The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

What seems to be wrong with me & popular books? Those best selling Paranormal books with major characters that have zombies, werewolves, vampires turn me off. The 1st Evanovich, & First Ladies Dect Agency book were unimpressive. Reichs soon bored me after the first 4 or so. Elizabeth George was "too British" (I'm half British). Then the emmense volume of the series for Connolly, Reacher, Spencer, are overwelming. What's wrong with me?

I also tried two or three Cotterill. Although I loved the main character, the political undertones bored me. I like historical stuff, but just couldn't get into these books.

I'm the same way. Vampire books, excluding Anne Rice's books, aren't my favorite. I've only read a few of Reich's books but so far they haven't started to wear on me. If I'm going to read a mystery I like it to be a straight forward mystery without some weird paranormal stuff. If I want paranormal then I would be specifically looking for something haha

What's normal? I love Dickens and Harry Potter, Twilight and Winnie the Pooh, GRR Martin is my hero and as for Jane Austen LOVE - what's good about normal? :D

Wendy, you are in the norm - for you. There is nothing wrong with not liking the books everyone else raves about. Something about them just doesn't appeal to you. I don't like zombie, werewolves, or vampires either. I do like Connelly, Spenser, and Reacher but that doesn't mean you should.
What kind of mysteries do you like?

I to Wendy don't like a lot of the popular books. Everyone has their own preferences. I don't like vampires, werewolves, supernatural stuff either. I usually read True Crime novels and cozy mysteries. Once in a great while I venture out of my comfort zone. Just cause you have your own taste doesn't mean you are out of the norm.

Congratulate yourselves on your individuality. These trendy blitzkriegs of this-or-that 'paranormal' or 'royalty' or 'BDSM' book....are for society's bottom-feeders. You *should* react to them with horror and revulsion. Keep them at a distance; retain your own personality.

Remember that most people in the world are as dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks. The mass-market past-times designed for them are usually insipid. Always have been, always will be. Just because these hot-selling book lines and cable-tv-shows today have rocket-powered word-of-mouth advertising campaigns to propel them...it doesn't mean they're any better than Lil Abner, the pogo-stick or the chia-pet.

Applaud yourself for not merely finding yourself another recruit in the ranks of the undead.

The great thing about reading is that everyone has different tastes and reads for different reasons.

If we all liked the same things, we'd all be reading, sharing and talking about the same small range of books and that would be boring. Branching out from the norm leads to great discoveries.

Is that a kestrel, in your avatar?

I sent you a PM.

1st rule of reading: Read what you enjoy

2nd rule of reading: It's your own opinion that counts most

3rd rule of reading: Try new things sometimes

4th rule of reading: Stick with something, but not if it's a painful slog

5th rule of reading: The first two rules are the important ones

Wendy wrote: "What seems to be wrong with me & popular books? Those best selling Paranormal books with major characters that have zombies, werewolves, vampires turn me off. The 1st Evanovich, & First Ladies D..."

Count me in your "what's wrong with me" group. I like Urban Fantasy ... but hate zombies and generally speaking, don't like vampires or werewolves either, which limits my choices significantly.

Some YA fantasy books are on my permanent bookshelf and re-read often, very much enjoyed. At the same time so much of the current fantasy that starts "when she turned 16 she discovered" ... is so bad I almost automatically skip when this phrase appears.

Many of the more recent very popular mystery authors I have no attraction to at all, particularly with the trend to grim/dark and damaged main characters. I've never gotten through any of the recent popular Scandanavian authored mysteries at all. Again, police procedurals with main characters who are alcoholics, drug addicts, serial killers, suffering from PTSD or tragic relationships tend to leave me fuming "It's OVER, deal with it and go on!" which isn't an enjoyable mood for reading.

I have favorites in mysteries/adventure/fantasy and sci-fi and follow a number of authors/series, some very popular and some not. I'm also at the point where I do not feel the need to apologize because I don't see the attraction to a popular writer or book.

