Not what we expected? #amreading via @Annecdotist

Not what we expected? #amreading

29/11/2017

I’m sure, like me, there are times when you’ve come to the end of a book thinking, Well, that wasn’t what I expected! Both my published novels evoked that response in a lot of readers. With my debut novel, Sugar and Snails, it was a predominantly positive kind of unexpected, as my narrator, Diana, is harbouring no ordinary secret. Yet my second novel, Underneath, seems to have divided readers into those who were delighted, and those who were disappointed, it isn’t a typical thriller, earning me my first one star review and a reminder that one can’t please everyone.

I imagine most readers appreciate a surprise that doesn’t detract from the anticipated pleasures, but that we differ widely in how we define those terms. Not being a fan of genre fiction, I think of myself as the kind of reader who enjoys the unexpected as, for example, when what starts as a horror story morphs into something different. Yet, while I’d tick the box for a preference for literary fiction, I’m sometimes baffled by highly-praised books with which I fail to connect.

While I don’t have data on the ratio of positively versus negatively unexpected reads, I can deduce from the ratings assigned to my first 100 books of 2017, with an equal number of books rated at the two extremes, I’m pleasantly surprised as often as I’m disappointed. Is it the same for you, I wonder? Don’t worry, I’m not setting you statistics homework but I hope you can share your gut feeling.

You can check out whether my reading this month has met, surpassed or failed to reach my expectations by clicking on the image to see all my posts for November.

6 Comments

Charli Mills

1/12/2017 12:50:58 am

Genre fiction is popular due to expectation, yet I think there can be excellent genre fiction that also adds elements of surprise. GRR Martin, for one (more known for his HBO series, Game of Thrones, than his unfinished book series, A Song of Fire and Ice). What makes his fantasy books so stellar is his depth of characterization. He's truly a master in that regard. And yet, he kills off characters without the expected hints found in most fantasy fiction. It's terrible that those of us who read his books have waited years to find out if one of our favorite characters stabbed in a final seen lives or dies. We don't know. Yet literary art, and much of the modern works your read and review are stories that require a different level of engagement and a willingness to read outside a predictable pattern. And yet, it's difficult to know what will please people. I'm not sure pleasantries are the point, perhaps purpose is. I like discovery, exploration, but I do want to arrive at a destination when I finish a book. Interesting graph, Anne! And thanks for not giving out a statistics assignment.

Annecdotist

2/12/2017 04:28:41 pm

Thanks sharing your reading experience, Charli. Although I didn’t want to ask anyone to collect the stats that I’ve done – mostly because, as they used to do have in notices in shops here, “a refusal often offends”– I had hoped to include a poll, but the widget I’ve used before seems to have disappeared.
I’m surprised you devour those fantasy books as it’s so different to your own writing. Although maybe that’s just my bias – I couldn’t quite understand how my publisher would go for fantasy as well as literary fiction, and she said it’s about depth of character. Didn’t ask about the characters being killed off however!

Charli Mills

4/12/2017 11:52:56 pm

I would agree with your publisher -- I like depth of character, too and those epic fantasies deliver. I also like reading outside my genre because I can relax and just read! Is the poll feature in your widgets, perhaps?

Annecdotist

6/12/2017 01:33:59 pm

I liked reading things I know I couldn’t/wouldn’t ever write myself, but sometimes if it’s too far from my main interests I’m wondering why I’m reading this. Widgets? Could be, but the moment’s passed now. Another time perhaps.

Norah Colvin link

14/12/2017 10:59:07 am

Interesting graph, Anne. Now I'd like to know what earns a 3-star or a 4-star rating. 5-stars are obviously pretty good and quite rare. Another post, perhaps?

Annecdotist

14/12/2017 05:42:05 pm

Thanks, Norah. I’m not so terribly keen on the star rating system as I’m sure I don’t use it consistently, but I generally use it on Goodreads (where the criteria is different to on Amazon):
1 = didn’t like
2 = okay
3 = liked
4 = really liked
5 = “it was amazing”
There’s another two weeks left to run, but I think I’ve read only 10 amazing books this year. As a fairly harsh marker, I think that’s quite good.

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