You Recommend, They Stare Blankly

[whiteginger]

My experience with a little twist--

Some time ago, I joined one of those on-line dating sites. One of the prompts for my profile was Tell about a book you've read recently that you have enjoyed.

So I listed Tinkers, by Paul Harding, which I had just finished and enjoyed tremendously. I wrote a couple of sentences about the poetry in the book and the beauty of a memory story.

Within a few weeks I had several responses to my on-line profile, including two from gentlemen who said they thought we might be compatible . . . until they saw what I was reading.  Each went on to say that he had tried to read the book, but found it confusing and pointless.  One of these two discouraged any further correspondence (I don't know why he responded in the first place!); the other asked what else I had read recently, anything low-brow that he could understand?

[Mountain_Muse]

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whiteginger wrote:

My experience with a little twist--

Some time ago, I joined one of those on-line dating sites. One of the prompts for my profile was Tell about a book you've read recently that you have enjoyed.

So I listed Tinkers, by Paul Harding, which I had just finished and enjoyed tremendously. I wrote a couple of sentences about the poetry in the book and the beauty of a memory story.

Within a few weeks I had several responses to my on-line profile, including two from gentlemen who said they thought we might be compatible . . . until they saw what I was reading.  Each went on to say that he had tried to read the book, but found it confusing and pointless.  One of these two discouraged any further correspondence (I don't know why he responded in the first place!); the other asked what else I had read recently, anything low-brow that he could understand?

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LOL  love it

Muse

[GS2991]

Haha interesting. I've only recently got interested in poems, reading the ones in the Writing Room got me started. I asked my friend once if she liked poems a shrug of shoulders so I asked her to read one of mine I wrote and illustrated she did and I don't tink she liked it or didn't get it. She just kinda knoded and didn't say anything. Oh well. I'm off to look up fancy shoes now....

[dhaupt]

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whiteginger wrote:

My experience with a little twist--

Some time ago, I joined one of those on-line dating sites. One of the prompts for my profile was Tell about a book you've read recently that you have enjoyed.

So I listed Tinkers, by Paul Harding, which I had just finished and enjoyed tremendously. I wrote a couple of sentences about the poetry in the book and the beauty of a memory story.

Within a few weeks I had several responses to my on-line profile, including two from gentlemen who said they thought we might be compatible . . . until they saw what I was reading.  Each went on to say that he had tried to read the book, but found it confusing and pointless.  One of these two discouraged any further correspondence (I don't know why he responded in the first place!); the other asked what else I had read recently, anything low-brow that he could understand?

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Hmmm, wow I wonder why someone hasn't snatch them up yet 

[ThirstyFlea]

It's kind of funny, but I tend to "test" my friends and acquaintances with my book recommendations! People know how much I read, and that I've worked at bookstores before, so I'm constantly being asked, but after a couple test recs, I end up telling them about books I haven't read (usually an Oprah or Today Show book club book!) but sound like something they may like.

I love recommending Cloud Atlas  by David Mitchell, or anything by this author. I think he's brilliant. But some of the comments I've gotten from people about this book are similar to some of your experiences- I get a lot of "you're weird, I didn't understand it at all and couldn't finish it" or they can't see how a movie could ever be made out of it, etc. What?? I think that's my point! I am usually disappointed when they make a movie out of a book I really liked....  

I recently recommended Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  to a more "mature" woman who told me she loves all books, but who was shocked and confused by the story and couldn't get more than half way through it. It is admittedly a strange book, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed!

[dhaupt]

I recently recommended Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  to a more "mature" woman who told me she loves all books, but who was shocked and confused by the story and couldn't get more than half way through it. It is admittedly a strange book, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed!

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I've had this on my list for awhile, oh if there were only more hours in the day.

[becke_davis]

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dhaupt wrote:

I recently recommended Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  to a more "mature" woman who told me she loves all books, but who was shocked and confused by the story and couldn't get more than half way through it. It is admittedly a strange book, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed!

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I've had this on my list for awhile, oh if there were only more hours in the day.

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My daughter liked this one, too.

[FictionFanatic…]

This message is actually to all of people who responded to my post, but I have no idea how to multi-quote within one message, so here ya go.

Optic,

Thank you for your kind words. Nice to meet you.

Debbie,

I'm actually a screenwriter myself, so I can't exactly disagree with your screenwriter friend's views on 'adaptations', but there is a fine line between honoring the novel while creating something seperate and completely ignoring the source material. Some of my all-time favorite novels have been made into films and about half of them are accurate adaptations, while the rest are terrible representations of wonderful stories.

Pepper,

I think you're right; I will one day be able to laugh with my friend about it. But honestly, it doesn't even phase me now. I just got done re-reading the entire manga series for the first time in years and it's amusing to consider his words now, when an adult perspective shows that Red River is mature, but not pornographic or trashy. Sex is a part of life, and that is that. Personally, I think Chie Shinohara's drawings of such activities are quite modest and very beautifully rendered compared to other images in film and other manga series.

[pjpick]

Confederates in the Attic  I always get a weird look when I discuss/recommend this one.  I saw the author years ago on the Tome Snyder late show.

Actually, I get weird looks on most of the non-fiction books I recommend. I'm in a high-stress, physically demanding job and most of my co-workers want easy reads or else they'll tend to fall asleep due to exhaustion.

Manhunt  Here's another one that always gets me a blank look. Most people wonder, "How can that be interesting in the long run?" but it had me dreaming at night that I was racing through the woods on a horse trying to escape from people.

To turn this post around a bit, I happen to give the blank stares to people when they recommend the Twilight series to me, though. LOL!

[dhaupt]

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pjpick wrote:

Confederates in the Attic  I always get a weird look when I discuss/recommend this one.  I saw the author years ago on the Tome Snyder late show.

Actually, I get weird looks on most of the non-fiction books I recommend. I'm in a high-stress, physically demanding job and most of my co-workers want easy reads or else they'll tend to fall asleep due to exhaustion.

Manhunt  Here's another one that always gets me a blank look. Most people wonder, "How can that be interesting in the long run?" but it had me dreaming at night that I was racing through the woods on a horse trying to escape from people.

To turn this post around a bit, I happen to give the blank stares to people when they recommend the Twilight series to me, though. LOL!

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thanks pj, I'm surprised you get looks aobut Manhunt, I did find it boring at times but then I don't really like non-fiction, but I also learned a lot from it

[optic_i]

Hi PJ & Debbie,

Although the background story is quite grim, I found it also to be humorous due the quirky characters' interactions in Aberdeen Scottland. You'd think, with the subject of child abductions and murders, that would be impossible, but Logan McRae manages to pull it off. I suggest you don't shy away from this one !  

Optic

Cold Granite (Logan McRae Series #1)

[dhaupt]

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optic_i wrote:

Hi PJ & Debbie,

Although the background story is quite grim, I found it also to be humorous due the quirky characters' interactions in Aberdeen Scottland. You'd think, with the subject of child abductions and murders, that would be impossible, but Logan McRae manages to pull it off. I suggest you don't shy away from this one !  

Optic

Cold Granite (Logan McRae Series #1)

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Thanks optic