Wendy wrote: "I also tried two or three Cotterill. Although I loved the main character, the political undertones bored me. I like historical stuff, but just couldn't get into these books."

Laos in the late 1970s wasn't exactly a fairy land. I don't see how you could ignore the political situation. I liked these books despite the supernatural aspects.

I admit I like ghosts, esp, psychics, mythical creatures in the urban fantasy/mysteries. Heavy sex is uunnecessary.
I am thinking it may be the writing style I find difficult IE with the Cotteri books. The Laos politics is SO foreign to me it interferes with my enjoyment

I spent a year in Thailand in 1973 so I am familiar with the general situation in Laos.

Wendy wrote: "What seems to be wrong with me & popular books? Those best selling Paranormal books with major characters that have zombies, werewolves, vampires turn me off. The 1st Evanovich, & First Ladies D..."

I'll add my voice in reassuring you--there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. There are (literally) millions of books out there, and part of the fun is exploring the shelves and finding something that speaks to you. That might be something that's currently getting a lot of attention, or it might be an old classic, or perhaps something that you stumbled upon by chance.

I read most genres, although I no longer read any of the hard-core violence. Some of the books are on the bestseller lists, some I find in old bookstores, and others are old friends waiting on my library shelves. Read what pleases you.

also I do think that there is a big difference between 'popular books' and 'books that become popular'

Wendy wrote: "What seems to be wrong with me & popular books? Those best selling Paranormal books with major characters that have zombies, werewolves, vampires turn me off. The 1st Evanovich, & First Ladies D..."

Wendy,

I know what you mean. I buy books based on the fantastic press and reviews, and then find within the first few chapters that the book does not fit the praise at all, at least not in my eyes.

These days, before I buy a book,I turn to GR reviews. I read a few of the highest ratings, then skip down to the 2-3 stars. I usually get a pretty good idea of the book this way, and have made fewer purchasing mistakes since I started on GR.

Cynthia (The Garrett half of Garrett Smith)

I think there are two basic kinds of readers (with many shades in between), because at one time or another I've been one of them:

1. Readers who want to escape reality and dive into a world totally unrelated to their own. These folks will tend to go for paranormal or fantasy or really speculative Sci-Fi.

2. Readers who want a version of their own world that is perhaps a little more exciting, or easier to sort out (in the end), or with more solvable (though initially challenging) problems. These folks will gravitate to crime or espionage or literary fiction.

The interesting thing is that whether you're escaping from or diving into reality, all great stories will share one very real thing: characters that are consistent with and true to the human condition. Seen that way, you can't escape very far. ;)

I am probably mostly in your group 2. While reading mysteries probably isn't the best way to learn about foreign lands, it is one of the reasons I only read books set outside the US.

Like the saying goes " normal is just a setting on the dryer" :)
Read whatever you enjoy, whether it be zombies, nonfiction, romance....etc, it's as simple as that!

Paul 'Pezski' wrote: "1st rule of reading: Read what you enjoy

2nd rule of reading: It's your own opinion that counts most

3rd rule of reading: Try new things sometimes

4th rule of reading: Stick with something, but ..."

I agree with Paul. What is normal? I will read "mommy porn" occasionally, but laugh and roll my eyes the entire time. I do not care for the Stephanie Plum books because I do not find them funny. I read all the Twilight, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc. because they were fun for me as an adult. But you want to get into what's normal? I love books where the more pieces people are cut up into the better. I like the book to be graphic, grisly, and have a good storyline. I do not always want the book to have a nice pretty bow on the end. What's wrong with me? I am a blonde to the ditsy core, bubbly, happy, former teacher/missionary, who loves a good book with gore. "How can I read that?" my mom will ask. I just say, "It's so far from my personality that I just cannot imagine how someone thinks that way." I like seeing the other side. There is nothing wrong with thinking outside the box and knowing what you like. I don't really like Gillian Flynn, gasp(!), I know. I think she is boring. Nothing wrong with that.

