tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post854938710594730667..comments2023-09-12T06:18:38.552-04:00Comments on The World in the Satin Bag: Emotional Attachment, Aging, and BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-61866521366775200132010-09-24T07:19:21.517-04:002010-09-24T07:19:21.517-04:00Well, now I'm going to have to read Philip Pul...Well, now I'm going to have to read Philip Pullman's books. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-85833795449009055822010-09-24T01:01:29.494-04:002010-09-24T01:01:29.494-04:00Perhaps the Harry Potter thing owes more to shrewd...Perhaps the Harry Potter thing owes more to shrewd marketing and myth making around the author than literary merit.<br />I enjoyed the Philip Pullman series much more and enjoyed some of the obsessive `can't put it down and when is the next one' that some of you describe.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-45295521258718676772010-09-19T17:42:10.849-04:002010-09-19T17:42:10.849-04:00fiorinda: Thanks for the comment. I guess that&#...fiorinda: Thanks for the comment. I guess that's something I'll have to accept, then. I don't like it, though. I like being excited. I like the rush, but I'll readily admit that my tastes and expectations have become more "sophisticated." I use that word hesitantly, because I don't want it to be taken to mean that I have "better" tastes, just that my tastes are much more complicated than they used to be.<br /><br />Maybe there's something in living vicariously through the young, though. I don't have children. I'd like to have them some day, though. And there does seem to be something wonderful about exposing one's children to things and seeing that they love it too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-62220688808846546872010-09-19T13:45:25.604-04:002010-09-19T13:45:25.604-04:00I have to agree with Dave B. The more hype, the l...I have to agree with Dave B. The more hype, the less likely I am to join in. By the 4th or 5th H.P., I was over it. Maybe because I was(mostly) an adult when they were introduced, so I didn't exactly "grow up" with them. I find much more joy in discovering old authors that are new to me. That way I can just go to the Library and read all their books in a week.<br /><br />The last book I remember being excited about was Scott Westerfield's Leviathan. I am a fan of steampunk and S.W., so it seemed like it would be a win-win. I liked it, but not as much as his other books. <br /><br />I think maybe as we age the number of disappointments starts to outweigh the times the item of our excitement meets or exceeds our expectations, whether it is a book, music, movie, etc. This leads us to be more cautious in our enthusiasm. <br /><br />Now I enjoy watching my young children experience the thrill of new books. I have a 9 yr old son who is finally discovering the joy of sci-fi and fantasy. I just gave him one of my William Sleator books to read, and he came asking for the sequel as soon as he was done.fiorindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504120709183671153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-8605474281143022582010-09-16T01:28:07.624-04:002010-09-16T01:28:07.624-04:00Perhaps this is just proving your point about age ...Perhaps this is just proving your point about age and excitement, but I get very excited about books! I was utterly filled with glee about the new Terry Pratchett book, I absolutely can't wait for the next Charles Stross, so on, so forth ... new books by people I love elevate my mood for days :)Basilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11023130276223065617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-69671955009592473552010-09-16T00:04:16.062-04:002010-09-16T00:04:16.062-04:00There's a lot that can be said on this topic, ...There's a lot that can be said on this topic, but I'll try to stick to just two insights that I don't think have been mentioned yet. Though before I get to those, briefly: Harry Potter just recently ended. Isn't it overkill to expect another property to sweep you up in the same way this quickly?<br /><br />Which actually leads well into this first insight: one thing I think is supremely responsible for the (supposed) lack of excitement generated by modern properties is the comparative swiftness the sequels, threequels, and so on are released. I've noticed most of the examples in the comments section here name books that have long been delayed, and series that haven't been released with any absolute regularity before that. It could be that popping out the next volume like clockwork keeps most series from garnering any sort of sincere excitement, that eager anticipation that may only be garnered if there's an actual question involved: Will it come? When? What will it be? Nowadays, we tend to know, conclusively, the date, synopsis, and even a sample of the next volume before we finish the current one.