fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2562 ]

[ SECRET POST #2562 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2562 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

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(Much longer alternative title for this thread: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists, or things that have been recced to you personally so many times you're sick of them even though you've never watched/read/played them.)

Every time I ask for SFF recs I get one of three things:

1. YA dystopia (or urban fantasy or steampunk or [insert other trendy genre here]) about a girl WHOSE LIFE IS CHANGED FOREVARZ when she meets a SPESHUL boy.
2. Epic fantasy series where each of the 10+ books is an 800-page brick in which a massive cast of boring, unlikeable characters go out of their way to be assholes to each other while the plot moves at a glacial pace.
3. Books I've already read.

Things that take forever to complete. Sorry, I'm not reading your 36 book long book series, thousand paged webcomic, or 12 seasons of your favorite tv show.

oh look, you are annoyed by the same things I am (re: points 1 and 2). For point three it's kind of hard to complain, maybe people don't know that you read it?
Though personally I always find it funny when I tell somebody I like fantasy and am looking for new books and they respond with, "oh! Have you heard of Harry Potter?"
Well. Gee.

My second peeve is when I've seen rec lists of "empowering books for teen girls!" and some of the books they list are just /bad/. I get that you want your girls to read about kickass girls, but there are plenty of quality books about women - does every single YA dreck have to be recced, just because it features a girl? ~~looking at you, Divergent~~

Can you give us some more specific criteria (other than not those first two) and maybe some things you've read and enjoyed?

Your number three complaint seems rather petty, especially. How do they know you've read those books? They're not mind readers. Yeah, sorry people took time out or their life to rec you things at your request?

I don't get annoyed with people reccing me things at my request, no matter how much I may dislike what they rec.

+1

I ask for recs here a lot, and even if they don't fit my criteria, someone still took the time to rec me a fic/book/whatever and I appreciate it.

OP

Yeah, now that I think of it that does sound petty without any context. The reason I added that is because I have certain... acquaintances who frequently rec me books I already recced to them a long time ago, that they didn't consider reading until someone else recced those same books to them. It frustrates me to no end.

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

fingalsanteater - 2014-01-08 01:56 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 03:35 (UTC) - Expand

I am right with you on the steampunk front. I can't stand it constantly coming up when I want historical fantasy or alternate history recs. I'm resigned to it as a visual aesthetic trend, but I will never enjoy it as a "genre" of fiction. And yet people always rec it anyway, saying "But this one is diiiifferent!" when I say No Steampunk Please.

Edited 2014-01-08 01:26 (UTC)

/coughs Mildly off topic, but...Mind if I ask for historical fiction and AU history book recs?

I'd enjoy it if people were trying to write Jules Verne-esque stuff and not SHE'S A PERKY YOUNG DETECTIVE WEARING A LACY CORSET ON THE OUTSIDE OF HER CLOTHING AND THERE'S THIS THING MADE OUT OF GEARS AND AN AIRSHIP AND THEY HAVE ADVENTURES! BRITISH SLANG!

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

ginainthekingsroad - 2014-01-08 02:54 (UTC) - Expand

Yeahhhhh.

I like KW Jeter, Tim Powers, and James Blaylock a lot. But what steampunk has become is... pretty much totally unenjoyable, to me.

Well, as someone who works in education, I'm tired of reading lists that have books even readers aren't going to read, like Brave New World or Lord of the Flies. Do I believe kids should give the classics a try? Yes. But some variety, especially if you're trying to get non-readers to pick up a book. A kid who hates of books isn't going to choose Wuthering Heights. There's so many wonderful books out there that kids should be reading, but they don't make the cut, apparently.

As a kid I actually liked Lord Of The Flies. Taste is pretty subjective, and you never know exactly what's going to appeal to someone. I've also had a few English teachers that made a few staunch non-readers actually sit down and go through Shakespeare, which I would figure would be the last thing to appeal to someone who was barely literate enough to know what it meant.

What's wrong with Brave New World and Lord of the Flies? I read and enjoyed both - and I read BNW on my own time, not for school.

If you want to cut books that even readers will hate, let's drop Steinbeck.

