I thought I’d give you a chance to ask me a question – about pretty much anything I write about!
Want to know why I hate Ian McEwan?
Want to know something about Trade Me?
Want to know why I started blogging?
Want to know what kinds of books I absolutely refuse to read?
Have a burning publishing/book selling question you’ve been dying to ask?
Just want to know why I like cats so much?
Anyone? Let’s chat.
Hi Bookiemonster! I have two questions:
1) If there were no cats left, and you had to choose between a homicidal squirrel and schizophrenic parrot as a pet, what would you pick?
2) What is your favourite genre to read?
OooOOOooOOOooo! Good questions.
1. Homicidal squirrel, no two ways about it. Birds are not pets. (Alienating bird fans in 3…2..)
2. *ponders* I guess it would be what is generally classed as “Literary Fiction”. Like all genres it’s incredibly hard to pin it down, bleeds into other genres and encompasses as much crap as brilliance. But that would be my first pick, on the understanding that Terry Pratchett is clearly literachewa.
Phew nice choice Re: homicidal squirrel. That would be my choice to. My family had a parrot once. He talked. And liked to bite off fingers.
I still haven’t figured out exactly what literary fiction is. Everyone seems to have a different definition!
No matter how homicidal the squirrel was it would still be small and fluffy and, ergo, squee.
Birds are never squee.
Me neither! You knows it when you sees it!
It’s a bit like the old well what’s science fiction, what’s fantasy, what’s the difference, questions. I guess personally I mean well-written fiction, but of course well-written is my subjective spin on it – and I don’t know if something’s well-written until I’ve read it.
Okay, my favourite genre is “BookieMonster’s Favourites”. Hahaha!
I do want to know why you hate Ian McEwan, yes!
I’ve always had a bit of an ambivalence towards him – liked Amsterdam but did not like Atonement – but my really antipathy started with On Chesil Beach, which I thought was utter, utter awful rubbish of the most drivelly, pompous kind.
http://bookiemonster.co.nz/2009/07/a-new-small-entry-to-bookiemonsters-list-of-do-not-likes/
He’s then gone on to annoy me no end (he does it purposely, you know).
http://bookiemonster.co.nz/2010/07/todays-wide-world-of-books-with-added-commentary/
To the point where he is now the only author I really get my snark on for!
ahem!
there is a clear & decisive difference between science fiction & fantasy … of course then there is the drivel known as the ‘twilight effect’ which booksellers have taken to filling shelves in said area with …..
Alex
ps don’t forget abt that book
I believe that’s what’s known as “paranormal romance” – but like all genres it can be better than it’s more popular crap.
There’s a certain amount of bleed between sci-fi and fantasy though? Or am I just spouting things what which I know nuffin aboot?
And I did forget, thanks for the reminder, have sent you a DM!
“paranormal romance” – then a small request to all booksellers put this where it belongs! ie not the scifi sections …..
There’s a certain amount of bleed between sci-fi and fantasy though?
Quite possibly — I’ve seen some very interesting arguments about whether Gene Wolfe’s “Solar Cycle” (the loosely connected Books of the New/Long/Short Sun series) is science fiction or fantasy. I just say they’re damn fine books, and let the muses sort it out.
How, good Alex, do you actually distinguish between good fantasy and sciencefiction (as in some of Ursula Le Guin’s
marvellous works?)
Or, Ray Bradbury’s?
Or, Zenna Hendersens?
Or, Theodore Sturgeon’s?
Or, Kage Baker?
Or, Justina Roberston?
Or, China Meivelle?
Or – well, I assume point made?
I’d like to think that fiction — like the house of God — has many mansions. It drives me nuts how genre readers already marginalised by literary snobbery, do it to themselves. Do you really want to miss out on a lot of good writing, because it doesn’t neatly fit into a box marked “good science fiction” or “real fantasy”? I don’t want to do that.
Ah, the perfect example of the “genre” argument!
It’s like the classic obscenity quote right? “”I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it,…” 