Horror Aficionados discussion

Who gives a fig what others think about your book choices?

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I've never understood that, either. It's not like I'm forcing my reading choice on other people. Way too much time on some peoples hands...

It's what phoney baloneys do who want to come across as intellects to people who don't know them from Adam's house cat and don't care anyway. I work with a lady I know is smart and she made some kind of apology/excuse when she went to pick out some of our Harlequins. Whatever brings you pleasure, I say. I respect people who can read a classic, a bizarro, a horror, and a kid's book and enjoy them equally.

Yes, and that's what I've never understood. I REALLY don't care what other people read as long as they enjoy it. I suppose, ultimately, I don't care if they don't enjoy it because it's their own time they're wasting.

And I certainly don't give a flying fig about what people think of my reading choices.

Couldn't agree more. What difference does it make to me what you read? Whatever floats your boat.

Some people really care what image they're projecting, even down to the books they're seen reading in public. Lindsey Lohan doesn't fool us when she's spotted reading Remembrance of Things Past on a beach vacation.

This makes sense to me. One of my favorite pastimes is making snap intellectual judgments about people based on the book they're currently reading. If you're reading the new Stephanie Myers book on a Kindle, my silent mockery loses an opportunity to flourish.

Friends and family comment about the books I read and think it's kinda grisly that so many of them have blood and killing. I don't care, I keep reading them. I don't do it to make them happy.

When I was 20 I went to a house to babysit and carried one of the newest King books with me (this was 26 years ago *bites knuckle*). The man's brother was there--he was a priest or held some kind of religious job--and actually sneered at my reading material. As if he were better than me because he wouldn't stoop to reading King. I enjoy reading Stephan Crane as much as I do Stephan King.

Anyone who chooses their reading material based on "what other people will think of me" deserve to be worried, people like that deserve the mocking they fear so much.

Probably, Scott.

Jacen, the world is full of posers.

Gah I hate posers especially when they pull the literary snob routine! I mean wtf is the point of reading if you're using it to torture yourself and others?

Tressa I have a cousin that thinks reading SK is a sin in itself because her church is so nuts. They actually believe kissing if you're not going to have children is a sin!If her brother and I were talking about our horror novels she was off to the side gasping and acting offended we read/write them.

Who reads books anyway? Dont these people have TV?

Amanda wrote: "Tressa I have a cousin that thinks reading SK is a sin in itself because her church is so nuts. They actually believe kissing if you're not going to have children is a sin!"

LOL!

I have family who have nutty religious ideas, too. Harry Potter is verboten in their family because of the white magic, yet LOTR is OK. Very annoying and I just bite my tongue.

I never run into such people. I'm missing all the fun!!

Fun? Oh trust me she's more aggravating than fun.

I know, Amanda. I'm interested in how people think, and why. Such people like your cousin are of particular interest because they are somehow able to function within a society with a completely retarded set of beliefs.

PS. Great new profile picture!

Maciek wrote: "I know, Amanda. I'm interested in how people think, and why. Such people like your cousin are of particular interest because they are somehow able to function within a society with a completely ret..."

Thanks my kid sister took it and she has a great eye.

I like to puzzle people out too I just haven't had any luck with her. It could just be the nuttiness of my dad's family driving her bonkers though.

Maciek wrote: "I never run into such people. I'm missing all the fun!!"

You need to get out more!

LOL. I meant that I never met such nutcases. Even though Poland is probably the most religious country in Europe, Europe is pretty much secularized.

Ryan - excellent.

I do try to hide some of my books from my daughter since she is 10. Don't want her to have a nightmare because whe saw a monster on mom's book cover.

Tressa - my librarians are always amused by my books. The choices go off in so many directions. I think one of the librarians is amused, but the other one wants to call the authorities.

The only time I've been scared at the library is when a hobo passing through town wants to know where the serial killer books are.

Tell him they're kept in a special room at the police station and then give him directions.

Tressa wrote: "The only time I've been scared at the library is when a hobo passing through town wants to know where the serial killer books are."

Why do you pick on hobos? Hobos are people, too. I was once in a group of hobos and I became a hobo for 20 years. Then I got bored and went back to being a CEO of a major IT company.

What a great a article, very informative. I rank it with the story that broke earlier this week about Muammar Gaddafi being sodomized before his death.

I personally think that it is intresting to see people try to equate my professional corprate image with my choice of reading material when I am on lunch or traveling ....it's rather funny :)

Gatorman wrote: "Tell him they're kept in a special room at the police station and then give him directions."

He might kill me.

Hobo is a word that's not used often anymore. But I try to use it as often as possible.

Kilgallen, give us an example of something sordid you were reading while sitting on a park bench in your business suit.

When I was a student I used to wear a hobo cap, which was a normal winter cap only it was yellow, red and black, all in one. My friend had the same cap and we wore black glasses and sat on the pavement and talk about stuff. It was usually very early so we sat there for hours and waited for the bar to open up. When it did we went for a beer, or two, or five, and that was how the day went. Then we went to classes. It wasn't that bad, actually.

Tressa wrote: "Gatorman wrote: "Tell him they're kept in a special room at the police station and then give him directions."

He might kill me."

Not if you say it with a straight face.

LOL. Maciek, you're not a real hobo till you ride the rails, though. My dad always called those dude caps.

Gator, I can do that. Easily.

Irode on a tram without a ticket many times, does that count? I once rode on a night bus where some hobos had a miniature fire in the back to keep themselves warm. Once I rode on a bus with a hobo who had a religious radio station on at full volume and claimed to be God.

i train hopped when i was younger (mid-20s). it was a scary adventure. some of my friends got addicted to it and kept doing it for years. once was enough for me.

