Reading Meme
Mar. 20th, 2019 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Reading meme...
What I just finished reading?
The bad romance novel I kept posting about.
Below the cut is the review I posted on Good Reads. I suppose I should feel bad about posting a bad review, but I don't. It was poorly written book, with a lot of poorly written reviews on it.
Review:
Out of curiosity, why is it that only the historical romance novels are progressive and/or subversive nowadays and the contemporary romances are...well...really not? You'd think it would be the opposite. Granted this hero isn't quite as bad as the heroes in Rosemary Rogers contemporaries...he doesn't rape anyone, so progress! But...
Is this self-published? I can't tell. Actually the published novels are worse --- particularly in genre. Why? Romance novelists can't afford or don't want to spend the money on good line editors. We all need editors -- but they are bloody expensive if the publisher isn't doing it. It has weird errors. There was one section towards the end that I couldn't make heads or tails of...it made no sense. Granted I tend to read these things on my commute via very noisy and somewhat disruptive subways, and less disruptive trains (I usually sleep on the train), but...it should make sense. Actually this was my problem with a good portion of the book -- to such an extent that for a bit I was convinced it was a parody of a contemporary romance novel - it's not, unfortunately.
The hero is an asshole. But his actions still make no sense. They are not the actions of a rational individual who has been able to become a successful businessman. Also, I'm convinced the writer hasn't met any rich people and doesn't understand money.
I'd say it's not believable -- but hey it has a genie, so sort of a given.
It's very funny in places, but I'm not sure if it's intentional? The writing is very similar to 50 Shades of Grey, in that there is no character development. The characters are rather stock (stock means boilerplate), and they are distinctive in the looks department. The description is impossibly beautiful which is basically lean for women, and lean, tall, dark, and muscular for men. Also white.
Subversive this isn't. It's not progressive either. Very retro, actually. Feels a lot like a Judith McNaught or Rosemary Rogers contemporary, complete with the Alpah aka Asshole wounded hero -- who takes out all of his pain and angst on the heroine...to the point in which you begin to wonder if the heroine is insane for sticking with him. Folks if this is your real life scenario -- he ain't gonna change, you will end up in the hospital or dead or insane by the end. Get out now. If it's just your fantasy scenario - not a problem. People, including myself, have crazy-ass fantasies doesn't mean we want it in real life.
That said -- there has to be a subversive contemporary out there somewhere? Something progressive? I've read too many that are JUST like this one. It's not new. Kristen Ashley follows the formula true to form -- the only distinction is the genie, who was a bit silly at the end. Very boilerplate alpha hero acts like an ass, heroine forgives and redeems and heals him with her forgiveness trope. (Don't worry, men also have this silly trope -- heroine acts like an ass, hero forgives and heals her.) I've gotten bored of this trope. Somewhat disappointed this wasn't the parody I thought it was at the beginning, in other words it started out great and fell flat at the end.
{This may explain why I'm writing my own rather subversive and progressive contemporary romance as we speak? Whether anyone gets to read it or not, is another matter entirely.)
What I'm reading now?
Well, I put a hold on Where the Crawdads Sing at the library-- apparently there's 92 people who want it and only 8 e-book copies available. You'd think there would be more, but the publisher, being a publisher, is somewhat greedy and wants me to pay $7.99-$12 for it. I don't want to. I figure it's on the NY Times Best-seller list. They don't need my money. We shall see where this leads.
My mother loved it. She watched the youtube video of CBS This Morning's interview with the author who lives in a remote corner of Idaho by herself. She's divorced and in her 70s. She published her first fictional novel at the age of 70. Prior to that she wrote non-fiction books with her ex-husband about Africa. Thanks to Petz
for posting the video online -- I shared it to FB and tagged my Mom so she could see it. (I'm on FB mainly for family, and a few old college pals, and close friends who moved far away. ) My mother says it's a story about being alone, without a tribe or close family...alone.
Anywho...instead I'm reading:
What the Parrot Saw by Darlene Marshall - which was rec'd by Courtney Milan and SmartBitches. It's about a female pirate who takes a English Man from a brothel to pay for a goat incident.
It's funny. Or so I'm told. Right now, today, my brain was having troubles making sense of the words. It was on information overload.
