30 More Days Book Challenge: Day 13

Don't forget to check out updates on Gianna's current road trip to West Texas on our Facebook page.  It's an adventure to say the least. 

Day 13: Overrated authors.

Gianna:

Most overrated author as a topic is sure to make people angry, so let's do it!

My first instinct was to say Norman Mailer, but the problem with that is I have read two of his books and attempted another three. Basically he is two for five in my book; which means the Cubs would pick him up and over-pay him. But at the end of the day I am not sure he ranks as overrated. I will say, however, that I disliked the man and avoided reading about him or interviews with him….but did really love The Executioner’s Song.

Liz and I will probably pick a few of the same authors here and I doubt the name Franzen won’t show up (no matter what Time Magazine says). And you know what? Since I am drunk right now I will say Hemingway just to get some hate mail. I am on a roll…I do not get the fascination with Salinger. And if we are going to pick on some bestselling contemporary authors….Jodi Picoult. I have tried three times and I just don’t get it. I mean I get it but I don’t get why people love her so.

Now having said all that…one author’s popularity and critical acclaim is just beyond me. Chuck Palahniuk.  If he'd stopped four books back, he wouldn't be on this list.  He's catering to adolescent boys now.  Yuck. 

Send all hate mail to Liz.

Liz:

First, yes, I absolutely agree that J.D. Salinger is terribly overrated.  Also, Hemingway.  My favorite Hemingway is Muriel.  I'll say it: David Foster Wallace.  I think he's a fascinating personality, but I don't want to read his books.  

My pick for most overrated author, though, is Jonathan Safran Foer.  I think he presents interesting concepts with design and form, but I don't understand the hoopla over a guy who's really just written two books, and of those two, I only really liked a third of one (the guide's voice in Everything is Illuminated).  His second book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, feels derivative and his wife's book, Nicole Krauss's The History of Love, has a similar plot but significantly better writing.  Foer falls into a category that really bothers me--clever writers who choose style over emotional connection with readers.

Send the hate mail.  We're not afraid.

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 23

Day 23: A Book You Say That You've Finished (but that's a big fat lie)

Well this should be fun.  Usually I'm pretty up front about my inability to finish a book (see: Confederacy of Dunces).  Gianna lies about everything, though.  I actually think she might be illiterate.

Gianna:

Well I may have “implied” to some people that I finished this book. But I want to stress that those people who it really mattered to--and you people know who you are--I never said I finished this book. In fact I was pretty  honest (i.e. incredibly honest) about this book. So not only did I not finish this book (and I want to say that I didn’t not finish it because I couldn’t, or because I had too many other things to read for work), I didn’t finish this book because I just really did not want to (I am being nice). But it was on my “must reads” for work so a bit of a charade went on (more of a don’t ask don’t tell).  So what I did, because I sort of did want to know how it ended, I made my friend Colleen Devine read it. I do that a lot. I say, “Colleen, taste this… it's horrible”, or “does this smell bad?”, or “does it hurt when I push this bruise?” We have that relationship. If you don’t have that friend, I urge you to drop what you are doing (Hey, wait a minute! Keep reading our blog! Your life depends on it!) and go get one; they are most excellent. Anyway, she did me a total solid and read it and filled me in on the latter half of the book...which she enjoyed as much as much as I had enjoyed the first half, by the way.  I feel bad naming the book so I won’t. Just kidding, you can’t like ‘em all so I don’t feel bad. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. I know… you all just loved it.

Liz:

That "Infinite" certainly
sums it up well.

I lived in Austin, and I worked at the cool kids' bookstore, and I may have suggested to a few people that I finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.  But that period (the lying about it) only lasted for a couple of weeks.  I realized that I didn't care if I wasn't a pseudo hipster and that I have better things to do than read endless footnotes.  I don't hate David Foster Wallace, but he's definitely not my thing either.  I guess I don't understand the cultish DFW worship.  I'm fine with that, too.