Comments on Nothing In Particular: Never judge a book by its reputation

@ Pankaj: Well said, haha. Never thought about it ...

2009-11-06T06:03:45.162+05:30

@ Pankaj: Well said, haha. Never thought about it that way! Though it breaks my heart to hear "Vivek Oberoi" and "mindless" in the same sentence. Yes, yes, I know it's justified. But I had such a crush on him when Company came out. And after Saathiya, I wanted to marry him. Sigh.

Oh well.

we have to learn about the internal distinctions w...

2009-11-06T00:50:01.767+05:30

we have to learn about the internal distinctions within mindless cinema. govinda-kaderkhan-david dhawan is sublime mindless cinema ritishdeshmukh-aftab-vivekoberoi is insipid mindless cinema.

@ Dark Side: Aah, Barbara Cartland. I've never rea...

2009-11-05T18:39:04.408+05:30

@ Dark Side: Aah, Barbara Cartland. I've never read her but have heard so much about her - not all good things, though :P

@ Netika: Speaking of Bhagat, I just put 2 states on my reading list, haha. But I agree with you -- a good, intelligent reader is one who doesn't restrict himself/herself, you know. There's just way too much out there to ignore!

Totally totally correct! This also happens with C...

2009-11-05T16:56:43.234+05:30

Totally totally correct!

This also happens with Chetan Bhagat(I, BTW, dislike people who judge readers of Chetan Bhagat). This, not because I think he's a great author(which I think he is for his stories reach out to one and all), but also becuase just coz he's not very articulate in his expression , doesn't make the reader have 'bad taste' or 'no taste' in books.. Someone who reads, or likes to read, likes to do just that, READ and also, Explore..

Now, where is it written that only when I read ONLY intellectual writings, will I qualify as a good, intelligent reader(if one exists, i.e)

anyway, great post :)

I couldn't agree more! It's alright to form an opi...

2009-11-05T08:18:56.152+05:30

I couldn't agree more!
It's alright to form an opinion of chick-lit after having read it.It might not suit one's palate as it doesn't in my case!But then they do offer a lot of mindless fun.

Point is it's hypocritical to tout something as "intellectually shallow" when one's been skimming the surface!
Cheers. :)

P.S : I agree with the M&B part. :D And I'd also add Barbara Cartland to my trash cart.

@ Tangled: Your long comments are always welcome! ...

2009-11-04T21:24:56.607+05:30

@ Tangled: Your long comments are always welcome! :) And I totally agree with you - if this girl had read any chick lit and didn't like it, then she has enough reason to express her dislike for the book I'd just finished reading. Buuuuut, she's never ready any. She made up her mind based on what she'd heard from people, and the reviews of some chick lit novels in the papers. I thought that was being really judgmental.

@Ajai: Agree 100%. If we ignore certain books because they're not "known" or taught in literature classes, then we often miss out on a lot of good stuff! And I can imagine that MBs must have been something really new in your great grand dad's time; now there's a lot of stuff like that out there.

My Great Grand Dad was a M&B nut! He used to love ...

2009-11-04T18:05:07.524+05:30

My Great Grand Dad was a M&B nut! He used to love reading them. (This info has been passed on to me... I don't really remember seeing him). Now considering that he was an 'advocate' in those times... i think that's saying something.
i'm something of a bookworm too. but i don't go by any genre. i just read any random thing that comes across.
u can like books, u can dislike books. just like everything else.
i hate ppl who think that u're only supposed to be reading tolstoy, chekov, marquez etc. i don't get them. sure these guys are awesome writers... but u know what makes a book interesting??? it is that in every book there's some thing new. that's the magic of books.

oops..that was a really long comment..i rambled a ...

2009-11-04T16:59:46.255+05:30

oops..that was a really long comment..i rambled a little..sowie! :)

I actually know people who decorate their bookshel...

2009-11-04T16:59:16.330+05:30

I actually know people who decorate their bookshelves with Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Chaucer and Emerson just so they can pretend to be all high and mighty..

But what they actually enjoy reading is books like How Opal Mehta..., The Zoya Factor and Confessions of a Shopaholic..

See, I dont really judge people by the books they read, I just judge people who proclaim they have good taste in books, and criticize chicklit as meaningless fluff when thats what they secretly enjoy..

thats just double standards..

But you know, everyone's allowed to have their own taste..

I'm very justified in not liking a whole genre of books, as much as I am in disliking a certain genre of movies or music..without having claimed to have seen every single movie or heard every single song..

Its something I dont enjoy thats it..

I just cant stand Himesh's singing or his acting, and I dont have to watch him croon or act, so I can claim to be fair and unpretentious..

The girl disliked chicklit, thats alright..she doesnt have to read the book to dislike it..

but then, I think its wrong that some people pretend to like or dislike something just coz its the right and fashionable thing to do..

I guess it comes down to behaviours which are perc...

2009-11-04T11:08:47.755+05:30

I guess it comes down to behaviours which are perceived as socially safe. Most of us make fun of a friend who watches Gossip Girl.:)

I tried M&B. Bought it from the second hand thingy for 20 bucks. It wasn't better than cheap erotica you get anywhere..total trash.

As for the acclaimed authors, again, endorsing an extreme comes off like a strong opinion...which is supposed to evoke admiration for the one who expresses it. Not everyone's okay with being a social outcast you know..

Dude, Om shanti Om was good mindless fun :D I miss...

2009-11-04T10:53:27.149+05:30

Dude, Om shanti Om was good mindless fun :D I missed Karzzz though, haha. I really wanted to see Himesh bond with the auto wallahs.

And MBs with the sound effects? Nothing I can say will be a good enough response to that :P

Yup it's like insufferable know-it-alls who will t...

2009-11-04T10:21:17.616+05:30

Yup it's like insufferable know-it-alls who will talk about Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray and then scoff if someone says they *enjoyed* Om Shanti Om. What's wrong with enjoying some mindless funny cinema anyway?

(P.S. I went to see Karzzz in a theatre. Go on, judge me :) )

I've never read M&B tbh. I didn't know they existed till I was 18 or so, and then it was too late or something - someone I know told me once about an audio book. Now that'd be something, with all the sound effects, yes?