1. Daniel Silva's 17th Gabriel Allon novel, House of Spies, will be hitting bookstores July 4. And this is one of the few series that I still make sure not to miss. But I have to say that one of Silva's pre-Allon books, The Unlikely Spy, sits on my rec table on Sundays. You might want to take a look.
2. I want to start a conversation, but I don't really know how to do it. Do you have to be in a specific age range to enjoy certain genres? I think I've addressed this before with you guys. But it just came up again. One of my favorite bloggers commented that she would have liked a book more if she had been part of the target audience. My feeling is that your age is irrelevant if you emotionally connect to the characters. I have read books of all genres in which the protagonists are way younger than me (who isn't?). But I still loved the book. The 2 genres that spring to mind are YA (young adults) and romance (because, after all, how many romances feature 60-somethings...or 50-somethings...or 40 somethings). If anybody is interested, I will be happy to list a few books that were definitely geared for (much) younger audiences; but that I still loved. Or, this could simply be one of those issues that nobody but me cares about. I will concede that possibility.
3. I know that many of you do not have access to our RBC (Recycle Book Club) because you don't live near Campbell, CA. But I thought I would give you our schedule anyway. We are currently booked through October! So here they are, with genre included:
Wednesday, February 22, RBC - The Scribe, book 1 of the Irin Chronicles (paranormal romance), Elizabeth Hunter
Wednesday, March 22, RBC - A Killing at Cotton Hill, Terry Shames (small-town murder mystery)
Thursday, April 20, RBC - If You Are There (historical fiction), Susan Sherman
Wednesday, May 24, RBC - Really Enough: A True Story of Tyranny, Courage and Comedy (memoir), Margaret Zhao
Wednesday, June 14, RBC - The Illuminator’s Gift, book 1 of the Voyages of the Legend (YA fantasy), Alina Sayre
Wednesday, July 12, RBC - here there be dragons (dark fiction), Jeff Rosenplot
Wednesday, August 23, RBC - Pure & Sinful, book 1 of the Pure Souls series (urban fantasy/paranormal), Killian McRae
Wednesday, September 13, RBC, Everything We Keep (contemporary fiction), Kerry Lonsdale
Sunday, October 22, RBC, 4:30 - Incriminating Evidence, book 2 of the Mike & Rosie series (legal mystery), Sheldon Siegel4. By tomorrow morning, my page views on the blog will be at 125,000! It's picking up some steam. If you are reading this, then you are helping me reach some new numbers every day. THANK YOU!
I don't think you have to be a specific age to enjoy certain genres because a good story is a good story no matter who the target audience is. Having said that, it can be hard to relate to a story when you don't understand all of the character's background.
ReplyDeleteThat explanation makes more sense to me than age-based.
DeleteI can't disagree with your argument as presented, Lloyd. But then is it the writing or my reading to blame for me feeling like a book wasn't aimed at me?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the writing!
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