So I started volunteering at my local library. And as I've been shelving books for a month now, I've noticed trends.
Janet Evanovich. Nora Roberts. J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). Iris Johansen. Charlaine Harris. Danielle Steele. Gilbert Morris. Fern Michaels. Debbie Macomber. Luanne Rice. Linda Lael Miller. Karen Kingsbury. Julie Garwood. James Patterson. Laurell K. Hamilton. Mary Higgins Clark. Catherine Coulter. Heather Graham. Sue Grafton.
I only knew four or five of these names before I started this job, but in my one month at the library, I've become increasingly familiar with all of them. It turns out that books by these authors make up something like 50 to 70 percent of the books that get checked out from the adult fiction section. This sometimes makes me want to cry.
Why do I care, you ask? Well, the simple truth is that I am a snob. I am one of those people who likes to read important books. I give books as presents on every occasion possible. I think that reading is one of the most important educational experiences there is, and that people who don't read are missing out on a huge chunk of life. I refuse to buy books with the Oprah sticker on them, because as much as I appreciate anyone who gets people to read, I really hate when classic literature is turned into the latest beach reading fad.
And I hate cookie-cutter books, like those of the authors I mentioned above. Most of those authors have upwards of ten or fifteen books in their name sitting on the shelves, some significantly more (like Nora Roberts, who is so prolific that her publisher made her adopt a second name she could be published under, because they just couldn't publish things as quickly as she wrote them). These books all have titles and covers (and plots, I assume) that are just variations of each other.
Janet Evanovich
One for the Money; Two for the Dough; Three to Get Deadly; Four to Score; High Five; Hot Six; Seven Up; Hard Eight; and so on (all the way through sixteen, with a couple extras in the middle. That's just one of her series).
Nora Roberts
- Born in Fire; Born in Ice; Born in Shame
- Jewels of the Sun; Tears of the Moon; Heart of the Sea
- Key of Light; Key of Knowledge; Key of Valor
- Blue Dahlia; Black Rose; Red Lily
- Sea Swept; Rising Tides; Inner Harbor; Chesapeake Blue
- Daring to Dream; Holding the Dream; Finding the Dream
And so on, with over 160 books (that was the most recent count I could find without going through and counting them myself, which I refuse to do because it would take years of my life that I'm not willing to spend--if you want to see her entire booklist on her website, you have to download a PDF file).
Linda Lael Miller
- the Montana Creeds series (A Creed in Stone Creek; Creed's Honor; The Creed Legacy; A Creed Country Christmas; Montana Creeds: Tyler; Montana Creeds: Dylan; Montana Creeds: Logan)
- the Springwater series (Springwater Wedding; A Springwater Christmas; Springwater Seasons: Jessica (and Miranda and Savannah and Rachel))
- the Vampire series (Tonight and Always; Time Without End; For All Eternity; Forever and the Night). And several other series that follow the same trends.
I'm not saying that these books are bad. I understand perfectly well that people have different tastes, and that every now and then a completely frivolous read is just necessary. The thing that makes me sad is the proportion, the fact that these books--combined with the actual Harlequin romances-- are by far the majority of books being checked out at my library. There just seem to be so few people who read actual meaningful literature anymore, and it's tragic how much people are missing.
(In case you're wondering about the title... I heard it in a TV commercial, and of course it annoyed me so much that I saved it in my blog drafts for six months knowing I'd eventually use it for something. Obviously this post is not about television, but to me the attitude is basically the same.)
Miri, Miri. Reading this post is like holding up a mirror. I, too, am a book snob. If I want a book that happens to be a part of Oprah's book club, I'll only buy one that stupid "O" on it.
ReplyDeleteDespite my snobbery, I have read a few books by the authors above. But they just weren't worth the resources put into them - paper, ink, dollars, and, least of all, my time. Literature has the power to change the soul and influence the world. And there is so much good literature!
Checking out only the Danielle Steeles and James Pattersons from the library instead of something with more substance is like going to a buffet and eating only the apple sauce. It's easy to digest, but it will never fill you up.
Haha Linds, that is an excellent analogy. I see these books as the literary equivalent of soap operas--fine as a guilty pleasure, but sad if they're the only thing you read. There's just no substance to them, and when you read them exclusively, at the expense of all the other amazing literature out there, you really might as well be watching TV instead.
ReplyDeleteI will admit to enjoying two of those authors... and I didn't stop reading because it was too "fluffy and light," because I need that sometimes. I stopped reading them (Evanovich and Harris) because both became too repetitive. I also felt that way about the Georgia Nicholson series too. By the way, I asked you about the last book on goodreads... maybe you didn't notice it. Anyways, I feel the same way as you. I have gotten that attitude from others about reading YA fiction though. Are you enjoying shelving? I was a shelver until earlier this year and I'm a floating substitute shelver now. It's fun to see what people read.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha! Story of my life, Miri. I've been shelving books for about a year and nine months, and I see those authors' names WAY too often.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I agree with you 100%. Why people keep putting a million holds on James Patterson's books even though he doesn't even write them himself anymore is beyond me. However. The first thing I really had to learn in my Reader's Advisory class and as I work at the library is that people should be able to read what they like without judgment (or at least without me making a face) so when they ask for Amish romances, I recommend Beverly Lewis to them with a smile. I like to think of it like I think about the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar usage. I'm okay if no one uses the subjunctive anymore, and I'm okay with them all reading James Patterson. Mostly.:)
ReplyDeleteSecondly - part of the problem here is exposure. If it goes on the Bestseller list, it leaves our library in droves- and some people (Janet Evanovich, for one) debut on the bestseller list. It's a self-perpetuating problem. The best thing to do is get good books into displays, reading programs, book groups, etc. so the people who will only read what someone else recommends will try it out. Displays are the librarian's backlash against the McDonaldization of literature.
(banana)
Curse the fickleness of Barnes and Noble's internet... I had a wonderful multi-paragraph response all ready last night and when I clicked to post it, the whole internet exploded and never came back. I will now be trying to recreate that comment from memory.
ReplyDeleteMegan B.--I just barely discovered the notifications thing on Goodreads, and had all these comments I hadn't seen before! Sorry about that, responding... now. I know what you mean about YA novels, too, I always feel like people are judging me for reading them even if they don't say anything. Which is a shame, because while there are some (like the Georgia books) that are fluffy and light and totally a just-for-fun situation, there are some really amazing, quality books in that genre. And I am definitely enjoying shelving! I keep finding things I want to read as I'm putting books away, it is awesome. I will never be able to get to them all, and I love that. :)
Megan W. (for now)--HAHA. Well. Obviously I am not going up to people and asking, "Why aren't you reading something better??" You are right though, and like I said, I have no problem with people reading these books. It's just the scale that makes me sad--the fact that it seems the majority of people are reading just these books. (And obviously this is just my library, I have no idea about other places.)
The exposure thing is sooo sad. Our library always has excellent displays, but it's so small that there's only one place where we even have room for them. I just see so many amazing books that never seem to leave the shelves, while darn Nora Roberts and all her aliases are in and out constantly, and I want to walk up to people and say, "Will you read this book? It's amazing and no one ever checks it out, and I think you'll love it."