Tag: discussions

Come on… admit it…

nobody is watching….

nobody knows you are reading this post right now…

admit it…

you’ve done it…

shoot, I HAVE DONE IT.

and more than once.

You read a book, it s not a fit for you for whatever reason.  There is a good chance that unless that author has some sort of reputation that makes you want to try again, you are most likely probably out for future books by this author.

And maybe that is the right thing to do.

Maybe.

There are always exceptions to every rule and I want to bring out some examples today of yup, I was wrong, books that I feel are our of an authors norm, and for me personally, a better author for it. 

*Note:  The authors I am about to mention are well established authors who know what they are judged for in their writing, I am not dissing them, or anyone who enjoys reading them.  Instead, what I am trying to do here is point out that if you have a pre notion of what an authors writing is like, these are examples of where it is different and mainly to prove my point here – that we shouldn’t give up on an author after one book.  😛

Nora is known for being an author of many many books.  She has been putting them out since 1981 and that is impressive.  When I think of Nora Roberts I think trilogies… I think the first book will introduce three men or three women…, one of these men or women will take the protagonist role for that book and somewhere early on a love interest will be introduced and by the end of the book – yay!  They are together.  The second book will take one of the two characters that were introduced in the first book and wallah, now they are the protagonist and the same thing will happen, and then again in the third book.  It is a tried and true formula.  It has worked time and again for Nora Roberts.

Now it is true that not all her books are trilogies, she does write some stand alone reads as well, many times with the same outline as I dictated above, but no, honestly I don’t think all. 

For me personally, I have never been a fan of the romance read.  The handsome men or the beautiful women all finding ways to each other does not a page turner make for me.  And that’s just me….

however, here is where Nora Roberts scored big with me.

Now I know you are looking at these three books and  thinking “Sheila, are you off your rocker?  It’s a trilogy!  There are three!”  And if you have read these then you also know… there is a little romance in them and then you may want to say, “Sheila, I know these books!  They are about three women!  They meet three guys throughout the three books…. this is the Roberts formula tried and true!  How are they any different?”

And for you I say, these are different… because the women….

are witches. 

It’s true, the story line in my opinion is superior and the strong independent modern-day women with powers is well… they are three of my favorite all time books. 

And as long as we are discussing Roberts, she does it again here:

Mmmm hmmm, yeah yeah yeah… another trilogy – yes three strong women again but again… with powers!  I don’t know why that gets me… but it does and I love that! 

Ok one more example:  Stephen King.  What comes to mind?  Sure, Christine, a possessed car.  Carrie, yes a possessed girl.  Thinner, creepy thin guy… yup.  It, ugh, probably the creepiest as I really don’t like dolls and It is a clown or to me… a big doll.  Pet cemetary, yes, people and pets back from the dead… gross, but keep going!  Cujo, spooky book and movie, and CRAZY scary dog.  Misery, yes crazed book fan, oh wait… I like that – no no I am kidding of course, she is nutso!  Anyhoo, you got this… Stephen King writes deep creeptastic stories.

And then… he writes this:

So what is this?  This is historical fiction, it is a little time travel…. it is a great “what if” story that simply blew me away when I listened to it a few months back.  This is not your typical Stephen King, in my opinion, it is some of his best work.  There is no more creep factor in this one beyond a bit of intense moments, and average mystery type happenings.    If you have not gone here…. do so.  Soon, if not now.  😀

Now it can happen in reverse too… I read Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard forever ago.  Laughed out loud silly and funny.  Every Linda Howard I have tried since… flat line.  Cant get into them. 

Now I turn this over to you.  I would love to hear your examples of the books that seem out of an authors normal writing genre or pattern that made you look twice at an author you perhaps would not have .  Please share your experiences below.