R. Rose's Reading Diary

 I was the one who had to put books up for a vote for March, so I went with a theme. Trash with a Capital T. I wanted books that the people I went to college with would look down on. Nora Roberts won out this time, and let me tell you, she is someone who got a good deal of hate back when I was studying Fiction Writing back in the early 2000's.  Now that I have read several books from her both as Nora Roberts and as J.D. Robb, I don't fully understand the hate. I actually don't get it at all. Is she the most amazing word smith to ever grace the printed page? No. Are her books entertaining and engrossing? Yes. In the grand scheme of things I would rather read a book that engages me than something that is intentionally impenetrable because... smart? I don't mean this to sound anti-intellectual. I have read many books that people would consider serious literature and loved them. I also found them engaging and thought-provoking. Beloved by Toni Morrison is a stunningly beaut...

 I am guessing that most people are mood readers. You read what feels right to you at the moment. Like, for me currently, I am on a manga kick because that is what is giving my brain joy. That may switch to romance novels next month, or maybe 90's horror paperbacks.  I cannot force myself to stick to a specific kind of schedule when it comes to reading, because if I am not feeling it at that moment I cannot force myself to finish the book. I used to try. I used to torture myself over not being able to to complete books that really just were not for me. Then I realized that I only have so much free time, and I need to be okay with not wasting it on something that is making me grind my teeth.  I have, for a while, considered doing a book related YouTube channel. I ended up deciding against that because, for a channel like that to work you need to at least occasionally read some of the books that are popular at the time. Currently fantasy romance is the big trend, and while ...

 I sometimes check out the Fear Street subreddit, and I have noticed a few posts where people have been complaining about the liberties taken with the movies that have been made over the last couple of years. These posts are pretty fiery, and really want the creators of these films to stick to the original books.  Here's the thing...  That would be a TERRIBLE idea.  This is coming from someone who loves the original Fear Street books. Those books are fun, but they are thin when it comes to plot, action and characters. They were restricted by what could be done in a YA book at the time they were written, and for a large chunk of them they were pretty much written to a template. While reading them today gives me a nostalgic thrill, I would not call these books well written. The most recent film, a loose adaptation of the book The Prom Queen  is apparently taking a lot of liberties with the source material. After re-reading the book not that long ago, I can underst...