Mark, I've read incidents where young train hoppers were killed by train hopper deviants or by falling under the train. I'd have a heart attack if my kid did something like this. I never did dangerous stuff like this; I've always been a self-preservationist.

yep, since then i've read those stories too. sorta gives me the willies thinking of all the times my friends train hopped. literally dozens of times. such danger! i'm so glad they are all older and slightly wiser.

Maciek wrote: "Irode on a tram without a ticket many times, does that count? I once rode on a night bus where some hobos had a miniature fire in the back to keep themselves warm. Once I rode on a bus with a hobo ..."

Holy Macaroni that sounds like fun!

Maciek wrote: "Irode on a tram without a ticket many times, does that count? I once rode on a night bus where some hobos had a miniature fire in the back to keep themselves warm. Once I rode on a bus with a hobo ..."

That should be a book. Write about your adventures with hobo-god please.

Tressa wrote: "When I was 20 I went to a house to babysit and carried one of the newest King books with me (this was 26 years ago *bites knuckle*). The man's brother was there--he was a priest or held some kind o..."

You should meet my aunt. No, maybe not!
She is a religious fanatic of the worst kind. She has long believed I'm going straight to hell because of my reading preferences.
She went bonkers over the Harry Potter books for crying out loud! Ooh! Magic! Bad!

She has caused quite the rift in our family as she will not discuss anyone's belief in any way if it doesn't match hers. Psycho!

She had the absolute gall to sneak (SNEAK) into my new place and bless it before she would deign to visit.

She is a prime example, to me, of all that is wrong with these moral mental minority types that think they can impose their beliefs on everyone else just because they have god on their side. BS!

Sorry, I'm ranting. This kind of mentality drives me absolutely mad!
I've been judged so often because of what I wear, my hair or what I read by people that are disgusting...

I will stop ranting now.

I work 12 hour shifts on a 7-on 7-off basis. The nights and weekend are great. The place is empty but for five of us retards. No problem to whip out a book and read whatever you want.

It sucks during weekday shifts. It really wouldn't look good to be reading a novel in the middle of the trade floor. So, I find myself limited to news articles on the on the internet and the couple of industry dailies that I subscribe to via email. That makes for a really, really long shift.

That being said, when I get to Ken-time I want to read what appeals to me. Horror, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Dan Brown-esque, WWII, whatever. No concern for what others think. It is my time to relax!

Rant away, Brett. I cannot stand religious fanatics. Luckily I have no such relatives.

That priest was sneering at my King book because he thought it too low brow, I'm sure. Not because it was "evil."

I would love to work a 7-on-7-off shift.

LOL. I just can't stand fanatics at all. If you can't argue or see both sides to something, you are a fanatic and don't need to talk to me. I am quite fanatical about that!

My favorite thing in school was debate. It helped reinforce something I did anyway, the ability to argue both sides of a viewpoint successfully AND I enjoy playing devil's advocate.
Sometimes too much so.

Anyway, as you most likely know, that is the biggest problem with these people. They believe something and are positive they are right. Which is fine, but you MUST be able to discuss various sides without freaking out to come even close to being civilized! Or at the very least, allow others their beliefs without sneering at them.

That is one thing great about the USA, we have the RIGHT to believe as we wish and NO ONE has the right to deny us this.

I can really get rolling on this subject, but most people already know all this and the ones that know it and refuse to acknowledge it can move to Iran!

So there!

Brett wrote: "Tressa wrote: "When I was 20 I went to a house to babysit and carried one of the newest King books with me (this was 26 years ago *bites knuckle*). The man's brother was there--he was a priest or h..."

Brett, she snuck into your house? Oh man, I wouldn't be too happy with that at all. BTW, I agree with your rant as well, but will leave it at that.

Go, Brett, Go! The only time I think it's ok to be a fanatic is in sports. That does not require looking at both sides since no one really cares about the debate between which rival team is better. You like your team and that's that, so long as you don't cause bodily injury to other fans! Otherwise, fanatacism is definitely a bugaboo.

Yeah when I talk to people about what I read, I try to just keep it at horror b/c I don't feel like going through to explain what all splatterpunk-ish books are. But then when they're like "Oh cool! I read horror too! What do you like?!" then I just have to be like, nothing, nevermind.

I don't think I've ever gotten the "ok, sweet, I read horror too" reaction, most folks just assume that means I read King, even at the book store my coworkers don't really know horror, but they do now occasionally save some for me, which is very nice.

I hate the perception people have of horror, like it's all that badly-written crap that was churned out in the '80s. Like they all have the same dull, slasher plot with cardboard characters being picked off one by one. They just don't get it, and never will. Horror is difficult to write well, you know?

Tressa wrote: "I hate the perception people have of horror, like it's all that badly-written crap that was churned out in the '80s. Like they all have the same dull, slasher plot with cardboard characters being p..."

Yep I try and remind them of the classic authors like Shirley Jackson who had serious writing chops and not the shlocky guys.

A lot of categories at my local B&N boggle my mind but none are as infuriating as the total lack of a horror section. Its just mixed in with general fiction and impossible to browse. Needless to say, I don't shop there.

11811 wrote: "A lot of categories at my local B&N boggle my mind but none are as infuriating as the total lack of a horror section. Its just mixed in with general fiction and impossible to browse. Needless to ..."

That's my main problem with B&N. There's absolutely no reason there can't be a horror section there are clearly still plenty of authors publishing in the genre and lots of readers that'd buy more of the books if they did.

At my favorite used bookstore—the huge 2nd and Charles—I asked how come there was no horror section and the guy said because horror isn't so cut and dried and it would be confusing and take a lot of time figuring out what was horror and what wasn't. What a cop out. I don't think it would be THAT hard.