Goodreads Malaysia discussion

I know I am, guilty as charged. But are you like me, too? (And I believe Puan Nisah Haron is one book snob also, hee hee hee!)

Do you read selectively? Do you prefer certain genres, authors, or themes?

If you are slightly toward a particular side of the book-lover's spectrum--if you love your Dickens but also love your McNaught (for instance), then I say you are a book snob.

There are people who will read any book that comes out, and there are people who won't read anything that does not fulfill certain criteria. So, what are your criteria, or to be exact, what kind of books you don't read?

Me? I'll never read Mills & Boon and Twilight. I have read romance novels (Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts) but that's like one in every 5 years.

Opposite of book snob apa?

Sebab I don't think I'm one (in denial ke?). Sebab I'll read anything. Ikut mood selalunya. And I'll try any genre (bila dah bertegang leher buku tu boring then baru buat informed decision that the author is not worth reading ever again, heh).

So? Book snob v. book slut. Boleh? :)

Kataklicik,
Bolehlah tu. I don't think you're a book snob either, based on the varieties of books that you read ;)

I don't read Malay fiction, so I guess I'm a snob. I tried reading a couple about 15 years ago. Only lasted a few chapters. It was "HAJI" and I forgot the other one.

I don't read chick-lit in any language.

I don't read books by certain authors because I think they're horrible writers or at the very least do not entertain me.

Are these signs I'm a snob or is it just a matter of preference? Is there a difference?

Khairul,
Yes you definitely are a book snob. You are among the Goodreaders I had in mind when I started this thread.

I bet the "Haji" book that you read is Travelog Haji, because you mentioned it once - about not liking the author's style of writing. And it can't be 15 years before because the book wasn't written that long ago.

Guilty!

Bunnybaby wrote: "Khairul,
Yes you definitely are a book snob. You are among the Goodreaders I had in mind when I started this thread.

I bet the "Haji" book that you read is Travelog Haji, because you mentioned it ..."

My mistake. It's not 'Haji'. It's Imam

Bunnybaby wrote: "Khairul,
Yes you definitely are a book snob. You are among the Goodreaders I had in mind when I started this thread.

I bet the "Haji" book that you read is Travelog Haji, because you mentioned it ..."

My mistake. It's not 'Haji'. It's Imam

I will also try to find the hardcover edition of a book. I'll get the paperback only if there is no other choice (and if I already have the paperback edition and the publishers re-releases the Hardcover, I'll get the hardcover as well).

Snobbishness or eccentricity?

That sounds more like eccentricity, but sometimes it may seem like snobbishness, too.

Lately I refuse to read Malay love novel.. But I read Faisal Tehrani's book..

I don't read Twilight..

I don't read books by certain author because I hate their writing styles..

However, besides that I read everything..

Welcome to the Book Snob Club, Fariza :-)

Khairul H. wrote: Snobbishness or eccentricity?"

Idiosyncracies?

ahaha.. i tried reading twilight, but halfway into the second book, i throw it away! I just couldn't stand how Bella was such a lovey dovey person..My sister read the whole set, and she regretted it. Haha

Saya tak baca novel2 terbitan Alaf21 kecuali yang ditulis oleh Ramlee Awang Mursyid dan 2, 3 pengarang lain yang tidak menulis novel cinta yang pada saya mengarut.
Saya juga tak baca M & B.

So far, this is what we don't read:

1. Mills & Boon
2. Twilight
3. Malay books - Khairul only
4. Romance novels
5. Alaf21, except a few

I used to read M&B. Used to. Because I was so bored after PMR, and my mother's workplace stocked M&B in their library. So my twin & I marathon to finish the books within stipulated borrowing time. And we managed to finish the whole collection in the library before new year..eeee

Bunnybaby wrote: "So far, this is what we don't read:


3. Malay books - Khairul only
"

Correction: Malay fiction. I read Malay non-fiction.

Ummu Auni wrote: "I used to read M&B. Used to. Because I was so bored after PMR, and my mother's workplace stocked M&B in their library. So my twin & I marathon to finish the books within stipulated borrowing time. ..."

Jalan cerita semua buku-buku M&B bukan lebih kurang sama ke?

Plot lebih kurang je. Kan dah kata bosan :P. Thank God, I've passed that era

Khairul H. wrote: "Jalan cerita semua buku-buku M&B bukan lebih kurang sama ke?"

Macam mana Khairul tahu? Pernah baca ke? HAHAHA!