Also "Black X" which is several short stories about the X-men's major villains, Magneto (yes, he's a villain again -- they flip him back and forth so many times, one begins to lose track -- Magneto and Wolverine are the most overexposed and worst ret=conned heroes in the comicverse), White Queen (also a villain again), Mystique (ditto), and Mojo (who appears to not be a villain in this case). Apparently marvel has a weakness for spinless bad guys seeking love...?
Uncanny X-men #14.
Age of X-men - Next Gen 2
Age of X-men - Amazing Nightcrawler 2
(I skipped issue one for both, somehow)
Boom Comics - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3. (interestingly enough, Buffy's not the only television show that Boom is doing comic book adaptations for, they apparently specialize in it. I also so...Steed and Mrs. Peel and a few others, I can't recall off hand. Adapting television shows to comics is done a lot, so are movies. And weirdly novels. I remember reading both Ann McCaffrey's Dragon Rider Series and Anne Rice's Vampire series in comic form back in the day.)
What I'm reading next?
Where the Crawdads Sing...if it becomes available. Also tempted to read another Liane Moriarity.
2. Difficult day, difficult week.
Insurance decided to stop my Physical Therapy. They figured 10 visits was more than enough. Even if I'm still in pain, it's chronic. We aren't doing this forever.
Frigging insurance company. I may look into therapeutic yoga and possibly massage therapy. Oh well, at least I can do laundry on Thursday -- desperately need to do it and Thursday is a good time.
Work..eh, got a new computer. Trying to get used to it. The hard drive is now a tiny box with no CD or DVD player, you have to use an external one. (Which idiotic hardware/software engineer decided to do away with a CD/DVD player?) We frigging need them -- so I have an external drive, but I can't charge my phone or ipod while it's plugged into the unit -- it has to have both chords plugged in. Plus he plugged me into a printer -- that is this bizarre Security Protected Printer -- where you can print in anyone building but only with high security clearance. (I don't have it. It's absurd. I got him to change it seconds before I ran off to catch my train. He did all this at 12 noon...after making an appointment for 11:30 am.)
Other than that - not a lot accomplished. Tried to archive some files, etc, hurt my back in the process (it involves bending and lifting). A meeting that went nowhere...outside of ten men yelling and ranting at each other, and trying to explain to me all the ins and outs of building an electric rail yard.
What I just finished reading?
The bad romance novel I kept posting about.
Below the cut is the review I posted on Good Reads. I suppose I should feel bad about posting a bad review, but I don't. It was poorly written book, with a lot of poorly written reviews on it.
Review:
Out of curiosity, why is it that only the historical romance novels are progressive and/or subversive nowadays and the contemporary romances are...well...really not? You'd think it would be the opposite. Granted this hero isn't quite as bad as the heroes in Rosemary Rogers contemporaries...he doesn't rape anyone, so progress! But...
Is this self-published? I can't tell. Actually the published novels are worse --- particularly in genre. Why? Romance novelists can't afford or don't want to spend the money on good line editors. We all need editors -- but they are bloody expensive if the publisher isn't doing it. It has weird errors. There was one section towards the end that I couldn't make heads or tails of...it made no sense. Granted I tend to read these things on my commute via very noisy and somewhat disruptive subways, and less disruptive trains (I usually sleep on the train), but...it should make sense. Actually this was my problem with a good portion of the book -- to such an extent that for a bit I was convinced it was a parody of a contemporary romance novel - it's not, unfortunately.
The hero is an asshole. But his actions still make no sense. They are not the actions of a rational individual who has been able to become a successful businessman. Also, I'm convinced the writer hasn't met any rich people and doesn't understand money.
I'd say it's not believable -- but hey it has a genie, so sort of a given.
It's very funny in places, but I'm not sure if it's intentional? The writing is very similar to 50 Shades of Grey, in that there is no character development. The characters are rather stock (stock means boilerplate), and they are distinctive in the looks department. The description is impossibly beautiful which is basically lean for women, and lean, tall, dark, and muscular for men. Also white.
Subversive this isn't. It's not progressive either. Very retro, actually. Feels a lot like a Judith McNaught or Rosemary Rogers contemporary, complete with the Alpah aka Asshole wounded hero -- who takes out all of his pain and angst on the heroine...to the point in which you begin to wonder if the heroine is insane for sticking with him. Folks if this is your real life scenario -- he ain't gonna change, you will end up in the hospital or dead or insane by the end. Get out now. If it's just your fantasy scenario - not a problem. People, including myself, have crazy-ass fantasies doesn't mean we want it in real life.
