American Gods

[The Tinman]

You're absolutely right. Taste is subjective, and whether you enjoy something or not is not a measure of whether it is good or not.

Life is far too short.... read something you WILL enjoy. )

Debbi, the only reason I made it as far into the book as I did, was because it was supposed to be so good. Sometimes I'll read a book to discover what the writer offered that other people enjoyed. I've struggled through a few stinkers because of it, lol. Recently, my wife was reading a book, The Light Between the Oceans, and she had such a visceral reaction to the story I decided to read it. This makes two novels in a row I struggled with. I might read something for pleasure now just to get the bad taste out of mouth, lol.

[The Tinman]

Depending on your experience, education, and character, it could well be a very accurate measure of whether it is good or not.

Of course. Just because a book is a Best Seller doesn't mean it's good. And you have to look at who "highly recommends" it; in this case, one of my daughters. I might not be so quick to accept her recommendations in the future, lol.

[The Tinman]

Try "Out of Sight":

Foley had never seen a prison where you could walk right up to the fence without getting shot.

Jayce, I'm going to check the library for a few of his books first. Are there any certain characters in a series I should look for? Thanks!!

[jayce]

Are there any certain characters in a series I should look for?

Jeez... hard question, he was soooo prolific--40+ novels, 26 of which were adapted to movie and tv. He didn't write series, but some of his characters reappear in subsequent novels. Leonard wrote in two genres (westerns, originally; and later crime). My advice is go here and peruse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard.

I read many of his novels (not the westerns; don't know why); of those that I remember, I'd recommend GET SHORTY, BE COOL, RUM PUNCH, OUT OF SIGHT. And I'd vote against CUBA LIBRE and TISHOMINGO BLUES, but ymmv.

The guy was a master story teller.

Enjoy.

[The Tinman]

Jeez... hard question, he was soooo prolific--40+ novels, 26 of which were adapted to movie and tv. He didn't write series, but some of his characters reappear in subsequent novels. Leonard wrote in two genres (westerns, originally; and later crime). My advice is go here and peruse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard.

I read many of his novels (not the westerns; don't know why); of those that I remember, I'd recommend GET SHORTY, BE COOL, RUM PUNCH, OUT OF SIGHT. And I'd vote against CUBA LIBRE and TISHOMINGO BLUES, but ymmv.

The guy was a master story teller.

Enjoy.

Thanks, Jayce!!

[Debbi V]

Depending on your experience, education, and character, it could well be a very accurate measure of whether it is good or not.

Again, no. It could be a measure of what one person considers good. If someone is educated and experienced then their "good" is totally different to that which an uneducated, inexperienced person considers good. The term "subjective" means just that, and who is to say whose "good" is better. Each to their own. Too much snobbery about. If you enjoy your stuff, let someone you consider less educated than yourself enjoy their good too.

[John Oberon]

On the contrary, there are many elements both of writing and storytelling that are generally non-negotiable, and there are many others that are non-negotiable given a particular genre. and still others given a particular context. Reader enjoyment is not a measure of good writing, i.e. Twilight and Fifty Shades of Gray. Many enjoyed those books, but by any literary measure, the writing stunk on ice. Conversely, good writing does not guarantee reader enjoyment.

I don't care who enjoys what. Heck, there's plenty of bad writing that I enjoy, but that is no basis to judge the quality of writing. It's simply an emotional response. To be sure, there's an emotional component, but always, it is the intellectual components that create the emotion.