"All good books are different but all bad books are exactly the same."

[Eric Christopherson]

That's a quote (and literary allusion to the opening of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, I think) from Robert Harris's "The Ghost." His protagonist, a ghost writer, goes on to say that the way in which all bad books are exactly the same is: "they don't ring true. I'm not saying that a good book is true necessarily, just that it feels true for the time you're reading it." What do you think?

FYI, I am really enjoying this political thriller. It's such a treat to discover a new suspense fiction author with sharp prose skills.

[I. J. Parker]

These are the people who buy books, folks.

HARRY POTTER (I read the first 3) is actually excellent, but the Rowling books are children's books.  As for the rest, you may want to argue that there are a lot of people who have never really grown up.

[Eric Christopherson]

My WIP: Some fan fiction. I call it, Fifty Shades of Harry.

[Caroline Trippe]

Actually a lot of adults really liked  Harry Potter. I only read the first one, but in general, I love children's books---the good ones have great staying power.  "Twilight" would be another matter. I can only imagine what the writing must be like, and I suspect it appeals to the adolescent part of the, uh, brain. 

[Grant McKenzie]

Maybe she only reads books that she's heard of - thus the continual dilemma of those of us who aren't bestsellers - yet

[I. J. Parker]

Well, book club members don't necessarily buy books.  Topics are announced far in advance and most people get them in the libraries.  If this club only read bestsellers, they would be people who buy books, but we know they aren't very good critics or experienced readers.

 

The idea is really to get one of those deals where the book is picked up for a national book club organization people subscribe to.  Happened to me once, in France.  It's brilliant.

[Grant McKenzie]

That does sound brilliant, I.J. I've been trying to break into France as they really seem to love Harlan Coben, but alas . . .

[I. J. Parker]

I used to have an agent.  The foreign connection worked very well in that agency.  The domestic one not so much.

Good luck to you.

[Caroline Trippe]

Another reason why I don't belong to a book club. ;)

[I. J. Parker]

:)  I went to one a couple of times with a friend.  She thought since I was a writer I'd be interested.  They mainly belong for the lunch.  About 10 people.  Only about 5 have usually read the book.  Discussion dies down quickly in favor of other topics.  The one book I actually read for their get-togethers was GEISHA.  It was an Oprah selection!

[Jon Loomis]

I read Harry Potter to my son--it's actually a pretty good bad book.  I get why kids dig it (adults not so much).  Twilight is a very bad bad book indeed.  I read the first few pages and tossed it.  Tried reading 50 Shades, too--it manages to be boring, laughable and annoying all at once.  Haven't tried Hunger Games, but it sounds pretty stupid--basically a YA re-working of Soylent Green, or something.   

[Jon Loomis]

You're missing the point a bit, I.J.  Maybe it would help if we did it this way:  Good "good" books, good "bad" books, etc.  It's about their place on the literary spectrum.  Formulaic fiction of any kind would be "bad" compared to a literary work that isn't using a received form.  For whatever reason they don't have the same hierarchy in poetry.  In that universe, well-executed poems in received forms (sonnets, villanelles, etc.) are still considered superior to free verse by the snobbiest of the snobs. 

[Caroline Trippe]

the snobbiest of the snobs.

Did you mean the Academics, Jon? 

Of course those "received" forms are very difficult to do well---when  someone does pull it off, it deserves some credit.

There's probably nothing much worse than "bad" poetry---free or otherwise.  Even bad prose pales beside it. :)