You read what you like, and if you do not know what that is yet... it's exciting to think of all the possibilities out there!

I have been accused of being a Book Snob because I often avoid the best sellers. But I have been disappointed by them so often I want to hear they are good by a reliable friend before I waste my time with them.

Diana wrote: "I have been accused of being a Book Snob because I often avoid the best sellers. But I have been disappointed by them so often I want to hear they are good by a reliable friend before I waste my ti..." Me also.

Diana wrote: "I have been accused of being a Book Snob because I often avoid the best sellers. But I have been disappointed by them so often I want to hear they are good by a reliable friend before I waste my time with them. ..."

Nothing wrong with that. Good policy with movies as well. Its really the wisest method; in light of the tsunami of false marketing we are inundated with these days.

What I strongly object to are choices being made for us. Like Netflix dropping films according to some sales metric of its own devising (but at the same time claiming it has all the films we could possibly want).

Or, Amazon/Apple taking over publishing. Yeah, like that's not berserk.

I think your only problem here is the underlying premise of your question. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you simply because your readings preferences do not conform to others. Celebrate your nonconformity and individuality.

Same here, Diana. I use to go by star book ratings on various sites and then became disappointed by what I thought was 4 1/2 - 5 stars to find the tomes stinkers. How many books I've purchased only to have to put them down 1/2 way thru. I feel your pain in my wallet.

Diana wrote: "I have been accused of being a Book Snob because I often avoid the best sellers. But I have been disappointed by them so often I want to hear they are good by a reliable friend before I waste my ti..."

Gary wrote: "I am probably mostly in your group 2. While reading mysteries probably isn't the best way to learn about foreign lands, it is one of the reasons I only read books set outside the US."

So how do you go about finding them? I mean, my series is set in Amsterdam, and people who look for (suspense) fiction and Amsterdam on Amazon will find it soon enough, but I wonder if there are websites/blogs/threads that focus specifically on the settings of books.

Not being the norm when it comes to books means you're not susceptible to books publishers select for commercial mass appeal.

I'm not the commercial mass appeal type of person. I like off-beat music/cinema/food/clothes and that extends to what I read.

I've tried reading commercial fiction, but if I read, say, Dan Brown, it's too easy for me to see through his plot mechanisms and hackneyed manipulation to enjoy his books. I like subtlety and that's a rare commodity in fiction that's aimed at the masses, because the masses are used to getting their media spoon-fed in easily digestible portions.

So I found that some people had difficulty reading my books, because I don't just give out information, but I leave hints and they'll have to figure stuff out for themselves. And if you skim and skip through my books, you can miss an important plot point that won't be repeated endlessly (as is common in commercial fiction), so I resigned myself to a loyal niche following and not the bestseller lists... :)

Martyn (a.k.a. M'sieur Sang Froid) wrote: "Gary wrote: "I am probably mostly in your group 2. While reading mysteries probably isn't the best way to learn about foreign lands, it is one of the reasons I only read books set outside the US."
..."

Www.stopyourekillingme.com has a location index so you can find a book located in Amsterdam that way. They also have a job index so if you wanted a book about an architect you could find that there.

Jan C wrote: "Www.stopyourekillingme.com has a location index so you can find a book located in Amsterdam that way."

Thanks, Jan, I'll check it out.

I should bookmark this thread--I'm not really the commercial mass appeal type of person either (to borrow a quote from Martyn who posted that phrase earlier!)

Gary wrote: "Wendy wrote: "I also tried two or three Cotterill. Although I loved the main character, the political undertones bored me. I like historical stuff, but just couldn't get into these books."
Laos i..."

I agree. I love the Dr. Siri series and its delightful series of quirky characters. I also learned so much about Laos by reading this series. I eagerly await each new book. I feel these novels are more for those who don't enjoy the "regular, everyday kind of mystery." Am I wrong?