bestsellers - Is there enyone else here..

..who reads bestsellers because they find a certain book enjoyable but is surprised by how many excuse me, dumbass people also like it?

I've been noticing this for quite a while. Beeing a true bookworm, I read a shitload of books. Or at least I try to whenever I have time to do so. And I have no problem whatsoever with a certain book being a bestseller, though the majority of them simply suck because they are intentionally written for the masses.

I understand that a really good book is due to be noticed by more people, and of course believe that is great, but one thing I truly DON'T understand is this: What is up with 12-18 year old crowd making such pretentious attention-seeking cults out of a perfectly good book?

If you google a bestseller, you'll probably find not one or two but possibly at least fifteen fansites, whose primary description could be: 'Here we discuss why the main character is SOO FRIGGIN HOTT, why he/she should have a different haircolor, accent, why he/she should/shouldn't have said that, and so on.'

This kind of bugs me on many levels. First of all I seem to realize how dumb the humanity really is everytime I try to find some info on a book I'm reading. And then it makes me wonder why do we even like this same book.

What is it on certain books that everybody seems to like so much? What's with Harry Potter and similar bestsellers(not necessarily children's books or books for young adults), that attracts so many people? And then, am I supposed to be ashamed because I love Twilight and know that this book is adored by millions of romantic twelve-year-old girls?

I know I'm not, but it still makes me wonder.

oh well, that's what happens when it's decided that everyone should know how to read

Yea, I've noticed it too. It's one of the reasons I'm scared of becoming a writer, because I don't want my books to only be read by pretentious fuck-heads who make 15 fansites to discuss one little detail that probably has NOTHING at ALL to do with the story, and will only make people who come by think "whoa, this writer is fucked up, lets steer clear of him!"

Sorry, feeling ranty.

I've always been told that I should write a book and I actually have (at least what I think is) a pretty awesome idea for a book. But hell, if I'm going to write it, and little assholes are gonna pick it apart....




























....fuck 'em! They all just gave me their money, they can do what they want!

... Hmm, true.

Ok, how about book signings when they come to you with questions that even YOU don't know the answer to? And you can't say "screw off" without coming off as an asshat and losing sales... and MONEY.

"That's a great question and you're really insightful. Most people don't pick that up! It's one of the clues that I left hanging that will be addressed in the next story."

My philosophy was honed by 10 years in retail. When you don't know the answer, bullshit until it sounds like you do.

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Originally Posted by DoctorZ

Yea, I've noticed it too. It's one of the reasons I'm scared of becoming a writer, because I don't want my books to only be read by pretentious fuck-heads who make 15 fansites to discuss one little detail that probably has NOTHING at ALL to do with the story, and will only make people who come by think "whoa, this writer is fucked up, lets steer clear of him!"

Sorry, feeling ranty.

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Fuck yeah, it CAN get quite annoying. Of course you have to know what you like, regardless of what people think of a certain book, but sometimes coming across such sites makes you rethink whether it's really that good.

But otherwise, making it as far as publishing your work and having people like it enough to devote fansites to you, that's something I can only congratulate you on. Fuck those who misinterpret it, publishing means you actually made it.

I hope I can get my stuff published. I have weird ideas, so it's a bit iffy. But even if I don't get published with the first stuff, I'm not gonna give up and write another crappy book that's just written to get the masses wanting it.

Like Harry Potter. Bleh, I hate that stuff.

I don't think Harry Potter is garbage. It's a good book that became such a moneymaker everyone wanted to cash in on it.

I think it's kinda neat to find out I have something in common with someone who I thought I had nothing in common with. But...if some super-major fuckwad likes the same stuff as me, I wouldn't even know cuz I try not associate with super-major fuckwads.
And, I liked the Harry Potter books.

I didn't like em. I just couldn't get any suspension of disbelief reading them.

The fucked-up names of the things in the Wizard world didn't help. I mean, seriously, muggles? Who the hell thinks of these things?

