BookTalk.org

So, I just finished reading The Help. I was very, very disappointed. For anyone who has read it, maybe you will agree. The African American vernacular was just terrible (and why did only the black characters speak in Southern "slang"?), the characters were very flat and stereotypical, there were several glaring historical inaccuracies, and the plot was incredibly unbelievable. Was it entertaining? At some points, yes. But overall, I thought the book was more offensive than enlightening. I'm a little perturbed because I voted for this novel for June and July reading (we really a dodged a bullet, fiction readers!) and it was so highly recommended by several friends. I also went on Amazon and there are over 2,000 five star reviews for this novel. Really people? Some are even comparing Stockett to the next Harper Lee. Yikes. So I ask, when you see a book on a bestseller list, does it make you more likely to read it? I feel like I was duped!

Personally, I don't make a point of going out of my way to read bestsellers. If there is one that strikes my fancy, I'll give it a shot, but the fact that the masses find it enjoyable doesn't neccessarily mean it's good, or that it's worthwhile. History is riddled with talentless schlubs that have enjoyed commercial success thanks to the masses. Look at Britney Spears or Lady Gaga -- just a side note, can we stop referring to Lady Gaga as a groundbreaking artist? Please? She's just recycling Grace Jones' act from the 70s and 80s.

Anyway, in regards to books, I have a list of authors that I read religiously, and when they put something out, I read it -- Cormac McCarthy, David Grann, Hunter Thompson -- Mahalo Doctor! Other than that, I make my weekly trip to Borders and I always read the synopsis of the book on the flap, if that piques my interest, I read the author's bio, and if I'm still on the fence about whether to read the book, I read the first sentence of the first chapter. I have had pretty good luck staying on this course. I'll read bestsellers if I fear they are going to become a cultural phenomenon and I don't want to miss out... other than that, they have to go through my same rigorous screening process

I waited three months on a waiting list at my library for "The Help". I'm reading it now, wanted to know what all the hype is about. It's all hype.

I stay away from bestsellers. I read the NY Times book section every week and I am stunned by the top five books on the bestseller list. If an author writes 10 books a year, that's a good indication to avoid them.

"The Help" and other books like it do have a purpose however. They make me want to get back to the truly good, truly stimulating novels. I made a promiss to myself a few years ago, to only read good books, and for the most part I have kept that promiss.

Suzanne wrote:I waited three months on a waiting list at my library for "The Help". I'm reading it now, wanted to know what all the hype is about. It's all hype.

I stay away from bestsellers. I read the NY Times book section every week and I am stunned by the top five books on the bestseller list. If an author writes 10 books a year, that's a good indication to avoid them.

"The Help" and other books like it do have a purpose however. They make me want to get back to the truly good, truly stimulating novels. I made a promiss to myself a few years ago, to only read good books, and for the most part I have kept that promiss.

I agree about the novel being mostly hype. And, like you, I was on the waiting list at the library for a few weeks before I was able to read it. I'm glad I didn't buy it. I think bestseller lists are just that: a look at what the average American consumer is buying. I've been disappointed in the with books like The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones, and Eat, Love, Pray, all of which are now movies. Sometimes it's good to have a little break between heavy novels. I just finished reading The Odyssey and was about to start Don Quixote, so I read The Help in between. Novels are like food: sometimes you need to eat a little junk to remind you how good real food tastes.

Joad wrote:Personally, I don't make a point of going out of my way to read bestsellers. If there is one that strikes my fancy, I'll give it a shot, but the fact that the masses find it enjoyable doesn't neccessarily mean it's good, or that it's worthwhile. History is riddled with talentless schlubs that have enjoyed commercial success thanks to the masses. Look at Britney Spears or Lady Gaga -- just a side note, can we stop referring to Lady Gaga as a groundbreaking artist? Please? She's just recycling Grace Jones' act from the 70s and 80s.

Anyway, in regards to books, I have a list of authors that I read religiously, and when they put something out, I read it -- Cormac McCarthy, David Grann, Hunter Thompson -- Mahalo Doctor! Other than that, I make my weekly trip to Borders and I always read the synopsis of the book on the flap, if that piques my interest, I read the author's bio, and if I'm still on the fence about whether to read the book, I read the first sentence of the first chapter. I have had pretty good luck staying on this course. I'll read bestsellers if I fear they are going to become a cultural phenomenon and I don't want to miss out... other than that, they have to go through my same rigorous screening process

Very true. I do think we often get into the thinking of "if so many people like it, it must be good." Or sometimes curiosity makes us read. My sister has been trying to get me to read the Twilight series for the past three years. I'm still holding out (movies included)! And yes, you're right both Lady Gaga and Britney Spears would fall into the category of "talentless schlubs." But as long as we continue to live in a society too lazy (myself included at times) to screen and be discerning about what we read/watch/listen to, there will always be crappy books, movies, and music at the top of a bestselling list.

[quote=meliamom]I agree about the novel being mostly hype. And, like you, I was on the waiting list at the library for a few weeks before I was able to read it. I'm glad I didn't buy it. I think bestseller lists are just that: a look at what the average American consumer is buying. I've been disappointed in the with books like The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones, and Eat, Love, Pray, all of which are now movies. Sometimes it's good to have a little break between heavy novels. I just finished reading The Odyssey and was about to start Don Quixote, so I read The Help in between. Novels are like food: sometimes you need to eat a little junk to remind you how good real food tastes.[/quote]

What I try to do is read a fiction book and then a non-fiction book. I started doing this when I was a journalist because I found myself reading three or four fiction books in a row and suddenly my reporting for the paper was more like a novel instead of straight-up reporting. I found by going back-and-forth it really helped. You may want to give that a try -- read something heavy, whether it's fiction or non-fiction -- and then try reading what a friend of mine calls "beach books," books you can just breeze through without too much thought...

I don't read a novel just because it's a bestseller, but if it sounds at least vaguely interesting, then I'll give it a shot.