Sunday, June 5, 2011

Weekly Geeks 2011-18

I thought this week, I'd give you two activities. You may do both activities OR you may choose one over the other.

Option 1: Write a post (or leave a comment) with suggestions for future weekly geek topics! Share as many ideas as you'd like! Be as creative as you want. Or if you can't think of any "new" topics of your own, consider listing your top five topics from the past, from our archives.


Option 2: Write a post about your genre prejudices or your genre allergies. (I tend to be allergic to westerns, for example.) Are there genres that you haven't read that you avoid at all costs? Are there genres that you don't take seriously? Would you be willing to try something new? (Or someone new!) Consider asking for recommendations and challenge yourself to get outside your comfort zone a bit. Alternatively, you may want to write a post about one of your favorite genres and recommend titles to newbies. Which books would you recommend to those readers who are new to that genre?


Option One: My Top Five Fave Topics from the Past!
1. 2009-45
A christmas wish-list! I know it's simple and straightforward, but I love reading wish lists...it gives me ideas.
2. 2009-35
A discussion about your reading "plan." Oooh, very interesting.
3. 2010-6
Romancing the tome. Romantic literature...I especially liked reading about blogger's favorite literary couples and the necessity of sex in literary romances.
4. 2010-10
Literary tattoos. This should be obviously awesome. I'm far too indecisive to have one of my one.
5. 2011-3
Female authors were the focus of this WG, even I (feminist reader) read largely male authors, so it was wonderful to see everyone's thoughts on this topic.

Option Two:
Genre Allergies:
I admit that I am very prejudiced when it comes to three genres in particular: romances, westerns, and mystery novels. I just can't get into it...I don't know why but they just seem so formulaic and episodic...

If anyone can recommend a mystery, western, or romance though...I would be willing to try it out.

Genre Loves and Recommendations:
I LOVE fairy tale retellings. Which I know I've talked about before.

So...I also love YA dystopian novels, and would recommend
  • The Knife of Never Letting Go (although I still despise the protagonist) by Patrick Ness,
  • How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff,
  • The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, and
  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury,
I'm currently reading Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, which might be included on this list later.

3 comments:

  1. Have you read the Stieg Larsson mystery series? You should.

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  2. I had a strong prejudice against mysteries...until I actually began reading some of them! Older mysteries, for the most part, but I would recommend if you *really* want to try one...some Dorothy Sayers, some Agatha Christie, some Rex Stout.

    I also love Alan Bradley's series starring Flavia de Luce (The first is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.) And if you like Jane Austen, Carrie Bebris has a wonderful mystery series starring Elizabeth and Darcy! Those are great fun--some of the best Austen adaptations I've ever read in any genre.

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  3. Though this is not a mystery, romance, or western, might I suggest a fairy tale-like book, if you have not already read it. Poison by Chris Wooding. He became a favourite author of mine after I read this book.

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