First welcome to the board Htom and I hope to see you here often
Ah another great new thread and how true too. It's almost like discussing religion or politics isn't it. It's hard to be critized for our choices especially for something as personal as reading. And once wounded it's hard to put that piece of you back out there.
Luckily for me I was never stoned because of a recommendation.
Okay here I go out on a limb
I once recommended The Anita Blake series to someone and was told that they didn't appreciate porn being suggested to them. So I guess one woman's paranormal fiction is another one's porn
Htom,
I think you have misnomerd this string, and in fact it should prove a most interesting and valuable one. Lol What to stay away from. Usually I ask my friends what kind of books they like to read before recommending, so haven't had any skunk pie-in-the-face that I can remember. Maybe a "not my favorite read". But no titles come to mind. I can say my kids highly recommended the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy. I didn't get past chapter 2. One of them got the book for Christmas. 
(It didn't even look like I read it.)
Muse
Oh, BTW welcome on board. We look forward to hearing from you.
Mountain_Muse wrote:Htom,
I think you have misnomerd this string, and in fact it should prove a most interesting and valuable one. Lol What to stay away from. Usually I ask my friends what kind of books they like to read before recommending, so haven't had any skunk pie-in-the-face that I can remember. Maybe a "not my favorite read". But no titles come to mind. I can say my kids highly recommended the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy. I didn't get past chapter 2. One of them got the book for Christmas.
Muse
Oh, BTW welcome on board. We look forward to hearing from you.
Muse, that's so funny! Sorry, just had a little free time and was scrolling through boards, and found your post. When I was MUCH younger, I absolutely loved the Hitch-hiker's Guide books. But when I look at them now, I get the immediate feeling that I just don't have time for those books now. It's definitely an age thing!
Elaine
elaine_hf wrote:
Mountain_Muse wrote:
Htom,
I think you have misnomerd this string, and in fact it should prove a most interesting and valuable one. Lol What to stay away from. Usually I ask my friends what kind of books they like to read before recommending, so haven't had any skunk pie-in-the-face that I can remember. Maybe a "not my favorite read". But no titles come to mind. I can say my kids highly recommended the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy. I didn't get past chapter 2. One of them got the book for Christmas.
Muse
Oh, BTW welcome on board. We look forward to hearing from you.
Muse, that's so funny! Sorry, just had a little free time and was scrolling through boards, and found your post. When I was MUCH younger, I absolutely loved the Hitch-hiker's Guide books. But when I look at them now, I get the immediate feeling that I just don't have time for those books now. It's definitely an age thing!
Elaine
I resemble that remark 
I have had this kind of reaction from two books that I recommended to a number of people.
The first book is "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour. My suggestion was met with glances that said "What in the hell are you talking about???" I think most of these reactions were because my friends didn't expect to have me peddling what they were sure was Western.
The second book is the "Necronomicon" by H.P. Lovecraft. Oddly enough, I suggested this book to the same group of people that guffawed at The Walking Drum. I am fairly certain that they thought I was suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder. Needless to say, none of them picked up those suggested reads, and I don't offer any more reading advice to that group.
Zkullis wrote:
I have had this kind of reaction from two books that I recommended to a number of people.
The first book is "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour. My suggestion was met with glances that said "What in the hell are you talking about???" I think most of these reactions were because my friends didn't expect to have me peddling what they were sure was Western.
The second book is the "Necronomicon" by H.P. Lovecraft. Oddly enough, I suggested this book to the same group of people that guffawed at The Walking Drum. I am fairly certain that they thought I was suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder. Needless to say, none of them picked up those suggested reads, and I don't offer any more reading advice to that group.
Thanks for sharing Zack, I guess sometimes you just can't win, but at least you tried.
FictionFanaticKS wrote:I'm a lurker mostly, not much of a poster. But I love this thread, so I had to offer up my own 'are you serious?' moments.