That said -- there has to be a subversive contemporary out there somewhere? Something progressive? I've read too many that are JUST like this one. It's not new. Kristen Ashley follows the formula true to form -- the only distinction is the genie, who was a bit silly at the end. Very boilerplate alpha hero acts like an ass, heroine forgives and redeems and heals him with her forgiveness trope. (Don't worry, men also have this silly trope -- heroine acts like an ass, hero forgives and heals her.) I've gotten bored of this trope. Somewhat disappointed this wasn't the parody I thought it was at the beginning, in other words it started out great and fell flat at the end.
{This may explain why I'm writing my own rather subversive and progressive contemporary romance as we speak? Whether anyone gets to read it or not, is another matter entirely.)
What I'm reading now?
Well, I put a hold on Where the Crawdads Sing at the library-- apparently there's 92 people who want it and only 8 e-book copies available. You'd think there would be more, but the publisher, being a publisher, is somewhat greedy and wants me to pay $7.99-$12 for it. I don't want to. I figure it's on the NY Times Best-seller list. They don't need my money. We shall see where this leads.
My mother loved it. She watched the youtube video of CBS This Morning's interview with the author who lives in a remote corner of Idaho by herself. She's divorced and in her 70s. She published her first fictional novel at the age of 70. Prior to that she wrote non-fiction books with her ex-husband about Africa. Thanks to Petz
for posting the video online -- I shared it to FB and tagged my Mom so she could see it. (I'm on FB mainly for family, and a few old college pals, and close friends who moved far away. ) My mother says it's a story about being alone, without a tribe or close family...alone.
Anywho...instead I'm reading:
What the Parrot Saw by Darlene Marshall - which was rec'd by Courtney Milan and SmartBitches. It's about a female pirate who takes a English Man from a brothel to pay for a goat incident.
It's funny. Or so I'm told. Right now, today, my brain was having troubles making sense of the words. It was on information overload.
Also "Black X" which is several short stories about the X-men's major villains, Magneto (yes, he's a villain again -- they flip him back and forth so many times, one begins to lose track -- Magneto and Wolverine are the most overexposed and worst ret=conned heroes in the comicverse), White Queen (also a villain again), Mystique (ditto), and Mojo (who appears to not be a villain in this case). Apparently marvel has a weakness for spinless bad guys seeking love...?
Uncanny X-men #14.
Age of X-men - Next Gen 2
Age of X-men - Amazing Nightcrawler 2
(I skipped issue one for both, somehow)
Boom Comics - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3. (interestingly enough, Buffy's not the only television show that Boom is doing comic book adaptations for, they apparently specialize in it. I also so...Steed and Mrs. Peel and a few others, I can't recall off hand. Adapting television shows to comics is done a lot, so are movies. And weirdly novels. I remember reading both Ann McCaffrey's Dragon Rider Series and Anne Rice's Vampire series in comic form back in the day.)
What I'm reading next?
Where the Crawdads Sing...if it becomes available. Also tempted to read another Liane Moriarity.
2. Difficult day, difficult week.
Insurance decided to stop my Physical Therapy. They figured 10 visits was more than enough. Even if I'm still in pain, it's chronic. We aren't doing this forever.
Frigging insurance company. I may look into therapeutic yoga and possibly massage therapy. Oh well, at least I can do laundry on Thursday -- desperately need to do it and Thursday is a good time.
Work..eh, got a new computer. Trying to get used to it. The hard drive is now a tiny box with no CD or DVD player, you have to use an external one. (Which idiotic hardware/software engineer decided to do away with a CD/DVD player?) We frigging need them -- so I have an external drive, but I can't charge my phone or ipod while it's plugged into the unit -- it has to have both chords plugged in. Plus he plugged me into a printer -- that is this bizarre Security Protected Printer -- where you can print in anyone building but only with high security clearance. (I don't have it. It's absurd. I got him to change it seconds before I ran off to catch my train. He did all this at 12 noon...after making an appointment for 11:30 am.)
Other than that - not a lot accomplished. Tried to archive some files, etc, hurt my back in the process (it involves bending and lifting). A meeting that went nowhere...outside of ten men yelling and ranting at each other, and trying to explain to me all the ins and outs of building an electric rail yard.