The main sorta bestsellers I tend to be into are usually a certain sort of thriller crime novel. I call them airplane books because I usually only buy them in airports and to read on planes. I definitely do not go home and google how other people would have gotten away with the same murder though. Kind of like when your favorite obscure band gets popular, you should keep enjoying them, but maybe steer a little clear of some of their new fans, who may really not get it.

I tend to not like anything that I hear about after it's already really popular, mostly because I have a very low opinion of the opinions of everyone I don't know. Usually bestsellers are a rehash of some previously successful formula with a novel twist.
Example: Eragon was Star Wars with dragons.
Every Dean Koontz novel except Odd Thomas is the same.
Oh yeah, bestsellers sometimes incorporate new ideas that let dumb people feel smart.
Ex: Jurassic Park and it's watered down Chaos theory BS.
Dan browns crypto bullshit.
John Grishams halfass Lawyerspeak

ect.

But I like my lit full of spaceships and lazers n stuff so I'm not really one to judge.

Yeah, I thought Eragon was pretty crappy when I read it. Can't be really sure though, cause I read it in Slovene and Slovene translations are usually pretty awful. Haven't read anything by Dean Koontz or Odd Thomas yet, but that doesn't surprise me since I rarely read bestsellers. Those that I actually find enjoyable usually fall under the category that made me start this thread anyways. The 'How come dumbasses like this book that I think is bloody brilliant' category. And I don't think Dan Brown even needs to be discussed here. Everyone with half a braincell can tell that it's all about the money for him.

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Originally Posted by sickybuaaaaa

Yeah, I thought Eragon was pretty crappy when I read it. Can't be really sure though, cause I read it in Slovene and Slovene translations are usually pretty awful. Haven't read anything by Dean Koontz or Odd Thomas yet, but that doesn't surprise me since I rarely read bestsellers. Those that I actually find enjoyable usually fall under the category that made me start this thread anyways. The 'How come dumbasses like this book that I think is bloody brilliant' category. And I don't think Dan Brown even needs to be discussed here. Everyone with half a braincell can tell that it's all about the money for him.

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Eragon wasn't bad, it was just the exact same plot as star wars in a fantasy world.
Is there any Slovene to english books that are good? I like weird world literature and would be happy to do a book exchange.

Are there any Slovene to English books, period?

I suppose Laibach lyrics don't count.

I'm not sure if it ever made the best sellers list .....but I can vouch that it IS an awesome book.... Try the Big Sleep by Ramond Chandler , and The Death and Life of Bobby Z by Don Winslow

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Originally Posted by Joel Awesome

Eragon wasn't bad, it was just the exact same plot as star wars in a fantasy world.
Is there any Slovene to english books that are good? I like weird world literature and would be happy to do a book exchange.

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Unfortunately good Slovenian books are few and rarely translated into other languages. But if you're interested in world literature I guess I could reccomend you Alamut by Vladimir Bartolj(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamut_%281938_novel%29)
Haven't read it myself, but it's probably the most known Slovene novel abroad. I intend to pick it up one day (a quote on the book cover: 'If Osama bin Laden didn't exist, Bartolj would have invented him', so it's pretty clear the subject is islam).

Otherwise, I can only think of Slavoj Žižek(Zizek). He's a fairly famous philosopher and some of his works are translated into English. I came across his books on the webpage of some San Francisco library, so I guess it shouldn't be that difficult to find them.

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Originally Posted by sickybuaaaaa

Unfortunately good Slovenian books are few and rarely translated into other languages. But if you're interested in world literature I guess I could reccomend you Alamut by Vladimir Bartolj(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamut_%281938_novel%29)
Haven't read it myself, but it's probably the most known Slovene novel abroad. I intend to pick it up one day (a quote on the book cover: 'If Osama bin Laden didn't exist, Bartolj would have invented him', so it's pretty clear the subject is islam).

Otherwise, I can only think of Slavoj Žižek(Zizek). He's a fairly famous philosopher and some of his works are translated into English. I came across his books on the webpage of some San Francisco library, so I guess it shouldn't be that difficult to find them.

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Alamut was the mountain fortress stronghold of Hassain I Sabbah the lord of the Hashashim (anglicised into Assasin). That could be a fun read.