Huisy, your mother kerja mana ni Ummu Auni? Horror jugak ada tempat kerja yang stock up on Mills and Boons muahahahaha

Eh, saya tak look down on M&Bs ok? Sebab I think it all depends on timing. If after dah baca buku yg berat, then apa salahnya baca fluffy M&B yg predictable 'kan... :D altho I haven't read one in over two decades. Hmmm mebbe time to go out and look for one ;p

Kah kah. Kalau cakap, mesti orang terkejut. Well, the library stocked other books as well. Tapi banyaknya buku budak-budak. And the only English books for adults during that time were M&B. Yes, that's how sad our library in Malaysia was :P

Plot M&B lebih kurang. But I think I can read it, walaupun happy ending yada yada. My first thick English novel was from Judith Mc Naught at tender age of 10/11 years old. HAHAHA! Teruk kan?

Bunnybaby wrote: "Macam mana Khairul tahu? Pernah baca ke? HAHAHA!"

Pernah baca sinopsis buku-buku M&B di muka belakangnya. Bunyi sama je jalan ceritanya.

Ada lagi ke M&B?

I never read M&B either, but I know enough that the stories are all about trying to make you feel horny. There I said it.

kikiki

from a M&B reader (used to be), not all are horny. They've even segregated the sections into something like 'sweet', 'temptation', yada yada

if usually under sweet category tu, tak ada lah scene horny semacam. Selalu cerita very mild, setakat kissing pun, subtle

Hahaha! Macam mana tahu ni walaupun dah berzaman tinggalkan M&B :P

Because the same friend who shoved a Judith McNaught to me went further by suggesting a few M&B of hers. She promised me that Judith McNaught is nothing heavy but to my horror it was! (I came from a very conservative upbringing)

I read Judith Mc Naught, because I had nothing to do at my grandmother's house, and unfortunately I found the book stacked among other books. It belongs to my aunt who was furthering her study in UK during that time. I used to cry while reading Mc Naught. I used to like her books. 'Paradise' was once of her written works that made me crave for more. Judith Mc Naught, I believe was the one who popularised the Regency Historical romance genre. But her more recent books, has lost its lustre.

I couldn't find any other romance writer who's good as she is. So I ditched romance genre, and I read it once in a while, nowadays. Now, I'm more into James Patterson. Hehehe...Dah insaf. But I still have Judith Mc Naught as my collection, collecting dust at my book shelves.

Sad to say yes BUT! i'm only snobby when it comes to romance book like Mills & Boon (its a nightmare) and books that is purely created so that a supernatural being gets lovey dovey with humans is just unworthy for me to read. I hate books like that.....
I'm addicted to books like wars-people-suffer-pov, blacks and whites suffering, something with good plot, creative writing....u know story that gives u insides of the true facts but coated with fiction....did that make sense ? LOL.....but i'm not saying i don't like romance ...but I ‘did prefer romance with a twist (either discrimination or with a touch of miracle/fantasy)

Not a fan of Twilight, then?

Rata-rata di sini macam "Twilight hater" je :-p

Bunnybaby wrote: "Rata-rata di sini macam "Twilight hater" je :-p"

Saya bukan hater, tapi tak pernah berminat untuk ambil tahu. :)

A little bit of romance in novels may not be so bad if it's not laden with the nitty-gritty details of lovemaking scene.

Come to think of it, Sidney Sheldon had the tendency of injecting romance elements into his novels, even though he's not labeled as a romance novelist. Most of his plots are typical: if the female character is initially fat and ugly, when she grows up she'll miraculously be a ravishing beauty. [Sigh!]

Najmuddin wrote: "Bunnybaby wrote: "Rata-rata di sini macam "Twilight hater" je :-p"

Saya bukan hater, tapi tak pernah berminat untuk ambil tahu. :)"

YUP ME TOOOO

Sometimes romantic novelist could also write a story that we could relate with real life. I had once the opportunity to read a good book by Danielle Steel entitled "Daddy" (1989). It was a story about a father who become single parent after his wife divorce him to pursue her own happiness.

That time (in the mid nineties, I believe) was also the early years when I had the courage to read thick English novels and broaden my readings.

Is Danielle Steel really categorized as romance novelist? That's odd, coz it doesn't strike me that she is. Her only novel that I read is Vanished, and that doesn't seem like a romance novel at all. The storyline is good, but her writing style is unbearable - the first half part is super-duper slow.

I think the older I am, the more book snob I became. This is due to age - first because as time flies, my taste is more defined (or refined? whichever), just like discovering my own truest personality through time, that's how my book taste developed. Whereas the teenage years were more experimental, and that was the time I read the like of Danielle Steel and other romances (which when I put in better perspective nowadays, had robbed me of the chances to finish more important literary works of the world).

Second, when I was younger, even though arwah Abah tried to dictate what I should read or not read, the reign was let loose when he sent me to stay at the hostel. The access to books through friends were mostly romances and khurafat stories (illegally brought in and how we tried to hide them everywhere imaginable during spot checks).

