect, but I know that if you read them, it’s going to show. At the end of the day, reading is what books are for, and so it’s a good thing if they’re ‘pre-loved’! I feel sad if I come across a book that’s been badly treated, but I don’t mind a book that’s been enjoyed by someone else before me, especially since I like to pass on the books that I love as well.

Booking Through Thursday

This week’s Booking Through Thursday is about literary couples.

This is pretty easy for me: it has to be Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery. I love the books for all sorts of reasons which would fill up an entire post by themselves. Anne and Gilbert have an idealistic relationship: I find it difficult to fault it in any way.

Jane and Rochester from Jane Eyre come a close second.

Third place is Pauline de Charmilles and Gaston Beauvais from Wormwood by Marie Corelli. They’re a failed couple, but the descriptions of Gaston’s feelings for Pauline are exquisite, as is his torment when she falls in love with Silvion Guidel.

It’s perhaps not that remarkable to see that two of my favourite couples come from two of my favourite books. Jane Eyre isn’t a favourite, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it all the same!

I didn’t manage to participate in last week’s Booking Through Thursday, but I am hoping to get up a post of the books that are on my TBR pile very shortly!

Booking Through Thursday

I decided to participate in this week’s Booking Through Thursday. I’ve been thinking about giving it a go for a while – so here goes!

What was the last book you bought?

Well, that depends on whether you mean bought bought or just acquired. The last book I bought (as in, paid money for) was My Godawful Life by Michael Kelly. I’ve also ordered a couple on bookmooch – see my last post.

Name a book you have read MORE than once

There’s a lot of those! I guess my top three would be Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Hex by Rhiannon Lassiter and Dead Famous by Ben Elton.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Fundamentally, no. Hotel World by Ali Smith and Dangerous Parking by Stuart Browne both made me think a bit differently, but not fundamentally so. It’s more a kind of outlook on life thing. And much as I hate to say it, This Book Will Save Your Life did come perilously near to fulfilling the title.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Normally, by what’s on the blurb, and occasionally by the author. There’s some authors I’ll just buy: whatever they write, I’ll read it. Most of the time, though, I’ll read the blurb and if I like it, I’ll get it. I don’t spend a lot of money on books, so I can afford to buy them at random.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction.

What’s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

Oh, beautiful writing all the way! A great example of this is Erica Spindler. I read one of her books (Last Known Victim) a while ago, and while the plot was actually quite interesting, I hated it because the writing style was so irritating. I only finished it because the book was a gift.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Anne from Anne of Green Gables. I fell in love with that book when I was 11 and it’s still a firm favourite.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

• Past Mortem by Ben Elton
• The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
• The Year 1000 by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger
• Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaardner

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

Well, the last time I was reading was about an hour ago, and it was more of Past Mortem. The last book I finished was Diamond Geezers, which was earlier this week, I do believe.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

I keep a list of the books I give up on, just like I keep a list of the ones I read. In fact, I should really put that list on this site! I’ve given up on something like 12 books in the last two and a bit years. I do give up on them, but not frequently. I don’t really count failing to read to the   giving up, though, as I might pick it up again some day.