attempting obscurity
I mess around with writing, but deep down I'm pretty sure I'll never actually get published because I treat it like a hobby and not a passion -- I write when I have time, instead of making time to write.
When I read, I prefer YA sci-fi/ fantasy as my go-to fiction reads. I tend toward this genre because I read fiction as an escape from the daily drudge of life. YA sci/fi-fantasy usually has more upbeat/ hopeful endings, while adult fiction of any genre (except romance) tends to have more depressingly realistic endings. Sometimes I read romance novels, but I really prefer the type with plot/ character development between sex scenes, and I don't like having to hunt for them.
In non-fiction, I prefer history, biographies, psychology, gender studies, social/applied sciences, and law/ public policy.
Currently reading
Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter (P.S.)
I didn't like this book that much, I'm sorry to say. I'm sorry to say so because it came highly recommended by a close friend of mine, because it's about an industry I'm intrigued by, and because the author often cites theological, historical, and psychological points I find utterly fascinating. It was weird to read a book from the perspective of someone who has the same type of interests I do and analyzes people in muc the same manner I do. I can't help but wonder if I come off in the same sort of off-putting way he does. It's a bit discomfiting, to tell the truth.At the same time, I honestly think the reason I didn't like this book was because his writing style seemed . . . I don't know how to explain it. Unnatural? Feigned? It felt as though he was writing in a style he admired, as though he was copying some tough-as-nails author he wished to emulate, but his actual writing style kept pushing through. Like a teenage boy wearing his dad's business suit, a bit. There were moments in the book where his voice flowed and everything seemed natural and un-self-conscious, and there were other points were I felt as though he really, really, really wanted to impress someone and was trying to mimic their style and their voice instead of staying true to himself.So maybe I shouldn't rate it so low. It's a good book, a decent read, and fairly interesting. I suspect as he familiarizes himself with writing and the publishing industry, he'll settle into his voice and style and I'll probably quite like his writing. I've seen a similar situation with other authors, and no doubt it'll happen to me if I ever climb that mountain.
