tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post6838348093709577608..comments2023-10-22T11:45:23.103-04:00Comments on dead baby jokes: nothing but the truthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-69943085790457366032008-10-22T16:59:00.000-04:002008-10-22T16:59:00.000-04:00I love fiction, but I also love history. History t...I love fiction, but I also love history. History that's written in a fictiony-way is the best of both worlds. I have a very hard time working through non-fiction that has too much of a textbook style to it. I don't ever get an uncomfortable feeling of looking in on myself when I'm reading fiction that mirrors myself or my life. I'll tell you a weird thing about me, though, which I only recently realized. Whenever I go to a play, I spend most of the play looking down at my program. I can't bring myself to watch the actual actors on stage; something about it makes me supremely uncomfortable, like I'm too close to emotion, even if it's only being acted.Ahuva Batyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17432567017520114856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-21384190071059084552008-10-22T08:25:00.000-04:002008-10-22T08:25:00.000-04:00I devour fiction, but I have a difficult time read...I devour fiction, but I have a difficult time reading when I don't like the protagonist. I have put books down because of it (Frances Prose's Blue Angel comes to mind).<BR/><BR/>I have been expanding into non-fiction, from Eat, Pray, Love, to Obama's Audacity of Hope. I tend to prefer "real-life accounts", although not "true crime".<BR/><BR/>ciao,<BR/>rpmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-16668466509720821912008-10-20T18:14:00.000-04:002008-10-20T18:14:00.000-04:00You will forgive me if I indulge the part of mysel...You will forgive me if I indulge the part of myself that feels she can better direct someone's life than the actual person can.<BR/><BR/>You are reading the wrong novels! Pick up some good science fiction. Iain M. Banks is great. Lots of details, good characters, later "culture" books are the best. You can't go wrong Neil Stephenson either, but his later books are looooong. Try Snow Crash or Zodiak. If Sci-Fi isn't your cup of tea try Lamb by Christopher Moore. <BR/><BR/>Can you tell I prefer fiction? In fact, the only non-fiction I read are not stories. I like to read books that pull together the current research on a particular topic such as how the brain works, or the state of the environment or how to be happy (not philosophically, but what type of people are the happiest and how they think)Kamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01215000341567119958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-81054480787166074382008-10-19T21:03:00.000-04:002008-10-19T21:03:00.000-04:00Oh, and I wanted to add--the one thing that I thin...Oh, and I wanted to add--the one thing that I think I've changed as I've gotten older re: my reading habits? If I don't like a book, I don't feel compelled to finish it. (Unless it's for my book club, and even then, if I hate it, I don't.)<BR/><BR/>Life's too short to be unhappy with what you're reading--I did enough "required" stuff in college/grad school. I'm over it.OneTiredEmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786020912408441766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-26881226223774806492008-10-19T21:01:00.000-04:002008-10-19T21:01:00.000-04:00I read mostly fiction. I am in two book clubs and ...I read mostly fiction. I am in two book clubs and we try very hard to select fiction--memoir, history, biography, etc., while often very interesting and well-written, do not produce really great discussions, I've found. And I do love excellent fiction set in different times and/or places from the modern US. I've learned a lot of cultural history through well-researched novels. Plus the escapist factor can be really nice.<BR/><BR/>For breaks I do read non-fiction: try (and fail) to keep up with New Yorker articles, social history, thoughtful food writing (Pollan, Kingsolver, and such).OneTiredEmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786020912408441766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-80083051471325431582008-10-19T19:54:00.000-04:002008-10-19T19:54:00.000-04:00I get in fiction funks. I'm in one now. I can't de...I get in fiction funks. I'm in one now. I can't decide what I want, and I keep slogging through unsatisfactory novels because by now, it's a habit. I do read quite a bit of non-fiction, as well, but my favorite thing is a good historical or geographical novel. I like to get to get some Jeopardy-esque facts along with a good story.Furrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08617566957749784387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-91515594514419579482008-10-19T17:15:00.000-04:002008-10-19T17:15:00.000-04:00I'm in the escapist camp. Love sci fi and fantasy...I'm in the escapist camp. Love sci fi and fantasy. This past summer was the first time I really started getting into non-fiction at all and really enjoying it. I see myself as a disappointed idealist, so I guess in novels I find my way back into idealist mode. I see you as a committed realist.