Young Writers Society

I actually, for the most part, like the required reading that we do in school. I like the old stuff with the multiple themes and the older language. I do read some popular stuff, but out of my own accord. My friends might recommend things, but I won't read it unless it's interesting. Yes, I read all the Harry Potter books, but mostly because that's the fun stuff that you really don't have to thing hard about. The one book that I probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to read if my best friend hadn't given it to me for Christmas is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Awsome book, and I'm really glad that she forced me to read it. So, not all popular stuff is bad.

I tend to not judge book because of how popular they are or unpopular they are. I go by whatever sparks my interest. Harry potter and twilight arent literary masterpieces but they have plots and characters that keep the reader wanting more and that's why they become best sellers. Another reason might be, an actually my brother pointed this out to me when he started reading harry potter, he said that out of all my books he liked those best because he could understand them, he said "some of your stupid big fat books are boring and have words i dont get , so that means their stupid!" So it might also be that their at a level where you don't have to, as my little brother would say be a genius to understand. Like someone already said its the stuff you don't have to thiink about, you read it for mere entertainment. I wouldn't analyze harry potter as i would a book like..idk..The great gatsby for example. People who just read to be entertained and that dont analyze books , like i or many others like to do, enjoy that type of book, making it a best seller.

hmm i rambled..

I got a problem with anything very popular. Not just books but also bands/artists/songs etc. I go against the flow. Like for instance, the HP books, didn't like them and never did watch any of the movies because I just simply don't like it at all and waaaaaaaaay too many people are addicted to it already. Also those songs in the hit charts, I hate, hate, hate, hate those songs. They may sound nice but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many people keep singing it or listening to it everyday, my brain might explode!

I know, I'm weird. But that's who I am, no questions asked. If you can't take it, stay away.

I've definitely got the same problem than Casey here. Not with Harry Potter, though – I've read all of them and liked them – but the hit charts... AAAHH!!! No-no.

I've read Twilight, and though all of my friends drool over it, I just didn't get what was so great about it. Okay, it was rather entertaining, but nothing more. I won't be reading the next ones, because it just wasn't so great.

Hmm. If I've heard that some book is really good, I might read it – but first I read the back cover and decide then. I got "The Name of the Rose" from school because of my studies in mother tongue. Is it good? I will read it, because I have it now, but what did you think of it?

I've read and loved HP, although I do admit that HBP and DH could have been better. I liked the world and the characters. The best thing about Harry Potter, though, is that it renewed interest in a lot of fantasy books.

On the topic of the other popular book, I have yet to read Twilight. At the moment I don't want to pay the money to read a romance, even if it does have vampires. Maybe at some point I'll read it, but, at the moment, it's just a romance novel to me.

Basically, I judge a book by what's it's about, not how popular it is.

JK Rowling's writing drives me crazy. I love her and Harry Potter but there's only so much I can take. I like Twilight because of Edward (so I hate New Moon ) and I suppose the story is semi-good. I won't ignore a book just because it's popular but that doesn't mean that I'm going to shout from the rooftops that it's the greatest book ever written (as so many of the 'followers' do) - more often than not, it's not even close.

I think Noughts & Crosses is a popular book. It's well-written, with a great plot. I love it.

I honestly don't pay attention to how popular a book is. I just go for what catches my eye. As for HP, I resisted reading it when I was eight because I didn't want to read the same stuff as everyone else. However, I'm glad I did because I enjoyed them and they introduced me to fantasy.
I pretty much agree with others regarding Twilight. Not the best-written, but I enjoy them.

Suzanne wrote:Best Sellers aren't always the best. Sometimes, they are! But the ones you always here about, in my opinion, are more entertainment than good writing. Without upsetting too many Twilight fans, the Meyer isn't that great of a writer. If you can ignore the ugly writing, and just get into it, it's not so bad. But then when you start thinking about all the stupid problems she has with her character's and plot...A friend and I make fun of it, haha.

I don't tend to read the overly popular books, or the popular ones in general. Unless a good friend says I should read it, and gives me a good reason why, I won't. I'm a bit of an odd one though. I don't like things that are overly popular. They scare me.

