The NY Times Book Review, Part Two…
[Note from Steve: You can find Part One in the “Writing” archive of this blog.]
In a much earlier post, I was a bit harsh about suggesting you use the NY Times Book Review for the bottom of your bird cages. I actually scan it every Saturday or Sunday (it’s part of the Sunday edition, but we get that on Saturday…and we have no birds now). I scan it on the slight chance that I’ll see some book I’ve read. I’ll have to confess that I’ve never purchased a book that was listed therein, either before the purchase or after. Yes, I’ve received some as gifts, but frankly only a small number pique my interest. Why is that?
First, there are books by celebs—memoirs, confessions, whatever you want to call them. The Big Five publishing conglomerates love’em because enough readers buy them as an escape from their mundane and/or exploited lives, and celebs enrich themselves (but not their ghostwriters) by “writing” them. Boring.
Second, there are books that wannabe political candidates write. There will be many of those as politicians preen and posture looking towards 2020 (I think President Obama had two, Kamala Harris already has one, and he who shall not be named had that book about how to fail at making deals). Independent of party affiliation, they try to establish the prospective candidate’s creds and their good girl’s or boy’s sterling personalities. If they’re reading this (highly unlikely, if only because many aren’t avid readers), let me just announce here that I don’t vote on the basis of promises and/or lies; I vote for the candidates with reasoned and logical policies where they have analyzed what the consequences will be after they’ve enacted them. 99% of politicians fail me in this respect. Their pre-candidacy books usually fail too.
Third, most fiction from the Big Five doesn’t interest me or outright turns me off, especially those wonderful books in that throw-away category of literary fiction. I select fiction to read by considering the book’s promise for entertaining me and/or enlightening me, irrespective of author, not some formulaic genre spiel that has been copied so many times I have to wonder how they were able to avoid being accused of plagiarism. In other words, I want a fresh, good story that keeps me reading. (How many ebooks have I purchased and stopped reading after a few chapters? Books from the Big Five with endorsements from other Big Five authors? Yes, but also from indie and small press authors whose books I often turn to because they are fresh, good stories. And the Big Five books are too expensive.)
Yes, celeb’s books, politician’s books, and formulaic fiction books fill the pages of the NY Times Book Review. I’ve stopped asking why. You’d think they would too if they were really interested in reading and literacy.
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Comments are always welcome!
Aristocrats and Assassins. #4 in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” is my favorite C&C book. In one very positive review with many kudos, the reviewer also commented that it could also serve as a model in a master class for authors who want to create a series: like all my books, it’s a completely independent story involving the detectives. Casilblanco is finally on vacation in Europe with his wife, and the action stays there. The assassins are terrorists, and the aristocrats are some European royals. Available at Amazon and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc).
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
