A Reader's Quirks #1: Are You Attached to Authors?

I'm not really sure where this idea came from...other than the old desire to do something more interactive - and not necessarily review-related - on my blog. So, I thought I'd do a random feature about the who, what, where, when and why of reading, talking about my own relationship with books/genres/authors, and asking my visitors to do the same if they feel so inclined. This could have been easily turned into a meme, but there's a reason why it didn't...I still don't see myself as an established enough blogger to host yet another meme. Even those with an impressive number of followers aren't necessarily overwhelmed with participation, so I'm not going there just yet. This doesn't mean "A Reader's Quirks" won't be promoted to meme status one day, should it be the case. It's all up to you, really :).

ARQ logo by digital artist Lissa

A quick reminder...everyone can comment on my blog, though this means for me to fight spam endlessly. But it matters to me that anyone can join the conversation. As for CAPTCHA...everyone hates it...so I'm trying not to follow that path. At least till I can manage my spam ;).

So my first reading-related question is...

ARE YOU ATTACHED TO AUTHORS?

Harsh as it may sound, I'd say no - in most cases at least. It's not like I automatically go out and buy every single book by an author because I previously appreciated one (or more) of her/his novels. As far as YA authors go, there is one notable exception to this quirk of mine, though in turn that exception has exceptions.


See this man? (...erm...old pic...apparently, there is no other of him).

Kevin McFadden, known as Christopher Pike (from the Star Trek character), born November 12 1954 in NY, more than 50 teen and adult books under his belt. I dedicated a whole Blog Room to his teen-aimed novels, while his (definitely small) adult production is recounted here.


Well.
I can say he's my favourite (mainly)-YA author, since I'm buying the vast majority of his books. Still - yes - not every single one of them. Because he also wrote some fantasy novels for teens (Alosha, The Shaktra, The Yanti and The Secret of Ka) along with a middle-grade series (Spooksville). As for fantasy, it's not a genre that I normally read, so I'm not particularly inclined to purchase those books. As for middle grade stuff...no, thanks. Also, Pike wrote a chapter in the Cheerleader series ages ago, and I'm definitely passing on that one ;P.
My fascination with Christopher Pike resides in his weird world(s) far more than in his writing skills. There are better novelists in my opinion, even in the YA universe. I've read some of them. Still, while I appreciate their way with words and world-building and characters, I don't usually ready every book they put out. But like I said, even with Pike I draw a line somewhere - though a very thin one.
I'm a die-hard fan of classic thrillers. You might say I have a very comprehensive collection of Agatha Christie/Ellery Queen/John Dickson Carr/Rex Stout books (I may blog about them at a later point)...and I'm trying to buy them all. But even with those authors, it's not about them, it's about the genre. The kind of entertainment they provide. Though I read both Agatha Christie's autobiography and travel book, and I'm even considering buying the novels she wrote as Mary Westmacott...but I suppose she's my only one exception as far as adult authors go.

Back to YA novelists. I've enjoyed some books immensely, to the point I gave them 5 stars...but they were mostly one-shot to me. For example...

Sweethearts
was Zarr's first novel in print
(2008)

Sara Zarr is the author of Sweethearts (read my review here), a bittersweet contemporary novel about soulmates, growing up and staying true to oneself. She has actually written five books to date, all in the contemporary field. As you may know by now, contemporary is not my favourite genre...even when it doesn't revolve around the classic boy-meets-girl theme, as it is the case with Zarr. A contemporary story must somehow mirror my younger self (or even my present self...I admit it) in order to interest me. Themes like m\f friendship or one's authenticity sit well with me, so I loved this particular novel. And it was even well written, which, alas, doesn't necessarily happen. Having said so, I'm not particularly interested in reading more of Zarr's books, though I wouldn't be averse to borrow them if I could! But Sweethearts I did buy...and it's a keeper :).

Book 1 in the Cold Awakening
trilogy came out in 2008

Robin Wasserman (what a cool site she has!) wrote the wonderful, partly underestimated Cold Awakening (previously titled Skinned) trilogy (I haven't reviewed it yet). It involves sci-fi, dystopia and ethics - themes that I tend to dig with a passion. The rest of her productions - especially the Seven Deadly Sins series - takes a detour from those...I have, however, great expectations about The Waking Dark, so I put it in my TR list. Apparently, it's partly mystery, partly horror, and will be out in September. Since I like Wasserman's writing style and - in this case - the book is rooted in one of the worlds I prefer to enter when reading (the thriller universe), it's likely that TWD can suit my tastes.

An interesting insight into
Scoppettone's work here

Sandra Scoppettone is both an adult (Lauren Laurano series) and a teen author (though she only wrote a few YA books). Her adult novels are thrillers of the hard-boiled variety - and I have already stated that I like my mysteries old-fashioned. (That is, my literary mysteries...with TV, I tend to go all C.S.I. ;). Oh, never mind). Being sensible to the GLBTQ and friendship themes, I loved Scoppettone's Trying Hard to Hear You (to be reviewed). There's another one of her novel along the same lines, Happy Endings Are All Alike, but being an oldie I wasn't able to get it from my usual webstores. I was lucky to find THTHY (a 1974 novel) years ago, translated in Italian. I also read her teen thriller Playing Murder (my review here), but unlike THTHY, it shows its age.


So, basically...I hardly get attached to authors, it seems. Though I highly respect those who aren't afraid of plunging into different worlds and styles. But, being so picky (and having a very limited budget), I have to draw a line somewhere. With me, it's mainly about the genre - and the particular story that is being told. What about you?

For more Reader's Quirks click here.
Like to talk books? You might also be interested in this post. Comments are welcome!