Thursday, July 14, 2011

Booking Through Thursday: Biographies

This week, BTT asks:
There are so many crappy biographies … would you rather read a poorly-written biography of a fascinating life, OR an exquisitely well-written, wonderful read of one of a not-so-interesting life?
Sorry, but why would I want to read anything that's poorly written? I'd much rather read a fascinating well-written biography of a fascinating individual.

Wouldn't we all?

And then there's fascinating and fascinating, isn't there? My opinion of what constitutes an interesting life might not agree with yours at all.

Actually, though, I don't really read that many biographies or autobiographies anymore -- I'm almost an all-fiction-all-the-time gal right now. In the past, I read a lot more nonfiction than I do now, for some reason. Guess I need the escape fiction provides. (Thank you, Doctor Freud.)

But if I did pick up a biog, I'd certainly prefer "exquisitely well-written" over crappy every time. No matter how fascinating its subject might be.

7 comments:

  1. You and I are on the same page. Can't figure out why anyone would want to read something that isn't written well....

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  2. I agree, no point in wasting eyesight on something poorly written.

    Here's mine:
    http://carabosseslibrary.blogspot.com/2011/07/booking-through-thursday_14.html

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  3. I agree with you, why read a poorly written bio. I have been finding I like listening to the audio of the book read by the person the bio is about. I listened to Julie Andrews "Home" a memoir, a few months ago, she read it. And now I am listening to Betty White reading her book "If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)" I find I like that much better than reading them.

    Yuck, 'the head was on the table in a pool of blood' I could never read this book, my eyes wouldn't shut tight enough... hee, hee

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  4. It looks like I gave the unpopular answer!
    Here's My BTT

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  5. I'm not sure what I'd pick! I guess it would depend on my mood at the time.

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  6. I completely agree with your answer. I'm not much into bios anyway, but I can't imagine reading one poorly written.

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  7. I don't read many biographies, but I guess is matters. I can see a life that is just so amazing, it overshadows bad writing.

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