The Oz series by L. Frank Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill, Jack Snow, Frank Baum, Jr. and one other author I can't recall. Baum, of course, was the originator of the Land of Oz but after his death others continued the series until the 1960s. I am an avid fan of these books, especially the fourteen written by Baum, and any time someone asks me to recommend a child-friendly fantasy book, this series is the first thing out of my mouth. Unfortunately, Baum's creation has been so ripped apart by Hollywood's versions--I love the films to death, but they stray so far from the source material it makes me sad--that most people respond with a devastatingly serious, "Oh, are there novels based on the movie now?". What has happened to America? So disheartening.
The Fearless series by Francine Pascal. I have this entire series and have read it straight through at least six times in the last decade. The concept, execution, and character development are wonderfully complex, unlike most teen-oriented fiction. And as a reader who runs away screaming from the Sweet Valley series, my admiration was one heck of a shock. Still, the fact that I have the whole series, and the subseries, and the special editions in a place of honor on my bookshelf never ceases to amaze my friends. One in particular, I vividly recall, was looking over my book collection and picked up one of the series, turned to me and said, "I'd never imagine you reading feminist trash like this..." I felt like I'd been slapped.
Everything by Katherine Neville. Upon reading The Magic Circle, a buddy called me up at 3am and verbally lashed out at the book and at me for recommending it. She called it "a nightmare of verbiage" and "religious theorizing at its worst." For the record, I am not a big fan of that particular book either, but at the time of the lashing, I had not yet read it. I have never recommended another author to her.
Not technically a novel... but the Red River manga series by Chie Shinohara got me one of the most memorable bad reactions ever. This is one of the best manga series I've ever read, so without thinking I recommended it to a guy friend of mine when asked if I knew any really amazing manga adventure stories with historical plotlines. The problem...I forgot to mention the overwhelming amount of sex that peppers the whole series, which takes place over a very long period of time. My guy friend's reaction: "I had no idea your mind was this dirty. For a bookish introvert virgin, you certainly have one twisted fascination with rough sex." I turned all kinds of colors, and haven't been able to look at him without remembering the disgust in his tone since.
Hi Fiction Fanatic,
I am sorry you had to listen to such awful comments about the books you really love ! And they were just trying to disguise their meanness by being book critics. It's not your books, it's them! You sound like an intelligent well read person.
Optic
FictionFanaticKS wrote:
I'm a lurker mostly, not much of a poster. But I love this thread, so I had to offer up my own 'are you serious?' moments.
The Oz series by L. Frank Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill, Jack Snow, Frank Baum, Jr. and one other author I can't recall. Baum, of course, was the originator of the Land of Oz but after his death others continued the series until the 1960s. I am an avid fan of these books, especially the fourteen written by Baum, and any time someone asks me to recommend a child-friendly fantasy book, this series is the first thing out of my mouth. Unfortunately, Baum's creation has been so ripped apart by Hollywood's versions--I love the films to death, but they stray so far from the source material it makes me sad--that most people respond with a devastatingly serious, "Oh, are there novels based on the movie now?". What has happened to America? So disheartening.
The Fearless series by Francine Pascal. I have this entire series and have read it straight through at least six times in the last decade. The concept, execution, and character development are wonderfully complex, unlike most teen-oriented fiction. And as a reader who runs away screaming from the Sweet Valley series, my admiration was one heck of a shock. Still, the fact that I have the whole series, and the subseries, and the special editions in a place of honor on my bookshelf never ceases to amaze my friends. One in particular, I vividly recall, was looking over my book collection and picked up one of the series, turned to me and said, "I'd never imagine you reading feminist trash like this..." I felt like I'd been slapped.
Everything by Katherine Neville. Upon reading The Magic Circle, a buddy called me up at 3am and verbally lashed out at the book and at me for recommending it. She called it "a nightmare of verbiage" and "religious theorizing at its worst." For the record, I am not a big fan of that particular book either, but at the time of the lashing, I had not yet read it. I have never recommended another author to her.