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

chardmonster - 2014-01-08 02:35 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

tabaqui - 2014-01-08 04:36 (UTC) - Expand

How is Lord of the Flies unappealing? It's got kids stranded on a desert island and violence. Junior high and high school kids love it. They won't love it if you make them go chapter by chapter, analyzing every bit of symbolism, but that's enough to kill any book for anyone.

Seconding the "but I liked the Lord of the Flies" sentiment. I think that's a bad example. Lord of the Flies was short, to the point, had obvious allegory, and plenty of action. Not only did the readers in my class love it, but most of the non-readers did too. I have no idea why it's on your "books that even readers aren't going to read" list. It was easily the most talked about of our required readings, by far.

No argument with Brave New World, however. Or, as it was known later, 1984. (Or, earlier, We.)

I hate it when someone asks about fantasy books featuring LGBT characters, and people rush to rec The Last Herald-Mage trilogy. It's a depressing and mediocre YA series, and IMO there are far better books with better representation.

Ooh, care to share what they are? /genuinely interested in lgbt fantasy

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

cbrachyrhynchos - 2014-01-08 02:50 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

sarillia - 2014-01-08 04:28 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 01:53 (UTC) - Expand

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hands4healing - 2014-01-08 03:01 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 05:15 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 06:56 (UTC) - Expand

One-word titles.

AAAAAAALLLLL THE YA

You people are my age, either you weren't reading when you were children and are still trying to catch up, or you can't handle the adult reactions/characters/plot in grown-up books/fic. Which is it? IDEC JUST STOP RECCING ME YA OKAY?

Okay.

Re: Warning: anti-YA rant

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 02:52 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Warning: anti-YA rant

cbrachyrhynchos - 2014-01-08 02:59 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Warning: anti-YA rant

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 03:33 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Warning: anti-YA rant

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 06:58 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Warning: anti-YA rant

nobara - 2014-01-09 04:21 (UTC) - Expand

This is why I've stopped reccing things. Are people supposed to intuitively know what you like and don't like? Do you never read anything unless someone has "tested" it first to see if it meets your standards? Whatever happened to people just liking things and enthusiastically suggesting it to their friends as something they might also like?

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 01:49 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 01:58 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 02:02 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 02:05 (UTC) - Expand

SA

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 01:59 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 03:40 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 03:54 (UTC) - Expand

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crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 04:08 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 04:29 (UTC) - Expand

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crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 05:01 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 05:11 (UTC) - Expand

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crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 06:16 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 05:06 (UTC) - Expand

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crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 06:03 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 05:58 (UTC) - Expand

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crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 06:11 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-08 06:58 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

crunchysunrises - 2014-01-08 07:28 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

greenvelvetcake - 2014-01-08 05:27 (UTC) - Expand

I hate when you specify something particular you don't want in a rec, like saying "Can someone rec me some fantasy books but nothing with rape in it" or something of the sort, and then someone inevitably chimes in with "Oh, how about [Book]? It's chock full of the thing you specifically said you didn't want, but it's soooo good!"

Re: Things you are sick of seeing in rec lists.

cakemage - 2014-01-08 02:30 (UTC) - Expand

Anything whose plot can ONLY be described as "X person is discontented with life until they meetandfallinlovewith Y person who has no interesting features", "X has a midlife crisis", or "X experiences difficulties in their relationship with Y family member."

You know, stories that are actually all about falling in love, having a midlife crisis, or dealing with family members are great. But only if that story precipitates out of a more immediate plot that is about something completely different. Like you know, To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story, but it's also a story about racism in the Deep South.

Also, meetandfallinlovewith is a word I've coined to describe those inane romantic plots where everything from first meeting to establishment of romance happens in a single predictable going-through-the-motions lump and is a forgone conclusion from the moment the romantic interest appears.

... this is why I tend to write ridiculously long rec lists. Chances are, there's something in there someone will like. :P

I kind of understand point 3 - especially when it comes to LGBT+ Sci-Fi/Fantasy rec lists. I mean, I understand it, there aren't that many books to chooses from, but honestly? If there are already about 29 different rec lists with exactly the same 20~ books on it, why do people feel the need to create the 30th rec list with the same books on it?

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