#answering these was So much more fun than the persuasive piece about mandatory bike helmet laws i have to write today

[artemisbarnowl]

Epilogue, princeps, addendum, and appendix for the books ask?

Ah thank you!

Epilogue: what book made me cry

answered here and here but a THIRD (luckily I’m a sensitive soul) would be Stasiland by Anna Funder. This book is about East Germany and it’s secret police, told through a journalist gathering interviews. I don’t Always cry, and it’s not Bawling, but there’s one part where the journalist is trying to meet with a woman who wanted to speak with her leaving a message to say goodbye and finally getting a ‘wait if you’re still here come now’ sort of thing, tied with the part that describes the effect the stasi had on this woman, living somewhere open, up high, with no doors, unable to make plans and keep them, and it just breaks my heart a little.

Princeps: popular author I don’t like

So many! most fit into the ‘pop movie’ theme of book, Matthew Reilly gets special mention here, as I only read ‘the great zoo of china’ and still I got beat over the head with ‘i want to make action movies please let me make action movies’ So. Many. Times. There are so many ways to write action in books that doesn’t do that, but I found he REALLY took me Out of the book, which the opposite of what you want to do I think. I think everyone loves to hate Dan Brown but he’s on here too because unfortunately he counts as popular so can be the posterboy for male writer self insert nausea.

Addendum: A book trope I can’t stand

aside male self inserts, enemies to lovers is one I really struggle with because for me the change is so often inexplicable? Not necessarily Sworn Enemies either, it often happens with ‘i am here because I have to be but I don’t like you, or your way of life and share few of your values’ and then it sort of just turns into ‘I’ve spent so much time around you I suddenly like your faults for some reason, even though I still don’t like your way of life and share few of your values’ Sometimes when I realise a protagonist suddenly loves someone they’ve been rolling their eyes over I get all ‘wait, what?’ and the explanation doesn’t seem to deliver? I’m willing to admit this could just be the way I’m wired as a person, as I need reasons for everything. And while I KNOW that a lot of preconceptions about someone might be incorrect and getting to know them better often results in more positive feelings, sometimes the justification for LOVE is weak. but then again, who has justifications for love in real life either.

Appendix: Overdone book trope I still love

arguably Not overdone, but I will always love ‘nobody suspects the old lady’. Miss Marple is queen here, and Ms Duszejko also falls into this. It’s not even necessarily about whether they commit a crime, but rather nobody expects old women to be capable of anything and just ignore them to their Extreme Detriment. I want to see more of this. I would probably be happy reading exclusively books that use this in some way.

book ask prompt here