B, I don't see the shift in your readign habits as a "problem". At the behest of a dear friend of mine, I've picked up reading mysteries and thrillers again, something I gave up a quarter-century ago. Right now, I'm alternating between Daphne duMaurier's "Rebecca" and Charles Stross' "On Her Majesty's Occult Service".
---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Fought Over Any Good Books Lately? Date : Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:15:38 -0000 From : "B. Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com My problem is that I've been devouring mysteries and other genres this year and I also discovered several authors that had pretty sizable catalogs so my to be read pile kept growing. I discovered Tobias Buckell this year and I've been reading all of his stuff. I plan on picking up his latest book Sly Mongoose to read over the holiday. His series started with The Crystal Rain and continued last year with Ragamuffin. It's great sf adventure with distinct Afro-Carribean flavor. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Well, reading or writing ain't a problem, 'cause they create their own language! > I really do worry about all the shortcut abbreviations and syntax the new generation uses. I'm always commenting to my wife on all the language that used to be called "informal" that's sneaked into journalism, books, magazines, technical docs. Things like "don't end a sentence in a preposition", or issues with subject-verb agreement (It's "everyone get *his* or *her book", not, "everyone get *their* book"), etc. I always think in terms of formal or informal rules of English, and use the two in very specific circumstances, but I'm not sure that's even the standard anymore. > > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: "ravenadal" > I am constantly amazed and amused that texting is the favorite mode of > communication for a generation that can't read or write. > > ~(no)rave! > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, KeithBJohnson@ wrote: > > > > I was listening to the news today, a report on how many newspapers > continue to go out of business. Of course the Internet's part of the > problem, but I also note that many people just don't like to read much > news, even on the Net. It's why so many news outlets continue to cut > the length of their articles for quick and easy reading--short > attention span in the public. And look at how many people love to get > their news from shouting cable stations where most of the > "information" is delivered by screaming hosts who inject their own > opinions as much as they deliver real news. It's more like some kind > of entertainment, like "Weekend Update" with a pedigree. I note many > of my friends who look at me like some kind of alien when I tell them > to watch Charlie Rose or The Jim Lehrer News Hour to get real news, > calling those programs "boring". I see so many people my age and > younger who want everything quick and easy, easily digested, with > little commitment on their part in terms of actually > > *working* to learn anything. > > > > I wonder if the advent of the Net, instant and text messaging, DVRs, > the Daily Show, etc., is indeed creating new generations of people who > eschew reading anything of length, let alone the classics? I can think > of lots of people i know who no longer read books at all, unless their > tech books for work or something. > > > > I seem to remember hearing each generation think an innovation was > ruining the next generation's intelligence and ability to think > critically: the radio was going to kill conversation and reading...the > television was going to kill the family time of gathering around the > radio, etc. But I do wonder if we are losing things, as you say. > Maybe great literature isn't the only thing being lost... > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > From: "Martin Baxter" > > Thank you for this, Brent. IMO, this speaks to a problem endemic in > literature today. > > > > It's almost a lost art form. So many writers have been busy trying > to "say something" that they *don't* say anything. And it's not just > in pop-lit, either. Look at our own beloved genre. A couple of days > ago, Tracey posted a thread asking us to name five books we each read > and liked this year. I've read dozens, but I'm not really willing to > recommend more than one, Jim Butcher's last Dresden novel. I saw the > latest in his Alera Codex series yesterday when I was killing time in > a Borders downtown, and I couldn't get through ten pages of it. > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > Subject : [scifinoir2] Fought Over Any Good Books Lately? > > Date : Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:56:52 -0500 > > From : "brent wodehouse" > > To : [EMAIL PROTECTED], scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/fashion/07clubs.html? > _r=1&partner=MOREOVERFEATURES&ei=5040 > > > > Fought Over Any Good Books Lately? > > > > By JOANNE KAUFMAN > > > > Published: December 5, 2008 > > > > > > JOCELYN BOWIE was thrilled by the invitation to join a book group. > She had > > just returned to her hometown, Bloomington, Ind., to take an > > administration job at Indiana University, and thought she had won a > ticket > > to a top echelon. Â"I was hoping to network with all these women in > > upper-level jobs at I.U., then I found they were in the book > group,Â" she > > said. Â"I thought, Â`Great! TheyÂ'll see how wonderful I am, and > weÂ'll have > > these great conversations about books.