Not technically a novel... but the Red River manga series by Chie Shinohara got me one of the most memorable bad reactions ever. This is one of the best manga series I've ever read, so without thinking I recommended it to a guy friend of mine when asked if I knew any really amazing manga adventure stories with historical plotlines. The problem...I forgot to mention the overwhelming amount of sex that peppers the whole series, which takes place over a very long period of time. My guy friend's reaction: "I had no idea your mind was this dirty. For a bookish introvert virgin, you certainly have one twisted fascination with rough sex." I turned all kinds of colors, and haven't been able to look at him without remembering the disgust in his tone since.
Hi Fiction and always lurkers are welcome to chime in at any time.
I had to laugh at the reaction of your friend to the manga series and also shared your indignation at your other friends reaction to the Neville.
But what I really felt a connection to was the book vs movie culture we've become that you mention. I admit that at one time I also made comments about why should I read the book when I can see the movie and once to a screen writer commented that the movie just didn't follow the book when he told me that a movie is not meant to follow a book it's an "adaptation" and is meant to be different, to which I kind of went "huh".
I still recommend titles but my choices of people who I do is very limited and vice versa.
Thanks for coming out of the ether to comment. I hope to see you more.
dhaupt wrote:
Zkullis wrote:I have had this kind of reaction from two books that I recommended to a number of people.
The first book is "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour. My suggestion was met with glances that said "What in the hell are you talking about???" I think most of these reactions were because my friends didn't expect to have me peddling what they were sure was Western.
The second book is the "Necronomicon" by H.P. Lovecraft. Oddly enough, I suggested this book to the same group of people that guffawed at The Walking Drum. I am fairly certain that they thought I was suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder. Needless to say, none of them picked up those suggested reads, and I don't offer any more reading advice to that group.
Thanks for sharing Zack, I guess sometimes you just can't win, but at least you tried.
Zack,
I don't know about your second book. BUT I do know about "The Walking Drum" I have had a love affair with that book for years. I have received the same blank stare, but for a couple of reasons: A "girl" reading "ucky" westerns? or Louis L'Amour only writes western stuff. (They should read some of his last Sackett Novels.)
The Walking Drum is the novel that introduced me to medieval historical novels. I had always felt there was a huge blank between the Aurthorian era novels and the historical novels of the 1500s on. Louis introduced me to the world outside Europe and gave me a glimpse into the mid-eastern culture. It is a love affair I have not recovered from and a field of literature and historical novels the is ripe for a good author. (Sighhhhh).
Muse
Mountain_Muse wrote:
dhaupt wrote:
Zkullis wrote:I have had this kind of reaction from two books that I recommended to a number of people.
The first book is "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour. My suggestion was met with glances that said "What in the hell are you talking about???" I think most of these reactions were because my friends didn't expect to have me peddling what they were sure was Western.
The second book is the "Necronomicon" by H.P. Lovecraft. Oddly enough, I suggested this book to the same group of people that guffawed at The Walking Drum. I am fairly certain that they thought I was suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder. Needless to say, none of them picked up those suggested reads, and I don't offer any more reading advice to that group.
Thanks for sharing Zack, I guess sometimes you just can't win, but at least you tried.
Zack,
I don't know about your second book. BUT I do know about "The Walking Drum" I have had a love affair with that book for years. I have received the same blank stare, but for a couple of reasons: A "girl" reading "ucky" westerns? or Louis L'Amour only writes western stuff. (They should read some of his last Sackett Novels.)
The Walking Drum is the novel that introduced me to medieval historical novels. I had always felt there was a huge blank between the Aurthorian era novels and the historical novels of the 1500s on. Louis introduced me to the world outside Europe and gave me a glimpse into the mid-eastern culture. It is a love affair I have not recovered from and a field of literature and historical novels the is ripe for a good author. (Sighhhhh).
Muse
Hi Muse & Zack, Now I want to read The Walking Drum, I am puting it on my Wish List ! Optic
