Books I Love

[raefinlay]

My sister, Rebekah, and I were chatting the other night about books--one of our favorite topics--and we started making distinctions between really BRILLIANT books and really ENTERTAINING books. And how nary the twain shall meet. Or at least rarely. Case in point: The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. Can I appreciate it? Absolutely. Do I like it? No way. *makes gagging noise* I've seen lists and lists and lists of brilliant, earth-shaking books. So here, briefly, is a list of books I love for no other reason than the fact that they are fun!!! (A few ARE truly brilliant, but that's not why I list them here.)

Emphasis on sf&f, of course. No particular order:

Deerskin by Robin McKinley
The Blood Trilogy by Anne Bishop
The Belgariad by David Eddings
Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCafferey
Harry Potter, (years 1-3) by J.K. Rowling
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

By no means exhaustive, but there you are, straight from Rae's library. If there's anything I need to add to the collection, let me know!

Hmmm...after looking at that list...*reconsiders postulate*...I guess it IS possible to write something brilliant and fun. Like Beggars in Spain. Wow and Wow.

Bugs: We found a black widow in my house!!! *dies* Luckily, my dad was visiting and killed her. He is my hero.

Comments

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Cool response!

EEEE! How could I forget LOTR? Or Dune??? *flogs self*

Yes, I focused on genre books because most of my writer buddies are sff oriented, but my list could be much longer. Hmmm...I think "entertaining" is far more subjective than "brilliant." So, yes one man's trash... For me, entertainment is escapism. I love to lose myself in rousing adventure, romance, and the highly unlikely. I am a simple non-intellectual at heart.

I used Steinbeck as an example of what turns me off because it is sooo gritty. If I wanted to immerse myself in hopelessness, I'd take a walk downtown. But I do understand that others find his take on the human condition absolutely "engaging." Cool beans. I'd just rather spend my time at Hogwarts. :P

[junaras.livejournal.com]

hee. i know what you mean. i find myself overly critical of books, and tend to read only the entertaining-and-engaging stuff; just entertaining leaves me wanting more. frex deerskin: i didn't dislike it, but i found it so forgettable i promptly forgot i'd read it. picked it up at the library a couple years later and it wasn't until i was halfway through that i realised i definitely had read this before. strange stuff. the riftwar novels, otoh, i loved. which just proves you right: entertaining is far more subjective a label.

i'm much much more tolerant of movies -- i think that's where i go for pure escapism, because i don't notice the commas in movies >;]