Â' Â" > > > > Ms. Bowie cannot pinpoint the precise moment when disillusion > replaced > > delight. Maybe it was the evening she tried to persuade everyone to > look > > beyond Oprah WinfreyÂ's picks, Â"and they all said Â`WhatÂ's wrong > with > > Oprah?Â' Â" she said. > > > > Or perhaps it was the meeting when she lobbied for literary classics > like > > Â"EmmaÂ" and the rest of the group was abuzz about Â"The Secret Life > of > > Bees,Â" a pop-lit best seller. > > > > The last straw came when the group picked Â"The Da Vinci CodeÂ" and > someone > > suggested the discussion would be enriched by delving into the > authorÂ's > > source material. Â"It was bad enough that they wanted to read Â`Da > Vinci > > CodeÂ' in the first place,Â" Ms. Bowie said, Â"but then they wanted > to talk > > about it.Â" She quit shortly after, making up a polite excuse: Â"I > told the > > organizer, Â`YouÂ're reading fiction, and IÂ'm reading history right > now.Â' Â" > > > > Yes, itÂ's a nice, high-minded idea to join a book group, a way to > make > > friends and read books that might otherwise sit untouched. But what > > happens when you wind up hating all the literary selections - or the > other > > members? Breaking up isnÂ't so hard to do when it means freedom from > inane > > critical commentary, political maneuvering, hurt feelings, bad chick > lit > > and even worse chardonnay. > > > > Â"Who knew a book group could be such a soap opera?Â" said Barb > Burg, senior > > vice president at Bantam Dell, which publishes many titles adopted > by book > > groups. Â"YouÂ'd think it would just be about the book. But wherever > I go, > > people want to talk to me about the infighting and the politics.Â" > > > > One member may push for John Updike, while everyone else is set on > John > > Grisham. One person wants to have a glass of wine and talk about the > book, > > while everyone else wants to get drunk and talk about their spouses. > > Â"There are all these power struggles about what book gets chosen,Â" > Ms. > > Burg said. Then come the complaints: Â"ItÂ's too long, itÂ's too > short, itÂ's > > not literary enough, itÂ's too literary ... Â" > > > > The literary societies of the 19th century seemed content to leave > the > > drama to authors and poets, whom they discussed with great > seriousness of > > purpose. Some book groups evolved from sewing circles, which Â"gave > women a > > chance to exercise their intellect and have a social gathering,Â" > said > > Rachel W. Jacobsohn, author of Â"The Reading Group Handbook,Â" which > gives a > > history of the format plus dos and donÂ'ts for modern hosts. > > > > Today there are perhaps four million to five million book groups in > the > > United States, and the number is thought to be rising, said Ann > Kent, the > > founder of Book Group Expo, an annual gathering of readers and > authors. > > > > Â"I firmly believe there was an uptick in the number of book groups > after > > 9/11, and IÂ'm expecting another increase in these difficult > economic > > times,Â" she said. Â"WeÂ're looking to stay connected and to have a > form of > > entertainment thatÂ's affordable, and book groups are an easy avenue > for > > that.Â" > > > > Most groups are all-female, but there are plenty of all-male and > coed > > ones. Lately there have emerged plenty of online-only book groups > too, > > though - given the difficulty of flinging a drink in the face of a > member > > who suggests reading Trollope - those are clearly a different > animal. > > > > And more clubs means more acrimony. Sometimes there is a rambler in > the > > group, whose opinion far outlasts the natural interest of others, or > a > > pedant, who never met a literary reference she did not yearn to > sling. The > > most common cause of dissatisfaction and departures? > > > > Â"ItÂ's because thereÂ's an ayatollah,Â" said Esther Bushell, a > professional > > book-group facilitator who leads a dozen suburban New York groups > and > > charges $250 to $300 a member annually for her services. Â"This > person > > expects to choose all the books and to take over all the > discussions. And > > when I come on board, the ayatollah is threatened and doesnÂ't say > > anything.Â" Like other facilitators, she is hired for the express > purpose > > of bringing long-winded types in line. > > > > For Doreen Orion, a psychiatrist in Boulder, Colo., the spoiler in > her > > book group was a drama queen who turned every meeting into her own > > personal therapy session. Dr. Orion was used to such people in her > > practice, but in her personal life - well, no thanks. Â"There were > always > > things going on in her life with relationships, and sheÂ'd want to > talk > > about it,Â" she said. Â"ThereÂ'd be some weird thing in a book and > sheÂ'd > > relate it to her life no matter what. Everything came back to her. > It was > > really exhausting after a while.