I have a bit of an off-topic question for you all: Did a book ever ruin your life?
Well, maybe that’s overstating things a little, so let me rephrase: Did you ever read a book that had a giant effect on your life, only to realize later that this effect was basically a negative one? Maybe you read Ayn Rand in high school and became an insufferable junior Objectivist for a couple of years? Maybe you gobbled up conspiracy theory until it finally occurred to you that Reptilians aren’t the real problem with the world today? Maybe you read a book that inspired you to join a cult that you later had to extract yourself from painfully?
It doesn’t have to be this dramatic. I’m just wondering how many of you all have stories like these, and what these stories are.
I might have a little bit of an ulterior motive. But it’s a good one, honest!
Re “the joys of sex”: Count me in among people who found it in their parents’ book shelf at a young age and read it. Or at least some of it. TJoS has this reputation of being so great and progressive, and maybe it was for its time, but there’s seriously a lot of problematic stuff in there too. I mean it was ages since I read it, but I still remember some things. Someone else pointed out that weird claim about men getting aroused when they see a horse from behind. But besides that, it also says that
– the best way to avoid getting raped is not to “encourage” any men unless you’re willing to follow through and have sex with them
– it holds up vaginal orgasm as an ideal for intercourse. Clit orgasm is for oral sex and petting, you’re supposed to have a vaginal orgasm when you fuck.
– if a woman is “frigid”, it’s possible that another woman might help her to reach orgasm better than a man could, but don’t worry, this does not mean you’re a weird lesbian! You can still be normal!
Reason number approximately 6 billion that women are well within our rights to complain about harassment in public places. And why it’s not cool to tell a woman she needs to fight back.
http://dlisted.com/2018/04/10/t-j-miller-was-arrested-for-calling-in-a-fake-bomb-threat-on-a-train/#more-288051
This story about TJ Miller calling in a fake bomb threat on Amtrak has been making the rounds. What isn’t in the headlines. He did it to take revenge against a woman after she took exception to a comment he made about her hair.
That’s some next level entitlement there.
On the Joys of Sex. There was a board game based on the book. My childhood friend’s father was a board game collector and he had the game. I don’t remember that much about it but I do remember we would take it out and giggle at it sometimes.
I’ve always been a horror fiend and back in the 80’s when I was in my early teens I read those by Shaun Hutson. Which always contained a lot of graphic sex along with all the graphic gore. Now, I hadn’t actually figured out I was a lesbian yet (took until I was 18 for me to cotton on) but I wasn’t really into the idea of heterosexuality either and I think those books just really warped my whole view of what hetero sex could lead too. So if you find yourself having a threesome you’ll get eaten alive by carnivorous slugs in the act and so on. I still have those books and reread a couple a few years ago, they are abysmal. I thought I was so edgy back then for reading them too. I have hidden them behind a stack of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks which still remain cool and awesome.
@Alan Robertshaw:
‘Watership Down’ was in my elementary school library. I never did read it, but I didn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘down’ in this context. You just don’t see too many uses of it in the US; plus, I think I may have been 9 or 10 years old. My thoughts upon seeing the book’s cover were something like “OK, this book has to be about a ship that sinks, or a submarine. Why are there pictures of bunnies on the cover? “?
Hopefully books nowadays are better. Even books from the early 90s weren’t great, I recently found one that I had as a kid and on the bit about childbirth it says “the doctor makes a cut so the baby can come out.” Not as if it’s an option if things aren’t going well but like it always happens.
@EJ (The Other One)
Thanks ^_^ good to be back. Took a break for 3 months as uni work was getting on top of me. I’m back on track now.
re: The Joy of Sects…
The late 60’s-early 70’s were about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll… from a culture which knew oh, so little about any of them
The rock’n’roll was ok, though in hindsight it had a really misogynistic foundation. The anti-war songs were great, tho….
long time lurker, first (I think) time commenter. I read a ton of the Xanth novels in middle school, and they definitely warped the way I looked at gender and sexuality for years afterwards. Luckily, at some point I transitioned to Discworld, which was much healthier.
Also, just thinking of books that have a large influence on your life: In high school I found a copy of Albert Camus’ book Resistance, Rebellion and Death. I liked the title, so I read it. For about 2 weeks, I listened to nothing in class because I was reading this under my desk. It was my first real exposure to philosophy, and it wasn’t until years later I realised how much it shaped my world view. All things considered, there are worse books I could have chosen for my first philosophical foray.
That’s Rule Number Three: “anyone who has sex will die”, behind “anyone who leaves the group will die” and “anyone who says “we’re almost there (or any form thereof) will die”….
Yes, it’s a trope in horror the 80’s really codified, the have sex and you’ll die. I could never understand how you could miss a carpet of slugs creeping up on you no matter how hot the sex was. They weren’t superfast slugs, just ones with a taste for human flesh. God it was a crap book, and it had a sequel.
weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee
Oh boy a dude made a false accusation against someone I guess this means we should never ever trust a man ever again whenever they make an accusation because they are all liars and just want to ruin the poor women’s careers and want fame. /s Manosphere logic.
