July 5, 2013

Poor Bookish Choices

Fact: I don't like coffee. I just like saying Coffee Clutch in my best and deepest New York accent. Considering I'm a New Yorker, I'm pretty freaking good at it. So I've got my tea and I hope you have your heated beverage of choice, because it's time to gab the day away.

For this week's Friday Coffee Clutch, I've brought along Sassy Gay Friend because, well, you'll see. 


Once upon a time I wrote a discussion post about picking your next read - Creature Comforts vs. Branching Out. I asked if you like to read the same genre over and over, book after book, or if you like to switch off genres. But today I'm asking you guys a DIFFERENT question regarding your reading/book choosing habits:

Do you ever pick up a book in a genre you know you DON'T like, thereby making said book a book you know you probably WON'T like? 

And in case that question was a little convoluted and didn't make sense: Do you ever pick up a book you KNOW you're gonna dislike?


I KNOW, Sassy Gay Friend, it sound CRAZY, but I think we all do it. Like when I read Beautiful Creatures. I know I'm not so into paranormal but I gave it a go because a lot of people really like it AND the whole movie thing. Was I right in thinking I wouldn't love it? Yes. And yet I read it anyway.

He's saying "WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" It's a good question.
And just in case you think I've LEARNED MY LESSON and all that (sorry Sassy Gay Friend), you should know I haven't. The cover of The Time I Joined the Circus totally plagued me until I read it - even though, based on everything everyone told me, I knew I probably wouldn't love it as much as I wanted to. I also intend to read Vampire Academy because all of my friends are like "GABY IT'S THE BEST YOU MUST READ IT IMMEDIATELY." Is it a vampire book? THE WORD IS IN THE TITLE. Do I like vampires? DEAR GOD NO.


I dunno. I guess I'm sort of setting myself up for failure. I try not to do this TOO much, but sometimes the hype gets to me and I get so curious I can't stop myself. And it really is usually a hype thing. Or a pretty cover/summary I can't turn away from, even though everyone tells me it's not as good as it sounds thing. Obviously I get madder at myself for the latter since it's my own fault, but yeah. Still.

Look at my life, look at my choices INDEED Sassy Gay Friend. Indeed.

So tell me, dear readers, do you do this? Y'know, pick up a book you know you have no business picking up? I can't be the only one, can I? Make me feel less alone by telling me all about your poor bookish choices in the comments below!

10 comments:

  1. I try so hard not to do this, because I get really frustrated with myself when it happens. But at the same time, I'm always worried I'm missing out on something awesome, especially if it's a book that a lot of people have read and loved. (Like Vampire Academy, I want to read it but I also don't want to in case I hate it.) Pretty covers and good summaries always get me too, even if practically everyone has disliked it and I'm 99% sure I won't enjoy the book, I still have to read it...

    Also, Sassy Gay Friend is awesome, especially that second to last Gif.

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  2. Huh, this is a very interesting question and also very timely for me too. Awhile back I read this book by this author that a lot of people rave about. And I really didn't like it much. So months go bye, and I decide to read two other books in that same series even though I didn't like the first one. And I couldn't help myself, I had to read them, even though I thought they were ridiculous. Maybe to see how ridiculous they were. I don't know.

    But normally, I don't read books if I'm not into them. I will give them a try, but if after a little bit, I'm not feeling them, I out them aside. I don't have a problem DNFing a book.

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  3. I think I understand what you're asking here.

    Last year, I decided that I wanted to branch out. I have this great blogging friend and he predominantly reads contemps and I was all WHY DO YOU ALWAYS READ THE CONTEMPS EWWW. So I asked him to tell me his favorites and his favorite contemp characters. So I read them. Honestly, they were my first contemps and I didn't *love* them. But we talked about them a little bit and I could see the merit in them. SO! I decided that I would be more well-rounded (sounds fancy, right?) and really try to find a place in the contemps category. I did a Contemporary Month last year which was WILDLY SUCCESSFUL (way more successful than this year's, in fact) where I read all kinds of contemps and you know what? I freakin loved it. Now, honestly, I tend to gravitate towards the contemps more than anything, which is SO WEIRD TO ME.

    I still love my vampires and fairies and dystopians and all of that. But I love contemps. To take it a step further, I've worked my way around inside of the contemps and found that I really love the issues-contemps and will fight people for them. I love them, hardcore. So, yeah, I'll read outside of my box - I might not like it to begin with, but I'll give pretty much anything a chance. It worked for me with the contemps. It took some time but kind of changed my life, actually.

    (Mysteries and thrillers, didn't work so well with those, but I'll still pick one up on occasion to stay well-rounded. But OH they're like pulling teeth.)

    I'm not sure that any bookish choices are POOR - it's just knowing when to put the book down if you don't mesh well with it. Does that make sense?

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  4. UGH SAMESIES. I did this with Beautiful Creatures because I was all yay YA movie? But I am not a paranormal romance girl usually! Same with Hush, Hush, only it was hype, not movie that made me succumb.

    And LOL at the mention of VA because ALL OF THE DAUNTLESS GIRLS LOVE IT. I read the first one before I started book blogging and was meh about it, but they swear the books get amazing. WE SHALL SEE.

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  5. I used to do this, but somewhere in the middle of working full-time, writing part-time and the rest of my life, I just stopped and refused to read anything I didn't think I would want to spend time on. I trust my instincts, and even if friends say that they loved certain books, if I have a gut feeling, I won't go near it. We never have enough time for books we know we'll like--why waste time?

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  6. I'm the same way with YA dystopia! I LOATHE YA dystopia (sans The Hunger Games, which I tolerate), but everyone's always like "You HAVE to read Incarnate/Wither/Divergent!! IT'S SO GOOD!!111" and then I do and I hate it. :P

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  7. Um. YES, I DO THIS. I do this ALL THE TIME. I'm just stubborn and perverse and want to make TRULY SURE I don't like it, or because I want to form my own opinion, or... I don't know. I don't like to psychoanalyze myself. But this post is, essentially, the story of my life. WHERE'S MY SASSY GAY FRIEND WHEN I NEED HIM?!

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  8. I've done this a couple of times myself with mixed results. I sometimes end up really disliking whatever book it was, as I knew I would. But there are also times when I end up liking the book too, like when I read Cry Blue Murder + Burning Blue, which are both YA thrillers. It's honestly a touch and go sort of situation for me. I'm stubborn enough to give it a try even if I'm afraid I won't like it. I don't do it often though!

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  9. I don't think I ever pick up a book and think "Oh, I know I'm not going to like this." Mostly because I've learned my lesson! I used to do this with books that were "must reads", even though they didn't really appeal to me. I can't tell you how many of them I didn't finish! I finally stopped when I realized that there are just so many good books that I WANT to read... why am I wasting time on books that don't appeal to me?

    That being said, I think since I've been a blogger I've been seduced into reading books that I'm kind of meh about when I start them. Like yeah... maybe EVERYONE has raved about it, but in the end, it's not a me book. And I knew it going in. I'm a little more conscientious now about it, but it still happens from time to time!

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  10. Uhhhh, I'm guilty of this as well. It happened when I read The Collector, which tbh I only realized I wouldn't like AFTER was approved for the ARC, which makes me a terrible person. OMG, the main character is awwfffullll. I want to murder him in his sleep. ALSO. When I picked up The Elite, I was positive I was going to feel meh about it. Still, I wanted to read it because it's addicting, even though I think it's one of the worst books I've ever read. I'll also still read The One because I need to know how it ends and I should feel sorry but I just really DON'T.

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