I can be opinionated; but rarely passionate about anything. There are very few things that get me riled up or to which I would react (patronizing and people not listening are two of them). At the same time I dread to recommend a book/film/TV show/restaurant/etc. I do not know the reason, but I think it has to do with sharing information about me (my tastes and what gets me ticking).
In that sense I rarely allow me to feel the deep excitement/disgust when something gets me. I am shielded by my own set of thoughts that prevent what I call a “loss of control”. Not that I never do it; but I feel like I am always a little too much calculating risks/rewards. I am a gambler in that sense; try to keep my emotions out of play. Even when I am upset (and acting up), I am always thinking in the background: “what should I do next, to make it more effective? OK, let’s hit the car.” Or something like that.
(S)wine’s comment got to me this morning. Not because I felt offended by it or anything like that. It was more the chain of thoughts that the comment started. I like to be liked. Not only that; I like people to tell other people nice things about me. Like saying I am intelligent, or different or special (but not in the educational way!) or thoughtful, etc. So when I read the comment, I immediately started thinking about explaining myself (and did a little) to try to stop him think less of me.
After a while, I started asking me “why?” The main reason of this blog (or any blog for that matter) is to write your opinions and your comments and your thoughts and if what you say resonates (either harmonically or not) with other people they will let you know. Then, why should I be so concerned about liking (or not) Stephen King? Does it really matters? I think not (but I am not sure… My “emotional needs” are acting up again…)
In any case; I have liked some of the books of Stephen King (The Stand, It and the Dark Tower series specially); then in a sense I like him. Some others (like the short stories in general) I have not liked, I do not know what to make of it.
All the books that I have read and finished I have liked. The ones I did not like I did not finish them (but there are very few). Of course, I always try to find something to like in everything I do; I am not sure this is the sane thing to do (this means I do not want to argue about it, I really think THIS IS the sane thing to do); but it works for me. That sometimes that way of thinking had led me to shovel shit for days, well the showers you take afterwards feel great! So, I am not sorry (even if I want to say it!) to disagree or to have different opinions. I am trying to embrace this difference (it's DIFFICULT!!!), which I think is OK.
See you around.
Six
1 week ago
10 comments:
You are trying to justify your likes and dislikes and you don;t need to
It's even worse than that. I am trying to redefine my likes and dislikes based on what other people would think of them... you should remember how it was before; now at least I notice these things!
no, that comment certainly wasn't meant to patronize, even though now that i read it it sort of looks/sounds that way. no, i mean it's amazing only because Poe's mastery of the story and language, especially the horror genre sets the bar so high, King looks like a hack or a step up from amateur.
you are right, but I will play the foreigner card. I lack some of the background you have. I have read Poe only in Spanish (King I have read in both English and Spanish); which means I have not accessed some of the qualities you appreciate on his writings. In any case, I think I understand you comments and I did not get offended. Thank you for the explanation, it makes me want to look for Poe's books in English to reread them!
oh i understand that. i am Romanian, came to the States when i was almost 11, so i still have very good command of the Romanian language. when i read something in English, then translated in my native Romanian, the english language seems so dry and devoid of emotion and color. It's what I find amazing about Poe (Joyce, too, really); how he (they) can take such a dry, colourless language and spin it into something lovely. For example, read Neruda in Spanish, then in English...the English translation doesn't do his poems too much justice, I think. (I know enough Spanish and Italian to get by fairly well, and I often peruse the bookstores and read Neruda in Spanish...I don't know why. Just sounds so good)
hahaha; so much for that...
OK, I will pay more attention to it; and well Neruda is something else. My daughter Vicky stayed in Chile for one college term and came back loving it (she did not know his work); my wife and I do too.
Tee hee!
Sorry, I'm a bit late to this debate (busy week means the t'internet has had to been abandoned) but I'd like to throw in my tuppence.
If you are going to open yourself up to the t'internet and then try to please everyone, you're going to have to write about cats and kittens a hell of a lot more!
What you like is what makes you, you. Roll with it. Don't get me wrong here [I love (s)wine] but 90% of the stuff I read, he hates. Which is cool. The best thing, though, is there will suddenly come that moment when you mention a book he likes - you can spend a couple of hours just living off that moment.
As for Stephen King - well, he's popular (and prolific), so the chances are that some of your readers will really like him. Oh, hang on - that's me. Actually, to be be more specific, that was me! For a period of time The Stand was my bestest-ever-favouritist book. The one that I would read once a year. I don't really want to mention how excited I was when they released the "unedited with 500 extra pages" edition - let's just say it got messy and I had to change my trousers. But I loved the old Stephen King books (my daughter even did her final thesis on his early books), and then came Tommyknockers. I don't think I read a thing by King after that. In fact, it "cured" me of my love for The Stand.
We are all going to love different things - and that is a good thing! It is the thing that causes debate, conversation. It is the thing that makes people interesting. And, more importantly, it is a thing that makes you love something more. Once you have to argue why a book shouldn't be dismissed, that is when you realise that it is important to you. And, if you can demonstrate some of that passion to other people, that is when they give the book/author another go. And hey, who knows - they might come round to your way of thinking. RESULT!
Of course, I still can't believe that you gave The Da Vinci Code two stars!!!! Are you insane!!!! I tried to give it a negative score. There's several hours of my life I'm never going to get back.
Well... it sold well and kept me entertained for some time. However, I liked Angels & Demons much more.
Will's right, but not about the 90% stuff. I would venture to say that I have a lot more in common w/his reading list than he thinks. Mhm.
Anyway, I align myself with Christopher Hitchens when it comes to argument or debate. I am not interested in switching someone to my pt. of view; I am only interested in debating in order that each side streamlines his/her argument to a sharp point...much like sharpening a pencil. And yes, Will's right. Art is so subjective, it speaks to each of us (or not) in different ways. For example: I loathe Shakespeare. Who the hell abhors Shakes? And I love Bukowski...and who in hell loves him? So...there ya have it. And yes, that cats and dogs part Will writes about? Please, please don't turn to THAT dark side. There are enough sites out there extolling the virtues of I Can Haz Cheezburger.
I do not like cats, maybe mutts and puppies?
I completely agree or prefer having the discussion for the matter of reviewing your point of view, not changing others.
And while I have not read Bukowski enough I prefer Cervantes over Shakespeare (but this is a heritage thing!).
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