Great Expectations
Posted by Monica on 31 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Chit Chat, Books
Microsoft, Thy Name Is Mud!
This weekend I switched my Office 2003 out to Microsoft’s Office 2007. I’m not sure if it’s a mistake or not yet, but I really hate it when they change things and yet they don’t include code that allows the user to decide whether to use the new view format or to revert to the old, more comfortable, more customizable one. I think I should have a choice as to what I want to use on my personal computer and how I want to use it. The other thing that bugs me about their new design is that it’s not disability friendly. It’s very mouse usage dependent, and for people with fibromyalgia or carpal tunnel syndrome, we’re talking some major issue.
Expectations with Romance Books
With all that said, the same thing could be said about romance books. I want to read a certain type of book. In fact, when I shop online for a book, I select generally from standard fare where I’m fairly certain what I’ll get. For instance, if I buy a Berkeley Sensation book, I know the sex is going to be pretty hot, although there are varying heat levels even with this imprint. If I pick up a Bethany House book, I expect it to be an inspirational read where faith is at the core of the romance relationship.
But what happens when you don’t get what you expect? Sometimes it can be a really good read. Passion by Lisa Valdez was that way for me. It wasn’t what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Then there’s Kresley Cole’s Dark Needs at Night’s Edge. It’s a completely different type of paranormal read for me, and I’m enjoying it as well. But what happens when you read something that you find is quality writing, but it just doesn’t catch your attention.
What Happens When Expectations Aren’t Met
I encountered this just a couple of weeks ago. The books just didn’t resonate with me. They read like all the other books I’ve read in the past. They didn’t hook me and this was from NYT bestsellers to newly published authors in print and eFormat. So what does this mean? I’m not really sure. It could be the author just didn’t sell their characters to me well enough in the first 20-25 pages. Maybe my own writer’s hat interferes with my ability to just enjoy the read anymore. But I do know that I’m getting harder to please, and I’m more particular in my pursuit of the good read, and that means something to me as a writer. It means I have to keep stretching my writing and reaching for that bar that keeps rising when it comes to each book that I write.
So what do you think a blah reading means to you as a reader, a writer or both?
Monica Burns - http://www.monicaburns.com
Dangerous – 4.5 Stars RT BOOKreviews | “A pretty good read” — Mrs. Giggles
Mirage, Top Pick RT BOOKreviews
Come Enjoy a Paranormal with that Ahh…Sensation 
It’s interesting how subjective reading is. I recently picked up a book by a NY Times bestselling author. It was paranormal, and not the type of book I normally would have read, but I figured that if this writer was good enough to make the NYT I could learn from her. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. There were just too many characters to keep track of and I got tired of working so hard to remember who was who. Someone else probably loved that book…but not me.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:32 pmMy reading expectations are pretty slim because I like variety and surprises. For example, in a Romance novel I only expect an HEA. What constitutes ‘blah’ to me is no surprises or variety. I lack the self-discipline to get through ‘blah’ books.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 am