Let's Discuss: Literary Genius vs. Fun Reading

Some books we read are so well constructed and immaculately written that once we turn the last page, we are awestruck by the story and bow in honor to the author's talent and ability. Novels such as these require complete focus, attention, and patience. These are the kind of books that, when I'm reading, I keep a pen and paper on hand in case I feel the urge to take notes to hopefully absorb some of the wisdom the writer has to offer.

On the other hand, some books can makes us raise our eyebrows to the ceiling at the ridiculousness, but we keep on reading them. In fact, I always tend to read these types of books more quickly. Why? Because they are just plain fun.

I'm reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but before I flipped that first page in my softcover copy, I heard a lot of different opinions. I've heard people say "It is the worst book ever..." (There's actually a facebook page dedicated to this point of view..personally, I laughed out loud because the page is more ridiculous than the book is "claimed" to be.)... I've seen a site boasting The 50 Worst Synonyms in FSoG, although after reading a few of their editorial fixes, I think I'd go with E L James's version every time.

Negativity and downers aside, there are plenty of others who love this book, otherwise it wouldn't have started such a phenomenon. The description I've heard the most about this erotic novel is something along the lines of, "It's not great in a literary sense, but man-o-man is it fun to read."  So far, I'd have to agree.


The writing's not bad, don't get me wrong, but the character development and the way we jump right into the gushing and electric vibes between Christian Grey and Ana Steele are slightly unbelievable so far. BUT, although I notice these things, I really don't care all that much.

That got me wondering... would you overlook literary errors for the sake of entertainment? 


For me, it depends on the book. If it's got a decent story line or is something that stirs up controversy and blows propriety out of the water.. sure, it sparks my interest and I'm usually all for giving it a shot despite negative reviews.

What about you?

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Booking Through Thursday

I can't believe I've made it to Thursday.. I imagine myself, usually on Mondays, getting through each long day, trying to blow it off as no big deal, even though I have no desire doing what I get a paycheck for. Thank God for books and the book blogging community, where I can immerse myself in the things that truly matter :)

This weeks question asks:

What are your literary "pet peeves"? 

The things that drive me bat-s***-crazy in the literary world are pretty similar to the "nails-on-a-chalkboard" incidents that irk me in real life. I'm a character-driven reader ~ I feel that the characters are what make the story and everything else just trickles down from them. So when a character is shallow, lazy, helpless, and just plain stupid, I get a little irritable. (People are the only things that bug me in real life, so I guess it makes sense that characters are the source of my annoyance in the literary world).

One example that comes to mind, probably because it's the most recent book I completed (yay! I finally finished it!), is Clary from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. I love the series, but Clary.. she's just.. well.. annoying. She always wants to be in the middle of the Shadowhunter "fights," but when they find themselves in the thick of it, she freezes, screams, and waits ever-so-patiently as a ten foot demon is fatally creeping towards her to be saved by someone else who already has their hands, clothes, and hair full of gooey monster ichor. She doesn't think about the situation at hand, and only worries about what she's feeling, about getting gratification or resolution for her worries, when really, a little patience would go a long way and not ruin everyone's careful plans. Sorry, I ramble. But her helplessness and idiocy just made me so furious!

So to make a too-long story short, characters are usually the biggest source of my literary "pet peeves." I don't mind if they make mistakes - in fact it's the faults that make the story interesting - I just want them to learn from those mistakes and realize it's probably in their best interest not to repeat them ~ although many seem to create patterns, which just rakes my nerves.

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~