tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post586006173734080022..comments2024-03-27T12:04:11.802-07:00Comments on Bloggin' 'bout Books: Sentimentality Kills the Story in Christmas JarsSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344704891037668456noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-3731160743769873842008-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:002008-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00Hey again, Susan, you're absolutely right, the NYT...Hey again, Susan, you're absolutely right, the NYT list a popularity contest. That's the point; it's based on sales. Good sales generally means people are liking a book. Not all, of course, that never happens. I read and LOVED both The Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns. A good friend of mine liked neither, though both books have been colossal bestsellers.<BR/><BR/>We've talked about the very idea you mentioned. Great minds! :) We're just waiting for the movie (2009) before releasing something like that.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the spunky reviews!Jason Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04995709291962255156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-55992186964334231232008-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:002008-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:00I left you an award on my blog!! Have a great day...I left you an award on my blog!! Have a great day =)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-65100545108995802472008-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:002008-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00Hi Jason - I'm honored that you stopped by (and I'...Hi Jason - I'm honored that you stopped by (and I'm glad you have a sense of humor!). <BR/><BR/>To be perfectly honest, I think I would have loved a book describing the Christmas jar tradition and how it has touched real people's lives - a companion book, perhaps?? I just didn't care for the story - I thought it was too sentimental, too predictable, and too far-fetched. Obviously, I'm in the minority, but I just can't stand sticky-sweet fiction. Sorry :( <BR/><BR/>As for the NYT Bestseller List (which is really just a popularity contest - bestsellers, like beauty queens, often lack substance), I'd rather see your books there than James Patterson's newest R-rated thriller. Obviously, your story has inspired a lot of people to do a lot of good, and that's a wonderful thing. <BR/><BR/>Congratulations on your success - truly.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05344704891037668456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-64212917730436324732008-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:002008-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:00Inside - I haven't read Wednesday Letters, but I'm...Inside - I haven't read Wednesday Letters, but I'm planning to. This one was just too much sentimentality with too little character development or real substance.<BR/><BR/>Kay - Come to think of it, I'm not much of a Nicholas Sparks fan either. Or Richard Paul Evans, for that matter. Perhaps I'm just not sentimental enough for this genre - LOL.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05344704891037668456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-87988046522813521972008-02-09T14:08:00.000-08:002008-02-09T14:08:00.000-08:00Yikes! I should leave fiction to the pros? I have ...Yikes! I should leave fiction to the pros? I have to admit, despite your scathing review that line actually made me chuckle :)<BR/><BR/>Not bothered in the slightest you didn't enjoy it. That's the beauty of books. We're free to write them how we like, readers are free to connect and enjoy or toss it in the fire. I sure don't enjoy every book I read either, even when it seems the vast majority of readers have. (as is the case with Christmas Jars) 250K books are published annually in this country, we're not going to like them all, even if the neighbor does.<BR/><BR/>Just don't tell my agent, editor, or the folks that compile the NYT bestseller list that I shouldn't be writing fiction for a living :)Jason Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04995709291962255156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-44756148626556850762008-02-09T06:16:00.000-08:002008-02-09T06:16:00.000-08:00I haven't read this book yet. Maybe at some point...I haven't read this book yet. Maybe at some point. I did read THE WEDNESDAY LETTERS and wrote a review. I liked it pretty well and have recommended it to several patrons that I think would like a frankly sentimental book (Nicholas Sparks lovers come to mind). Glad of your frank review and I will pick this one up at some point and see if it hits me the same way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32315311.post-90851091244907897222008-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:002008-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:00I felt exactly the same way about the book. You ex...I felt exactly the same way about the book. You expressed it beautifully! I really wanted to like it too - the premise was creative. I finished reading his second one, The Wednesday Letters, because one of my kids gave it to me for Christmas. Once again I loved the plotline and the marketing capability of it. Yet as I wrote in my book journal, it just doesn't develop with the same pop and power that I was hoping for. I gave it a 2.5/5! I felt that the author got better with this new book, but it still just didn't deliver.<BR/>Thanks for sharing an honest and credible review.Inside A Bookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16962025550367558251noreply@blogger.com