Â" > > > > What attracted Susan Farewell to a book group called the IlluminaTea > were > > guidelines that precluded such off-putting antics. No therapy talk, > no > > chitchat and no skipping meetings. Â"It was very high-minded,Â" said > Ms. > > Farewell, a travel writer in Westport, Conn. Members took turns > selecting > > books, Â"and you felt that your choice was a measure of how > intelligent and > > sophisticated and worldly you were,Â" she said. > > > > The high standards extended to the refreshment table. Â"When it was > your > > month to host a meeting, you would do your interpretation of a tea, > and > > the teas got very competitive,Â" Ms. Farewell said. Homemade scones > and > > Devonshire cream were par for the course, and Ms. Farewell recalls > > spending the day before her hostess stint making watercress and > smoked > > salmon sandwiches. > > > > This started to feel oppressive. Â"If the standards had been more > relaxed, > > I would have stayed in the group,Â" she said. Â"But I just felt I > couldnÂ't > > keep getting clotted cream. I couldnÂ't work and carry on the > formality and > > get through the novel every month, so I just said I couldnÂ't make > the > > meetings anymore.Â" > > > > Some who leave one group find happiness in another. Dr. Orion and > another > > woman broke from their original group and contacted another woman > who had > > also left. Â"Then we secretly reconstituted as another group,Â" Dr. > Orion > > said. Â"WeÂ've been going strong for 10 years, but our experience > has made > > us cautious about inviting new members. WeÂ've become very > selective.Â" > > > > Nancy Atkins Peck, an artist and historian in Glen Rock, N.J., has > also > > made a successful transition. Until the election cycle of 2004, she > had > > loved her book group - the members read Â"A Tree Grows in > Brooklyn,Â" novels > > by Virginia Woolf Â"and sometimes a paperback of no importance,Â" > she said. > > > > Then, after a presidential debate, an argument about the candidates > > ensued, Â"so it was decided that we couldnÂ't read any political > books or > > have any political discussions anymore,Â" recalled Ms. Peck, who had > just > > suggested the group read a book about the Bush White House. > > > > Â"It was nixed, and I just felt that was unnatural,Â" given that the > group > > had successfully discussed other sensitive issues, she said. She and > her > > husband then joined a coed group, which has worked out well. Â"And > we read > > a heck of a lot of political books,Â" she said triumphantly. > > > > Sometimes the problem is a life-stage mismatch among group members. > Â"I > > know of a group where all but one member has young children,Â" said > Susanne > > Pari, author of the novel Â"The Fortune CatcherÂ" and the program > director > > at Book Group Expo. Â"They talk for 15 minutes about the book and > then > > launch into a discussion of poopy diapers and nap times and > preschool.Â" > > > > Then the one member who had nothing to bring to the soiled Pampers > > conversation announced she did not have time for the group. For > etiquette > > reasons, Â"itÂ's very uncommonÂ" for people to give the real reason > for their > > disenchantment, Ms. Pari said. > > > > Ms. Bushell, the book-group facilitator, tells of one woman who left > a > > group Â"because she didnÂ't envision herself sitting around talking > about a > > book - she thought some business networking would take place.Â" > > > > Another woman decamped because she wanted to read more chick lit. > Â"I hate > > to sound ponderous,Â" Ms. Bushell said, Â"but I have a certain moral > > obligation. I donÂ't feel I can be paid for leading a discussion > about Â`The > > Devil Wears Prada.Â'Â" > > > > At Book Passage, a store with two branches in the San Francisco > area, Kate > > Larson is something of a Miss Lonely Hearts for newcomers and > disgruntled > > book group members. Â"I collect names, and when I get 12 or 14 I ask > them > > to come to a meeting at the store,Â" she said. Â"If it looks like > they all > > agree about what kinds of things they want to read, theyÂ've got a > book > > club.Â" > > > > Ms. Larson uses a newsletter to help people find special-interest > groups - > > say, in science fiction or spirituality. Groups made up of total > strangers > > seem to last longer, she said, Â"because the focus is truly on the > book.Â" > > > > As for Ms. Bowie of Indiana University, she was asked to join > another > > group but has chosen to stay unaffiliated. Â"My experience was a > real > > disappointment,Â" she said. Â"Now when I look at a novel in a store > and it > > has book group questions in the back, it almost puts me off from > buying > > it.Â" > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
