What book do you feel has more hype then it should?

[DWill]

I agree about Hemingway in general. I don't get what makes him so revered. This is a sign to me that I need to go back and read his books. Maybe "the season" has arrived for me to be able to appreciate Hemingway.

On rereading Don Quixote, I'd have to point to Cervantes' book as well. Cervantes doesn't have a rich enough idea to supply 900 pages of text. This is judging by modern standards of the novel, which didn't apply in Cervantes' time.

It really does a disservice to a book for it to be idolized, when you think about it. Very few, perhaps no, books can live up to such hype, and because of the hype you find yourself wanting to downgrade the book instead of just liking it for what it is. If the reputation of DQ had been that it is an awful bore and just an antiquated story, I'd be defending the book, thinking, "No, wait a minute, this has a lot of good stuff in it!"

[hmrush]

Bleachededen- I think it was you who said you thought Austen books were over rated. Have you ever read Mansfield Park? I know that some of her books tend to be a little long and tedious, but I have always been a fan because they are the only romantic books I can actually get through.
Mansfield Park I would be so bold as to say, is her best novel. The character development is wonderful and I am a big fan of her writing style. If you haven't read it, I would say you should definitely check it out.

[wilde]

Yeah, right...

*will be wary of wilde from now on...*

-evil laughter-

And I think I'd agree with the Austen one. I really can't get into her books, except for the versions with zombies or sea monsters.

[Genocide]

Even the one with Zombies I can't for the life of me get through. Ironically enough I really enjoyed The Jane Austen Book Club (movie).

But then again I have yet to give Mansfield Park a go. Only Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, and Sense and Sensibility. We'll have to give it a try. Don't knock it till you try it, right?

[bleachededen]

DWill, I agree with you completely about Don Quixote, as we have discussed in that forum. I have made a pact with myself to finish it today and be done with it (I don't have too much left), and then to watch Kenneth Brannagh's four hour film version of Hamlet, along with Jeopardy! and then Chopped on the Food Network at 10pm. It's going to be a busy day.

Bleachededen- I think it was you who said you thought Austen books were over rated. Have you ever read Mansfield Park?...Mansfield Park I would be so bold as to say, is her best novel. The character development is wonderful and I am a big fan of her writing style. If you haven't read it, I would say you should definitely check it out.

I may consider it, someday, hmrush, but there are so many other books that are on my list to get to first that it may be a while before I let myself attempt to give Austen a second chance. Thanks for the suggestion, though, and I'm definitely looking forward to the film version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, rumored to be directed by David O. Russell and starring Natalie Portman, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which is rumored to be taken up by Tim Burton, who will produce the film and be written and directed by the trio who wrote and developed the animated film 9, which was pretty awesome, so this is something I would be most interested to see. I'd like to read those books first, of course, but I think I have some time, since both movies are slated to come out sometime in 2011.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter film news
independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/bo ... 15335.html
IMDB news for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/

Pride and Prejudie and Zombies film news
nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/20 ... _best.html
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/

But back to books, another author (or set of authors) I am reluctant to read are the Bronte sisters. My boyfriend, on a whim, bought me a collection of all of their works that we now refer to as "the big book of Bronte" that sits beside the couch with my coloring books and drawing supplies, but has yet to be read. I just can't bring myself to read them, and again, I have so many other books calling out for my attention that it may be a long while before I do get to the Brontes. But they are here, should I ever decide to cave in and read them.

I also think anything non-fiction is overrated, but that's just because non-fiction writers usually don't care about captivating the reader or playing with words and writing style, so they tend to be very boring, at least in my opinion. Sometimes they are necessary, but I would never choose one of my own volition to read for fun. Yech.

[wilde]

The only nonfiction I like are biographies or ones about history... Freakonomics was alright though.

[stahrwe]

DWill, I agree with you completely about Don Quixote, as we have discussed in that forum. I have made a pact with myself to finish it today and be done with it (I don't have too much left), and then to watch Kenneth Brannagh's four hour film version of Hamlet, along with Jeopardy! and then Chopped on the Food Network at 10pm. It's going to be a busy day.

Well, well, I find myself in agreement with you on something. I got hooked on Chopped too. Not sure why but it just seems to work. I especially like the sore losers, that probably doesn't surprise you though.

In addition to Chopped, have you watched Justified? Have you seen Hitman and Perfect Getaway? Star of Justified was the 'hero' in Hitman and the boyfriend who was, "really hard to kill" in Getway. That's also on at 10pm tonight, so I DVR Chopped. Rounding out tonight is Deadliest Catch, my favorite captain Phil Harris died recently.

As for the topic, any of you kids ever read anything by James Mitchener? He was the author in the 60's 70's and 80's. He wrote this one book, Centeniel, a best seller of course, but it sure seemed to me that he got bored 3/4 of the way through and just started making stuff up. I know that's what an author does, but if you're a book lover you know what I mean. Just rushing to finish and insulting the reader. I never read anything of his again and he seems to have disappeared from the popular scene.

[bleachededen]

I hate the sore losers on Chopped, which is probably also no surprise. I like the underdogs who are humble and think they will lose and somehow rise to the top and are grateful instead of boastful of their triumph. I desperately hate the people who can't even see why they've been "chopped," and who can't take criticism from the judges, because if you can't stand to be judged, why are you in a competition where their judgment is the only thing that will decide whether you win or lose? I don't understand those people.

I saw A Perfect Getaway because I love Milla Jovovich and Timothy Olyphant (the boyfriend who was "really hard to kill"), but haven't seen the others you mentioned. A Perfect Getaway wasn't that great, definitely overhyped, but was fine for brainless entertainment value (my boyfriend and I saw the twist coming from about 5 miles away, very early on, so there went most of the fun right there).

I may someday rent Justified when it's out on DVD, because I do like Timothy Olyphant, but Hitman I know is a lot of CGI and based solely on a video game so I won't be seeing that, and I have absolutely no interest in fishing so Deadliest Catch is right out. It's good to know that we agree on something, though.

Any books you find to be overrated, Stahrwe?

[bleachededen]

After finally finishing Don Quixote, I can say it definitely doesn't deserve the hype.

[purplesilk]

I feel like I'm going to get smote for this one... Anything by J.R.R. Tolkien. I fell asleep during The Hobbit as well as The Lord of the Rings.

I totally agree with you. I tried to read The Hobbit as a kid and failed miserably, so I let the cartoon suffice for my knowledge of the story. After the blockbuster films came out, I tried to read The Fellowship of the Rings, and couldn't get past page 2. The language was too stiff and I was already bored. I love the movies, though, but have to be in the mood or have literally nothing else to watch or do. Blasphemy to some, same old to others. One man's filth is another man's treasure, as you of course understand by loving Catcher in the Rye when I absolutely hate it.

I thought that the books were much better than the movies if you could get through them. The plot is much more involved. I did have to force myself to keep reading through the second Lord of the Rings book though because Tolkien didn't mention anything about Frodo and Sam until the last half of the book. It was quite frustrating.