I agree with you here. I think that Meyer has become very overrated; I mean I don't think that the plot of Twilight is that bad it’s just her writing. She's not that good at writing she's just good at adding entertainment to her books which captivates a reader well.

I think that some popular books can be good but a lot of the time there not always that good in terms of writing. I think that there are plenty of unknown novels out their which are a lot better they just happen to be unknown, I wouldn’t always go by how good a book is just because it’s a bestseller.

Give me a break. People saying they don't like anything too popular are silly. I mean, if something is good, then read it/listen to it/watch it. The product doesn't change just because a lot of people are buying it. Granted, most songs in the hit charts are bad. But Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" was first in the Billboard a few years ago. Did it make it worse? Hell, no. Harry Potter may have jumped the shark with the fifth book, and it's not like the first couple of them were that memorable either, but the third one and the fourth one were pretty accomplished. And "Pulp Fiction" grossed over 250 million dollars, spawning thousands of carbon copies and lesser imitations. Did that make the movie any worse?

Obviously things being popular doesn't make them bad, but being bad can make things popular. If you follow me.

There's a lot of downsizing going on. People don't read much, so an easy read becomes quickly popular. Does that make the book bad? Of course not. But a lot of easy reads, for people who don't read much, boil down to junk writing. Junk fiction. It's not their fault that they can't pick out a Mary Sue or a poor plot, but an awful lot of good writers end up feeling cheated when it's all said and done.

I don't think that books should be read on a basis of how popular they are. By that I mean, they shouldn't just be read because they are popular, but they also shouldn't be avoided for the same reason.

I mean, look at Harry Potter. I absolutely adore those books, and there's not really anything anybody can say to change that. When I was little, I didn't want to read them because I thought that popular meant bad. In that case, it didn't. JK Rowling, in my opinion, is an excellent writer with a way with words who gives us wonderful characters. And so, I think, she deserves to be popular.

Now, Stephenie Meyer... I loved The Host, so I can't badmouth her. But Twilight? Edward Cullen? Come on. Most girls just read it because they think he's hot (personally I find him chauvinistic, overbearing and over-protective, but he isn't written that way). He's too perfect, and it wrecks any good writing in the books, which isn't much. That said, I do think she's grown as a writer.

I reckon, if you hear a book's good, go for it, but don't favour or shun it based on the amount of people who like it. If a friend recommends it, and they enjoyed it, if you have similar taste then you might like it too. Or you might not. But just because a lot of people like a book is no guarantee that you will like or dislike it.

As far as Twilight goes however, I say read The Host, save yourself from Edward Cullen.

I don't read much in the way of popular books. I own the first book in the Maximum Ride series, and I read Twilight. Maximum Ride I can live with, though I still need to get the rest of the books. However, I did not like Twilight. And not just because I'm a guy and feel threatened by Edward(stupid smarmy immortal freak). Meyers had just about everything fall into place so perfectly it was annoying. Car about to hit someone? Somebody's got super-strength! Evil vampire menacing you? This family you barely know is going to put their time and money into making sure you're safe! There's a lot in that book that's not realistic, and it's not just the vampires.

Oh, I have never read Harry Potter. Never really had any desire to.

i actually tell my boyfriend to read all of the popular books bc usually they are bigger and he gets payed to read them

chocoholic wrote:I don't know if I like reading them. I did love Harry Potter, but I'm wary of reading Twilight, because it's so popular. All my friends have read it and love it, but what if I read it and hate it? That would be weird. I was going to read it, but once it because so huge, I was put off by the idea. It doesn't sound very good, and I'm not sure I want to, even though everybody says I should.

Don't bother. It's terrible.

Like Suzanne said, best sellers are usually more entertainment value than literary value, not that it's always a bad thing. (They would ideally be both, or at least have some merit other than sexy vampires, but ...) It's like the difference between a movie and a film: sometimes you want brain candy, but sometimes you actually want to be able to think.

What's interesting is how some people will comment on your preferences if they are not interested in "popular" things and you are. I once had a Buffy The Vampire Slayer novel at work (when the show was still making episodes) and one of the others there accused me of giving in to pop culture. But in reality, I watched the pilot episode on the day it was first played in Canada, and liked it instantly.