<BR/><BR/>My sister has no patience at all for fiction, I don't think she's read a novel since her last lit class in college. 10 years ago. She likes knowing things. I like flights of fancy.E. Phantzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812948199658356521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-33870604183455808542008-10-19T15:57:00.000-04:002008-10-19T15:57:00.000-04:00Pretty much fiction and pretty much only geeky sci...Pretty much fiction and pretty much only geeky sci fi and fantasy.<BR/><BR/>I love hard sci fi..books that carry me along AND make me think.<BR/><BR/>Used to read mysteries too.<BR/><BR/>Books are my escapeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-12084704934863388742008-10-18T23:25:00.000-04:002008-10-18T23:25:00.000-04:00I mostly read fiction...life is real enough for me...I mostly read fiction...life is real enough for me, so I prefer a fictitious escape most of the time.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08339920449924488366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-33039766062813617242008-10-18T17:12:00.000-04:002008-10-18T17:12:00.000-04:00Yes.Yes.Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15460136246441367993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-72344864307128505822008-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:002008-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:00I used to be an ardent reader of fiction, the lite...I used to be an ardent reader of fiction, the literary variety, no pulp stuff for me. But, I see what you mean about fiction reminding you of who you used to be. I think readers of fiction are enamored by the idea of possibility. It's exciting to meet new people, learn about them, and, if the story is good, learn something about our own selves in the bargain.<BR/><BR/>I couldn't pick up a work of fiction until a few years after my loss. I guess grief told me all I needed to know about the life of the mind. I would try to read various characters' trials and tribulations and keep thinking: you think you know, but you have no idea! Grief fiction, on the other hand, when it's good, works for me. (try Goldengrove by Francine Prose!)<BR/><BR/>Now I am reading fiction, sometimes only to be able to review it. Reading as an excuse to write.zarqahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10256535780241011947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-18462722499836946952008-10-18T12:57:00.000-04:002008-10-18T12:57:00.000-04:00the linearity and contrivances of the novel form t...the linearity and contrivances of the novel form try my patience, though a little less than they used to. i like to pick up non-fiction and start anywhere, beginning where the book falls open.<BR/><BR/>and the person you used to be? touche.Bonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14403701620708365171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-34627844956103724542008-10-18T09:52:00.000-04:002008-10-18T09:52:00.000-04:00Before I became a mother, I read fiction almost ex...Before I became a mother, I read fiction almost exclusively, and the purely escapist kind. Now, I'm heavily into memoir, although I still enjoy fiction, just not so much the Literary kind.cinnamon gurlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05363288586285868779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-74127602586904056592008-10-18T09:28:00.000-04:002008-10-18T09:28:00.000-04:00I used to love fiction because I could see all the...I used to love fiction because I could see all the characters true emotions and thoughts, and although I like non-fiction for political analysis, etc, I've never seen anyone write about their true emotions in an autobiography.<BR/><BR/>I've come to the conclusion that I like pseudononymous personal blogs best.Aureliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691032415028867902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-11599358686702560122008-10-18T09:24:00.000-04:002008-10-18T09:24:00.000-04:00for a long time i only read nonfiction. i am back ...for a long time i only read nonfiction. i am back to fiction now. i think my reading of nonfiction had a lot to do with my being in law school. where artful wording-and even extra words-aren't tolerated. in facts, points are deducted if you use them. <BR/>but i am over it. and reading no fiction too.christina(apronstrings)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11806155985753148490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-15152110264549836412008-10-18T08:36:00.000-04:002008-10-18T08:36:00.000-04:00i lean towards fiction. but i need to open my sel...i lean towards fiction. but i need to open my self up to fiction more because every time i do i am impressed.