Seriously that is terrible of what he did. It’s defiantly not something you should joke about.
Sounds vaguely familiar – the Finnish translated title was something different.
Some 10 years ago I went to see Dawkins live when I was an undergrad and he gave a guest lecture at the University of Helsinki. He really drew the giant auditorium full, like the big celebrity he was then. I doubt many cared what exactly he was going to speak about. I only remember he had a charming accent.
@Weird
Then there’s my favourite – anybody who looks at someone just off-camera and says “Oh, it’s you” will die.
“The Road” gave me nightmares and I still periodically get unwanted imagery in annoying situations, such as walking the dog at night. I wish Cormac McCarthy had been polite enough to make the book an unintelligible mass of scripta continua like his other works.
I got a book called Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix, which is a history of the sleazy horror paperbacks of the 70’s and 80’s. I recommend it highly-we can’t even pretend the 80’s were ever dignified.
Any side character who has an important piece of information to give the main character but doesn’t want to do it over the phone will die.
Any cop who is near retirement will die.
Anyone who says “I’ll be right back” will die.
Anyone who is super skeptical about the supernatural goings on will die.
If there is only one black character (or two if it’s a couple) the black character will die early on.
Anyone who is fat or otherwise not conventionally attractive will die but anyone who is too conventionally hot will also die. Especially if they get naked.
Anyone who takes a shower will die. If you suspect you’ve entered a horror movie situation, just let yourself get stanky. If you shower, you die. You might survive if you take a bath instead, but only if you’re the final girl and it’s guaranteed that something scary will happen when you’re in the tub.
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c20aad242f8b721d1af00e1fd84c30a9/tumblr_nh8ms3KjRL1rp0vkjo1_500.gif
Seriously. Not worth it. Stay dirty.
@Varalys,
Either that book – or one with a similar premise – was said to have inspired at least three people to become published writers themselves. Because if something that bad could get published, then so could their stuff.
Yep, even in Diary of the Dead the shower trope showed up.
@Alan Robertshaw
Yeah, Watership Down is pretty grim, right off the bat. But if you’re looking for cool critters, have you read the Duncton Wood series?
I do recommend books like Warrior series by Erin Hunter which is about cats.
Murder she wrote, Sherlock Holmes and Alice in wonderland are what I like.
I read Animal farm, of mice and men and witch trials in high school.
As a Christian i don’t see how the narnia series are related to Jesus? But I guess I have to do more research and watch them.
Totally not bad books at all but I bought two books one of them legend of Zelda historia I love legend of Zelda. And the other is national geographic Indian nations of North America, haven’t been reading it though only a few pages. Hopefully I get a book about the Romani people and the Katitzi books written by a Romani. Though I don’t think I’ll be able to read them since theyre in Swedish.
It’s difficult for me to read so I read visual novels and manga. Nothing violent, etc though.
And about 50 shades of grey
http://misandry-mermaid.tumblr.com/image/112349361613
Somehow this is suitable for children but breastfeeding or a gay or trans person are not?
RE: Children’s critter books. ‘Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH’ was one of my favorite books as a child. I think there’s enough going on in it, for adults to find it interesting. I still have it on my bookshelf.
That sounds similar to the “Thomas Covenant” series, where some terminally ill guy keeps shifting into a fantasy world till he finally stays there. I read that in early high school on recommendation from a friend who thought I’d dig it if I liked Game of Thrones. I got a few pages past that rape and put it down and never read another word or work from that guy. Hated it
Oh my gosh I love the secret of nimh by don bluth. but don’t ever watch the sequel it’s bad. Actually don’t watch any of the sequels.
All dogs go to heaven is good too. it’s very tragic of what happen to the little girl who voiced Anne Marie.
@fruitloopsie
I love the Warriors Saga!
It inspired me to try and write my own critter based series. I haven’t really gotten it off the ground yet (mine will be slightly more magic based)
I read this kids book called Swordbird once in terms of books. It was pretty good also the Lionboy series (main character is mixed race ) There’s also a lion king-esque one by Erin Hunter which seems interesting.
Ugh the Secret of Nimh 2 or Let’s forget Mrs Brisby existed because Timmy existes….hate it hate it hate it.
Ooohhh the talk of critter books just reminded me of a book I loved as a kid – Redwall
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwall_(novel)
Thanks for the terrifying animal book recommends!
As this is now a general book thread I feel able to mention fluffy pink romantic novelist Barbara Cartland. She famously churned out books by dictating to three secretaries that followed her everywhere.
What is less well known is she designed the gliders used on D-Day. She won a medal for that. She was a pioneer of aviation and was one of the team that experimented with the first practical use of towed gliders.
(That’s her in her own glider)