tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post6663262671008023259..comments2024-02-08T00:28:09.810-08:00Comments on Big Beat From Badsville: "Sherlock Holmes is an arrogant cokehead"Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780558832861165256noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-62005363629144911742011-03-13T15:12:16.998-07:002011-03-13T15:12:16.998-07:00Margot - isn't it interesting how and what we ...Margot - isn't it interesting how and what we choose?<br /><br />Michael - you should have done - a good time was had by all!<br /><br />Vince - I agree - it's only some bizarre titles I like! Others really put me off. Weird, eh?<br /><br />Maxine - great comments! And, of course, there's Fred Vargas. <br /><br />Bobbie - good point about blurbs - once in a while I pick up a book because of them too. And you are so right on the gender thing!<br /><br />27 - Do you want me to put you back in the closet? :o)Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780558832861165256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-76093625367608001842011-03-13T12:56:13.288-07:002011-03-13T12:56:13.288-07:00Did you just out my identity on your blog? I hope ...Did you just out my identity on your blog? I hope I can still walk down the street without being harassed for autographs and photographs. Who'm I kidding, I never walk anywhere.<br /><br />27<br />PS Thanks for the 'lovely'. You're a sweetheart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-38147821480020888842011-03-11T16:40:17.208-08:002011-03-11T16:40:17.208-08:00Donna, thank you for this wonderful post about the...Donna, thank you for this wonderful post about the Aye Write panel; as another poster says, so much food for thought here!<br /><br />Like you, I might be drawn to something with a quirky title (including those you mention), then I'd read the book jacket to see where it's going, and once in a great while if an author I totally admire like Mina, or Reed Farrel Coleman, or Woodrell, blurbs it, that might help too. I seldom believe much of the blurbs or cover prose, but sometimes I do, in special cases...and even then I probably would not buy it, would go home, investigate it, think about it, then finally go back and buy. :-) I seldom buy on impulse, but I do buy! :-) If I haven't heard of the book, I'll be drawn to quirky, neat covers, etc., or a title that intrigues.<br /><br />Now, about gender, gawd I get tired of this! Some women write good male characters and vice versa, and no not all women protags talk about flowers and cuddly kittens! I go for the story, for the plot and setting, and the main protag's gender has little to do with whether I choose a book, and little to do with how I judge a book.<br /><br />Have I ever liked a hero or main character who was not really stand-up good? Oh yes. In fact, one of the main ones, from years back, is by Denise Mina, in the Garnethill series. Loved those books, and though I wouldn't have been friends with Maureen, I did admire what she did with what she had. Some of Woodrell's characters have flaws but are worthy..and he writes a female protag, often. For me, it's not about the gender, but about the goodness of the story and setting and I guess I just don't have preconceived notions of 'how women act' and 'how men act', it's more about the story and what happens and how each individual deals with it. If a writer writes well, there really aren't rules nor certain ways of doing things. After all, I'm a female, with a male name, and no one has ever been able to predict or judge me on my gender, I always was unpredictable.<br /><br />Regarding titles, sometimes I do feel that an author is 'trying too hard' with some quirky title...but some, like ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN, or CURSE OF THE POGO STICK or GO TO HELENA HANDBASKET, do draw me because it's more than just trying to be cutesy imo, there's something there. So I'll at least look at it. :-)<br /><br />Ok, that's it, for today. GREAT blog, Donna; and great comments everyone.<br /><br />BobbieBobbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12489240376198748579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-56877936384952467302011-03-11T00:38:45.834-08:002011-03-11T00:38:45.834-08:00Great post, Donna. I enjoyed Sanctum, which I read...Great post, Donna. I enjoyed Sanctum, which I read when it came out after the superb Garnethill trilogy. I was surprised at the time that it did not get better reviews, as I thought it very good.<br /><br />On the male/female authors, it must be hard to generalise as so many use initials, pseudonyms or gender neutral names (eg Ben someone's Lumen just got published by Bitter Lemon Press, and it turns out that "Ben" is a woman, and the "Ben" a contraction of her full first name (which I forget). ) Val McDermid could be a man or a woman if one only knew her as an author's name on a book. Be that as it may, you simply can't generalise, there are plenty of gruesome books by both sexes and I am sure the odd man has written a book on interior design or fashion ;-)<br /><br />On Sebastian Faulks and the hero thing, I don't know -- virtually all, if not all, of the crime fiction I've read I would classify as "popular" not "literary" fiction. I've also read a lot of literary fiction and have not enjoyed all of it, but have enjoyed some. Again, it seems very hard to generalise - take an author like Ian McEwan who most people would say is both popular and literary. Some of his books are a lot better than others, hero/heroine-wise or otherwise.Maxine Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06628509319992204770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-38169028264502563132011-03-11T00:34:07.639-08:002011-03-11T00:34:07.639-08:00Thanks so much for recapping this event, Donna. Lo...Thanks so much for recapping this event, Donna. Lots of food for thought here. For what it's worth I don't pay much attention to an author's gender either, but bizarre titles have the opposite effect on me that they do on you. I always figure they're trying too hard.Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473441336451528462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-52538215749636192132011-03-10T13:39:18.663-08:002011-03-10T13:39:18.663-08:00Oh and on the gender thing I heard Val McD say som...Oh and on the gender thing I heard Val McD say something similar-ish at Harrogate. Her thoughts were that men don't buy books by women. <br /><br />I can't speak for my entire gender but I go by word of mouth or I do the cover/ back page/ 1st page thing and go on that. The author's gender just doesn't impact on this process.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13316263425112020638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-67888010472216467272011-03-10T13:25:55.682-08:002011-03-10T13:25:55.682-08:00Good work, Donna, giving me big regrets I didn'...Good work, Donna, giving me big regrets I didn't get off my big fat ass and drive up to Glasgow for the evening.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13316263425112020638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130397031953077904.post-9816916961347683572011-03-10T13:21:56.333-08:002011-03-10T13:21:56.333-08:00Donna - Glad you had such a great time! Interestin...Donna - Glad you had such a great time! Interesting question, too, about what makes me pick up a book by a new-to-me author. I start with title, too and at least a bit about what the book's about. Then I flip through to see what I think of the writing style. And like you, there are certain things that are sure to turn me in the opposite direction. I have to admit, I'm not much of one for truly gory novels, so a gory cover is enough to make me look elsewhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com