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04662448292809451387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-10979822640053579562008-10-18T08:21:00.000-04:002008-10-18T08:21:00.000-04:00Both--I like both--but there is something about re...Both--I like both--but there is something about reading a memoir and connecting it to an actual, breathing (or um...non-breathing) person vs. a fictional character. Then again, there are fictional characters that my heart literally aches over because they're not real.Lollipop Goldsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01020874415819057995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-80833197527309436092008-10-18T03:13:00.000-04:002008-10-18T03:13:00.000-04:00my writing? decidedly non fiction. My reading FICT...my writing? decidedly non fiction. My reading FICTION through and throughflutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11828689769747130419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-85010285830484082882008-10-17T23:25:00.000-04:002008-10-17T23:25:00.000-04:00Fiction. And mostly for the same reasons that you...Fiction. And mostly for the same reasons that you used to love fiction. But also, for another reason - because when things are impossibly good, I believe that things like that exist only in imagination, a delicious work of fiction. And when things are bad, I believe that only the most dark and tormented of minds could ever have thought up such an unhappy ending, the likes of which are only seen in works of fiction.Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18010155174814652914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-83827668632046490782008-10-17T22:01:00.000-04:002008-10-17T22:01:00.000-04:00I like fiction, but generally I prefer my novels t...I like fiction, but generally I prefer my novels to be a bit off kilter. I'm a fan of distopia for some strange reason. I like my novels depressing and thought provoking. Yes, I have issue. :)RBandRChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06018306370247688896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-35956005104943506642008-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:002008-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:00Fiction, mostly--especially mysteries, although of...Fiction, mostly--especially mysteries, although of late more general novels. I like happy fiction. That said, I do read a fair bit of memoir/biography/food writing or travel writing, too. I just like escaping into other worlds as I read.susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12000470374101306070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-92181866583983643302008-10-17T20:16:00.000-04:002008-10-17T20:16:00.000-04:00I love stories. My favorites are fairy tales, any...I love stories. My favorites are fairy tales, any kinds of fairy tales...the simple tales we tell to children or the long re-told versions that have been written in recent times. It has to feel "real" to me though...I don't mean that it can't have magic (most fairy tales do) but the people have to act and react like real people...if they don't, I stop reading.<BR/><BR/>All that said, I also like memoirs quite a bit.the dragonflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00910969956758977269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-67606153874794254412008-10-17T19:15:00.000-04:002008-10-17T19:15:00.000-04:00I think you and I actually had this conversation s...I think you and I actually had this conversation some time back. I used to be able to read fiction and haven't been able to since the loss of my twins. Oh, I have read a couple of fiction books since then, but not much. I don't seek it out.<BR/><BR/>I think it is the uncertainty of it all. I'd rather read something more analytical, or something I know to be true and sort of already know the ending. I don't like surprises too much anymore.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05528541804521203406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-5421840284366183222008-10-17T19:03:00.000-04:002008-10-17T19:03:00.000-04:00For the longest time, my job was nonfiction (histo...For the longest time, my job was nonfiction (history) and so in my free time I wanted to put that down and read make believe stuff. Now I kinda do both, and interestingly, my favorite genre is History Mystery.<BR/><BR/>I've never got science fiction though. Does that count for something?Tashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07376651134993450207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225058560254819105.post-85608664814230852272008-10-17T18:17:00.000-04:002008-10-17T18:17:00.000-04:00Wow, I am very much the same way. I love nonfictio...Wow, I am very much the same way. I love nonfiction because I feel I am learning more about the world, or what really happened way back when, and it's much more exciting to me than something made up.<BR/>And as for rereading old favorites, I just finished up Gone With The Wind.Mollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04963930937088035249noreply@blogger.com