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Is It Me, OR Is That Author Trying TOOOOO Hard?

May 15, 2009

Do you ever wonder what all the hubbub is about a particular best-selling Cozy Mystery author? I DO!

There are several authors whom I have tried… popular authors… VERY popular authors… who I simply think “try too hard” to be funny, amusing, clever, entertaining… These are authors who I have actually gone on to read more than just the first mystery in their series, since I know that sometimes there are kinks that need to be worked out when first starting a new series. And, let’s face it, if they are best selling authors, when a lot of authors are being discontinued by their publishers, these funny, amusing, clever, and entertaining authors must be good!

But, try as I might, I can’t find their books enjoyable… The humor seems “forced”… I just can’t continue reading them.

I am thinking of one such author, who people clamor to read. They await her next novel and cannot wait to find out what kooky, hilarious antics her main characters will get into next. She leaves me wondering if I have an awful sense of humor. 

I know that I am in a tiny (as in itty-bitty, miniscule) minority when it comes to this particular author. She has such a huge fan base. But try as a might, I just cannot read her cozies… Each time one of her reoccuring characters pulls another “funny.” or mumbles a wise-alecky crack, I just roll my eyes >>> away from the book’s page! I just can’t seem to enjoy the “hilarious” antics which are tossed liberally with snarky, sassy dialog. The author just seems to try too hard to make it all sound naturally funny.

I once stumbled upon one reviewer who admitted to not liking this author. And, I stress the “once”>>> I totally agree with that reviewer’s assessment, but apparently a whole lot of people don’t.

Maybe it’s just a case of the emperor… Anyway, that’s what I like to think.

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16 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Comments

  1. Jan says

    May 15, 2009 at 8:58 am

    Hmmm…”kooky and hilarious antics”. I think I know who you mean and I couldn’t agree more. I admit I liked the first ones in the series but when the humor became forced, the kooky situations were the same ones used over and over, and the characters didn’t grow or develop it got old very, very fast. The “plot” is the same in book #1 as in the more recent ones.

    I do appreciate an honest negative review done without slamming the author. After all, what is one person’s cup of tea may not be another’s, so when I read a negative review based on what someone didn’t like about a book it has often saved me from a book I would not enjoy.

    Reply
  2. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    May 15, 2009 at 9:38 am

    Hi Jan,

    After reading your comment… It looks like you might just know which author I was thinking about when I wrote that entry… I love humor in my cozies, but not gratuitous antics…

    Reply
  3. Dennis says

    May 15, 2009 at 9:40 am

    I liked the analogy you used with the emperor. Sometimes we do not see what other people see.

    Reply
  4. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    May 15, 2009 at 10:44 am

    Isn’t that the truth?!!!?

    Reply
  5. -V- says

    May 15, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    It just dawned on me who you must likely be talking about. I read and completely loved the first five, then sort of liked 6-9…then gave up after trying to read (and didn’t finish) #10. It made me sad at first, but I realized that life is too short to read bad books…that is now my motto. There are so many other authors with wonderful books for me to read (and Mt Git’r’Read shows it). I lean more towards the not so prolific writers now.

    Reply
  6. Bernadette says

    May 15, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    It doesn’t only happen with cosy authors for me. But I suspect I agree with you if you’re talking about who I think you are talking about…I’ve never understood people’s fascination with her books although to be fair I haven’t even tried to read the last half dozen or so – I won a copy of ” *** *** *** ” and gave it away without even opening the cover.

    Reply
  7. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    May 16, 2009 at 12:02 pm

    Sounds like the author you think she is has put out a lot of books!

    I know what you mean about prolific writers >>> I have seen authors who are able to consecutively put out three or four books a year. I wonder if that is why they write so many different series. It’s no small wonder that they are able to keep their plot lines separate. I am sure I couldn’t keep three or four different series going at the same time. >>> It takes me too much time to organize something as easy as my grocery store list!

    (I have modified one of the above comments, since I don’t want to give too many identifying details… Hope that’s OK…)

    Reply
  8. Pat says

    May 18, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    I have no clue who this author is but I don’t really read humorous cozies (not intentionally anyway). I would still want to avoid a bad series. Any more clues as to who you are referring to?

    Reply
  9. Larraine says

    May 21, 2009 at 12:01 am

    I’m not sure why this post is so coy. Why not just say it? Other bloggers do so. This is your opinion so why not just say who you mean? I find this post annoying. And disappointing.

    Reply
  10. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    May 21, 2009 at 11:47 am

    I’m sorry, Larraine, that my entry is so annoying to you. I make it a personal choice not to mention authors who I really do not like. I know that other bloggers do, but I simply don’t find that choice to be right for me.

    I also know that other bloggers and sites “find something positive” in every book and author they read… which is something I don’t do, either. So, at least I am not “endorsing” an author I don’t like as someone I follow and love reading.

    I hope that this particular entry is the only one that has disappointed you… and hope that you can overlook it.

    Reply
  11. Pat says

    May 28, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    I guess we will never know…

    Reply
  12. Edie Dykeman says

    June 2, 2009 at 5:11 am

    I agree that sometimes authors try too hard. I also think I know who you are talking about. I stopped purchasing her books a while back and now when a new one comes out I glance through it just to see what everyone is up to. The series ceased to amuse me a long time ago.

    It is sad when lesser known authors are dropped before their work can break through to a large enough audience. I’m hoping that somehow we can help promote those authors so that their books can be read, if only by word of mouth and on sites such as yours.

    Reply
  13. Betty says

    June 3, 2009 at 9:03 am

    Boy do I agree with this topic, and yes I also think I know which series of books is in question (actually two series). Enough already with the puns, and the endless play on words. The story (such as it is) is getting lost entirely. I too have decided after stumbling through the last book to let it go.

    Reply
  14. linda says

    September 20, 2011 at 5:50 am

    This is another comment from a much older posting but I agree with you on this topic. Some writers just try too hard to finish a book, or it seems to me anyway. Sometimes some of the stories seem to be hurried; like the writer can’t hardly wait to finish the book! I just read a book yesterday that started out good but then the story got too complicated but I still wanted to see what the outcome was. When this happens I just sort of skim the pages and read only the dialog..

    Have any of you ever had a book by a certain author that was really a great book but then almost all proceeding books just weren’t any good? “The Thorn Birds” is my most favorite books of all time. (Except for the Harry Potter” books, of course.) But I just haven’t been able to get into any other books by this author.
    Just wondering!

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      September 20, 2011 at 5:05 pm

      Linda, when I was a member of two Cozy Mystery reading groups, I read several books which I thought should not have been published. Back then, since I was a member of the groups, I didn’t go by my 50 page rule, and made the effort to finish every book we had selected. I found quite a few authors who I added to my “YUCK list”>>> who other group members absolutely loved. I don’t know about the authors’ following books, but I know a lot of the members continued reading those authors. The old saying “What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.” >>>No, not that one >>> perhaps “To each his own.” …

      Reply
  15. linda says

    September 20, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    I guess you are right Danna. That’s why there are so many books about so many different subjects. It would be a very dull world if we all read the same things.

    Reply

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