I consume mysteries like popcorn . . .
Really, I do.
I read a couple books a week, accidentally for the most part . . . I just get sucked in.
First I idly go online to see what the library systems on the island have going on (I have cards for both of them, naturally) then I find myself filling up all my allowable holds on the waitlists for library items . . . mainly books but also a lot of DVDs from the fabulous gvpl collection. I consider it a goal to keep my allowable holds entirely full. Thirty and fifty items really isn't much, when you consider how long you have to wait for some of them . . . some of them aren't even released from the publisher yet, and of course it's best to be first on the wait list for my favourite 20 authors . . . hey, it's a way better scenario than me going through the media on chapters or amazon, right? It's all FREE . . .
Next the pull of the library vortex has me toddling to the library at least twice a week. See, though hold items will wait for me to pick them up for a week, I only get three days with DVD or CDs which have holds placed on them by others. And naturally, every time I'm in the library, I have to take a quick look at the paperback racks . . .
Most of my best author finds have been made by me browsing through the racks. I do all kinds of things to learn about good books, but honestly taking a quick look at the books tells me a lot. You can't judge a book by it's cover entirely, but honestly you can learn a bit . . . though the author doesn't get to pick the cover, the publisher has chosen a look for the book that reflects who they think will read it. It's not a coincidence that the best publishers often put my favourite books in cover art that I appreciate.
Reading the blurbs on the back of the book can tell you a bit, but if you already know you are going to read the book (say if it is by a favourite author or recommended by someone with actual taste) stay far FAR away from them, they often tell too much! They can be worse than movie previews, even the kind that show you all the funny jokes in the movie all at once, making the movie itself redundant. You don't need to spend half the book waiting for the hot police detective to show up, or for the chosen shreddie character to finally kick the bucket or die in a horrific murder. Scanning the quotations of praise from other authors or reviewers can also be useful . . . not for what they say, of course, but for who they are. If you have never, ever heard of them or seen them anywhere, it's probably not a good sign. Endorsements from the Pendleton County Weekly are also suspect. If the publishers have to stretch that far to find a good review, their taste is suspect or there is no interesting plot hook they can allude to in the preview-blurb. Probably both. Total lack of review quotes is not necessarily bad, however . . . you might have even found that elusive thing, a paperback publisher with class and restraint.
Authors that were worthwhile that were found by library shelf-hunting alone . . . Lois McMaster Bujold, Diana Wynne Jones, Margaret Maron, Charlaine Harris, Kate Elliott, Garth Nix, Phillip Pullman, Nancy Martin, Robin McKinley, and the list goes on. Holding the book in person also allows you to check it's publishing date, and usually there is a bibliography list so you can tell if it is the first in a series, or if there are other series that the author has written that you might have heard of (or in my case read, and forgotten the author name).
Other ways I research good books is online. Specifically, I look for the webpages of my favourite authors, and see who they recommend. The endorsed author webpages have the most complete bibliography, and often have the first chapters of their most current work. If you hear about an author from a friend or elsewhere, the best way to make sure you start with the right book is to check online first - it sucks to start halfway through a series, or read the suckiest stand-alone book and get turned off an author prematurely.
Some of my favourite authors have series that are so different in tone that I would have thought they were written by other people if I didn't see their names on the copywright line. Also, many authors have different series under different pseudonyms, and their websites often admit this freely. Often pseudonyms make sense because their earlier work sucked and they want you and everyone else to forget about it, sometimes they write books in different genres and they don't want their books pigeon-holed, and sometimes there is no obvious reason (maybe they had contract isssues?). But a true fan would want to check out the other books anyways, just in case they also rock.
I read a couple books a week, accidentally for the most part . . . I just get sucked in.
First I idly go online to see what the library systems on the island have going on (I have cards for both of them, naturally) then I find myself filling up all my allowable holds on the waitlists for library items . . . mainly books but also a lot of DVDs from the fabulous gvpl collection. I consider it a goal to keep my allowable holds entirely full. Thirty and fifty items really isn't much, when you consider how long you have to wait for some of them . . . some of them aren't even released from the publisher yet, and of course it's best to be first on the wait list for my favourite 20 authors . . . hey, it's a way better scenario than me going through the media on chapters or amazon, right? It's all FREE . . .
Next the pull of the library vortex has me toddling to the library at least twice a week. See, though hold items will wait for me to pick them up for a week, I only get three days with DVD or CDs which have holds placed on them by others. And naturally, every time I'm in the library, I have to take a quick look at the paperback racks . . .
Most of my best author finds have been made by me browsing through the racks. I do all kinds of things to learn about good books, but honestly taking a quick look at the books tells me a lot. You can't judge a book by it's cover entirely, but honestly you can learn a bit . . . though the author doesn't get to pick the cover, the publisher has chosen a look for the book that reflects who they think will read it. It's not a coincidence that the best publishers often put my favourite books in cover art that I appreciate.
Reading the blurbs on the back of the book can tell you a bit, but if you already know you are going to read the book (say if it is by a favourite author or recommended by someone with actual taste) stay far FAR away from them, they often tell too much! They can be worse than movie previews, even the kind that show you all the funny jokes in the movie all at once, making the movie itself redundant. You don't need to spend half the book waiting for the hot police detective to show up, or for the chosen shreddie character to finally kick the bucket or die in a horrific murder. Scanning the quotations of praise from other authors or reviewers can also be useful . . . not for what they say, of course, but for who they are. If you have never, ever heard of them or seen them anywhere, it's probably not a good sign. Endorsements from the Pendleton County Weekly are also suspect. If the publishers have to stretch that far to find a good review, their taste is suspect or there is no interesting plot hook they can allude to in the preview-blurb. Probably both. Total lack of review quotes is not necessarily bad, however . . . you might have even found that elusive thing, a paperback publisher with class and restraint.
Authors that were worthwhile that were found by library shelf-hunting alone . . . Lois McMaster Bujold, Diana Wynne Jones, Margaret Maron, Charlaine Harris, Kate Elliott, Garth Nix, Phillip Pullman, Nancy Martin, Robin McKinley, and the list goes on. Holding the book in person also allows you to check it's publishing date, and usually there is a bibliography list so you can tell if it is the first in a series, or if there are other series that the author has written that you might have heard of (or in my case read, and forgotten the author name).
Other ways I research good books is online. Specifically, I look for the webpages of my favourite authors, and see who they recommend. The endorsed author webpages have the most complete bibliography, and often have the first chapters of their most current work. If you hear about an author from a friend or elsewhere, the best way to make sure you start with the right book is to check online first - it sucks to start halfway through a series, or read the suckiest stand-alone book and get turned off an author prematurely.
Some of my favourite authors have series that are so different in tone that I would have thought they were written by other people if I didn't see their names on the copywright line. Also, many authors have different series under different pseudonyms, and their websites often admit this freely. Often pseudonyms make sense because their earlier work sucked and they want you and everyone else to forget about it, sometimes they write books in different genres and they don't want their books pigeon-holed, and sometimes there is no obvious reason (maybe they had contract isssues?). But a true fan would want to check out the other books anyways, just in case they also rock.
posted by Lu Hill at 2:29 p.m.
1 Comments:
Hey- have you read Neil Gaiman? The whole Sandman series is pretty good (a couple are gross) and American Gods is awesome.
As far as Garth Nix goes, I was so excited about Sir Thursday coming out, started reading it, and just didn't care anymore. I wish he'd write more Abhorsen books.
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