Book Rant

“Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.”
― Voltaire, Candide

I'm a weird reader.

I've never read Nicholas Sparks, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, most other YA best-sellers, A Song of Ice and Fire (but I do at least own those and I will read them some day), Narnia.  I've only read The Fellowship of the Ring and I still have a bookmark in The Two Towers.  Never mind Tolkien's other works (again, I have them, but I don't know when I'll read them).  Oh yeah, I've never read James Patterson either.  But I did see Alex Cross and it's freaking amazing.  I watched The Hunger Games too.  Sorry, dystopias are not my thing.  Neither is YA.

I'm attempting Pride and Prejudice for the second time.   The first time, I got to Chapter 10, decided I wasn't interested and got rid of the book.  I got it again on Kindle--thank you Public Domain.  I'm over halfway through, but I guess I can be Team Darcy after I'm done.  Perhaps I'll try her other books.

My favorite author's Stephen R. Lawhead.  He has a pretty solid fanbase in the Reader World, but I think most non-readers wouldn't know who he was--unless they have a fan of his in their lives.  Even then?  Perhaps not.  And he gets reviews across the board.  People love him, hate him, or are merely indifferent.  Personally, I love his books.  They always make me feel like a better person.

The Spirit Well, his newest, only took me two days.  That's a record for me with his books.  My previous record was three days.  His books will give me a good hangover, but I don't get angsty about the next book.  Probably because I have so many other books to read.  After I've had my squee-fest, I'm ready to read something else.  Honestly, as I've said before about Bright Empires, I'm just really excited.  Like, oh my gosh, how is this going to end, and oh my gosh, I love the plotline (insert more fangirl squealing).

My favorite romance author is Victoria Alexander.  Same thing.  She's not like Nora Roberts whom everybody's heard of.  At least you can buy her books at WalMart.  Like Lawhead, she molded my tastes, set a standard for decency.

Keeping with the Alexanders, I think Lloyd Alexander is probably the best-known out of my favorite authors.  Yes, he's a children author.  (Oh yeah, I've never read Roald Dahl either, but I did get two of his books the other day.)

I think something's wrong with people who don't like Lloyd Alexander.  That's my Twilight.  If you don't like Lloyd Alexander, we can't be friends.  That, and Candide.  You can even dislike Stephen R. Lawhead, although, I'll still think your taste is deficient.

Not to say every LA book gets 5-stars from me.  I've given a few 3 stars.  But they're so much fun.  And he was interested in everything.  Welsh fantasy (thank you, SRL, for my obsession with all things Welsh-Celtic), Greek fantasy, French-esque fantasy, you-name-it.  Cats.  Westmark.  Gosh, I loved Westmark.

I think my favorite story was from The Foundling, and Other Tales from Prydain, "The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper."

"And the Lord of Death fled in terror of life."

That is a powerful statement.

I've already said YA's not my thing.  I've read YA.  I even like some YA's, such as The DUFF by Kody Keplinger and the Inside series by Maria V. Snyder, but over all...  I'm more of a children's and middle grade reader.  And then of course, adult.  I don't know if it's because I'm still kinda fresh out of high school (although it's been two years) and not enough time has passed for me to want to re-visit those years, or if it's just not to my weird tastes, but I don't care for it.  I still look there.  I still pick up a book from time to time, but give me a Lloyd Alexander children's or an adult romance over that any day.

I'm in the minority in that.  Lots of people like YA.  I'm not very big into paranormal either.

LIE.  I've liked the few paranormals I've read, but they're not the first thing I reach for when I need a reading fix.  I go to a Regency romance.  I just don't go to it right away.

Other by Karen Kincy.  Freaking awesome.
Even Vampires Get the Blues by Katie MacAlister.  See above.
Immortal Coil by C. I. Black.  Dragons?  YES!

Wait, that's it?  Anyway...

My fantasy reads are a little more impressive.  I'm sure fantasy readers have heard of The Name of the Wind and The Wise's Man's Fear (long, but good).  The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks (amazing).  Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn (classic).

This year, my favorite fantasies were Broken Blade and Bared Blade by Kelly McCollough. The third book came out a few days ago.  I'm waiting to get my hands on it (probably Christmas).  Books like that remind me why I read fantasy, and they're not door-stopper long.  Aral Kingslayer is my fantasy book crush.  The fact he kind of reminds me of a romance hero isn't a coincidence.

I'm not one of those readers where books are never long enough.  I love short books.  I like long books too, but length is daunting.

I like books.  I like endings.  I like book hangovers.  I like when books end, so that means I can go to another book.

Several years ago, when I was in public high school, I was asked if I had a boyfriend.  I thought it was a stupid question.  It's small-town Wiggins.  Wouldn't they know if I was dating someone?

"You could be dating someone from another school."

"No," I said.

Someone I hated said I dated books.

Uhm, that's an interesting observation, but I always have more than one book going at a time, and I manage a lot of books in a year.  I'm never faithful to books, unless it's a romance, and that's because I don't have a bookmark in them long enough to cheat on them.  I use them to cheat on other books.

One year, I'm just going to read romance books, just to see if I'd be unfaithful to them if that was all I read.  I have cheated on romance books before, but it's a seldom occurence.