<br /><br />Maybe stories that have this profound an effect on us, by definition, will be rare to come by?<br /><br />Secondly, there's the question of hype. For me, personally, I have to discover something on my own for it to truly thrill me. The hype can grow and get out of control later, or I can just be oblivious to any hype that does exists, but initially the discovery has to not feel like jumping on a band wagon. Otherwise, I'll be too self-conscious to feel anything deeply.<br /><br />Which is difficult in the digital era where information spreads faster than we can keep up with. This isn't to say it happens less, necessarily, than it ever did before. But for those who require this "discovery" aspect to be thrilled, that requires a concerted effort to beat the crowd to the next "phenomenon".Dave B.http://www.killingthegrizzly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-51316348167118770082010-09-15T23:14:37.740-04:002010-09-15T23:14:37.740-04:00Elfy: I do get excited about certain movies. I w...Elfy: I do get excited about certain movies. I was all kinds of excited about Inception (and it lived up to the hype). But there haven't been many books that I've found myself desperate to get my hands on...it's strange.<br /><br />Jonathan: Mieville and VanderMeer are both very interesting writers. I've liked work by both of them a great deal. Nothing wrong with living in caves, though :P. Sometimes it's good for you.<br /><br />And I don't get all the rancor over GRRM's lag. It seems irrational and counterproductive to me. But I'm not a big fan of his fantasy work. I think his science fiction is top notch, though.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-19186534704235454752010-09-15T21:09:57.688-04:002010-09-15T21:09:57.688-04:00Despite all the rancor on the web about it, I'...Despite all the rancor on the web about it, I'm still excited for GRRM's next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire. And after reading Brandon Sanderson's continuation of the Wheel of Time, I'm excited for the Towers of Midnight as well (Plus Sanderson is a MACHINE, so I know I'll see those in the near future).<br /><br />Both of these series brought me back to fantasy about 10 years ago. Mieville and Vandermeer have injected new excitement into reading for me as well, having just discovered them for myself within the last year or so. And yes, in fact, I did live in a cave for a while ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-33733889003817000802010-09-15T21:08:37.569-04:002010-09-15T21:08:37.569-04:00I remember when the HP 7 release news hit. My wife...I remember when the HP 7 release news hit. My wife and I were up the coast that day and there was furious text messaging to all our like minded friends and relatives.<br />Sometimes I read something (movies don't really have the same effect on me) that really makes me sit up and I get all excited about it and follow it avidly. I will scream for pure joy the day George Martin posts 'It is done!' on his NaB regarding A Dance with Dragons and I'll do something similar when I see a copy of Scott Lynch's Republic of Thieves that is actually for sale. HP was a phenomenon and it crossed age boundaries. I long for the day when we see another phenomenon like it.Elfyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09955473789404631382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-6819855151019606412010-09-15T18:52:35.874-04:002010-09-15T18:52:35.874-04:00Jonathan: I'm sort of the same way now. I fi...Jonathan: I'm sort of the same way now. I find that hype leads more often than not to disappointment. <br /><br />Is there a way to combat the side of us that makes us less impressed? I remember the wonderful feeling Harry Potter gave me when I was excited for the next book. Can we get that feeling back, or will it be artificial?<br /><br />I'm raising lots of questions. It's something I don't quite know how to answer, so you'll have to excuse the questioning nature of all of this.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-6746720889649630542010-09-15T15:26:41.642-04:002010-09-15T15:26:41.642-04:00I feel like I've tempered my anticipation/exci...I feel like I've tempered my anticipation/excitement for something with the reality that things are rarely as amazing as we build them up to be (or others build them up to be). Basically, it's a hedge against disappointment (again, for me).<br /><br />I do think, as we age, something really has to be exceptional in story and in craft to knock our socks off because we have more hours of reading under our belts. We've also seen a lot in the real world against which we can compare what we read. Naivete has a nice way of making things more magical.<br /><br />For a time, I wanted to be a Middle-Earth historian. Lord of the Rings resonated with its deep back story and overall feeling of antiquity. If someone were to offer me the job now, I'd still take it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com