Third, the resource of books that were available to me were much more restricted when I was young, while the appetite to read strong and time to read aplenty, so I read any books or material that my hands can grab everywhere anywhere. It left me with less choice.

Fourth, no true guidance to steer the world of books. Of course parents are important to instill the love of books, but their reading are mostly restricted to certain types of books, especially religious books (mother) and politics & literature (father). So that's the horizon I knew existed, just like when they all first thought that the Earth is square or mounted on the back of a tortoise.

Najibah wrote: "and khurafat stories"

Like what? Bercakap Dengan Jin, vol. 1?

Najibah wrote: "Second, when I was younger, even though arwah Abah tried to dictate what I should read or not read, ..."

As for me, the dictating role was assumed by my older sister, Wirani. She's the one who's responsible in shaping my taste in books. In fact when she took me to the public library when we were little girls, I didn't even dare to browse around the Malay fiction section. Every book that I wanted to read or borrow (using her library card - because I was still under age) must undergo her strict inspection and approved by her first.

Bunnybaby wrote: "Najibah wrote: "Second, when I was younger, even though arwah Abah tried to dictate what I should read or not read, ..."

As for me, the dictating role was assumed by my older sister, Wirani. She..."

Wah, lucky you don't shun Malay books altogether these days. How did you overcome the sanctions, eh?

Khairul H. wrote: "Najibah wrote: "and khurafat stories"

Like what? Bercakap Dengan Jin, vol. 1?"

Couldn't remember the title anymore, maybe one of those. So popular during the time.

I still remember that girls in my secondary school used to love Ahadiat Akasha's writing. Er..unfortunately I read those, but I don't like it

Bercakap dengan Jin? Dulu ada dalam Variasi kan?

Najibah wrote: "Wah, lucky you don't shun Malay books altogether these days. How did you overcome the sanctions, eh? "

Ahh! It wasn't for long. When she went to boarding school, "Merdeka!" for me lah. By then, I already had my own library card :-D

N. Aini wrote: "Er..unfortunately I read those, but I don't like it"

I'm sure at times we did (or do) read a few books not of our liking.

Aini wrote: "I still remember that girls in my secondary school used to love Ahadiat Akasha's writing. Er..unfortunately I read those, but I don't like it

Bercakap dengan Jin? Dulu ada dalam Variasi kan?"

Yep, lots of Ahadiat Akashah novels also circulated among friends. I read most of them, including those of less senonoh one. How I hope that I had better reading tastes those days and be more selective. Hopefully my kids won't make the same mistake.

Unfortunately I read those too. Maybe I was also caught with the hype. I was quite few odd ones during lower forms. Maybe because my sister & I read English novels for that matter, and we don't really like KRU.

I've always been into history, current affairs etc (even as arwah my FIL lay ill in hospital a couple of years back, I'd be the one filling him in on what went on where etc in the world becoz he was just too ill to read, or watch CNN).

However, masa baru masuk universiti dulu, I came down with pneumonia after orientation week, and had to spend 2 weeks recuperating (in an army hospital, mind you, where all the patients were men hahaha). Takdak tv, takdak reading materials, takdak kawan. So my father brought me his collection of... Far Eastern Economic Review. There must have been 3 years' worth of the stuff! Wehhhh... I think it was then I realised that what I really needed was FLUFF!

Hahaha so there's my story of metamorphing into a book slut :D

'Review' dah takde dah. Asiaweek pun. :(

On topic: Are we really snobs or just listing our preferences? Is there a difference?

When you do read selectively - by having strict preferences, you are somewhat a snob.

Initially I wanted to name the thread as "Brilliant Babes and Dudes Who Read Selectively", but that is too long and it sounds too snobbish. But heck, maybe I should add that.

Aini wrote: "... and we don't really like KRU"

Ehem, why the sudden mentioning of KRU?

Bunnybaby wrote: "Ehem, why the sudden mentioning of KRU?"

Well, I'm guessing that in Aini's context she was remembering her days in school when she and her sister were the only ones reading English novels when the rest were listening to KRU which was what all the cool Malay kids were doing then.

I think.

yup! Betul tu Khairul. Reminiscence of old time.
Ahadiat Akashah & KRU

i don't read malay books, i've tried last month but can't keep up the reading after 10 pages, the words are too heavy i guess, but i love Ahadiat Akashah's (read more than 10 yrs ago-during school time) maybe i tak patut picked Laskar Cinta as a comeback to Malay novel kot, when the last malay book u read was Ahadiat's..

while for english books, i love chick lit (easy reading, happy ending), i can read everything except romance novel (cover pun memang tak best), mystery-thriller, lepas tu macam da vincci (oh, memang i takkan baca la ni) even for free..

macam a thousand splendid suns, kite runner, shantaram tu semua i suka (tak sure ape category books ni)

so book snob ke ek? tak sure, hihihi