The Quiet Concert: Thoughts for Thursday (23)

May

2014

Thoughts for Thursday (23) - The Black Sheep

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

The Black Sheep

Ah, to be a black sheep - the one who hates a book when so many others seem to love it. It is not a role that I typically occupy – but it has been happening more and more of late. I am not sure why that is – maybe I am becoming a critical old bat or had a string of bad luck choosing books - but regardless of the reason, I come to you today to tell you simply that I HATE being a black sheep.

When I see others love a book, I want to love that book too. I want to feel those same feels and rejoice in that book’s amazingness too. So when I don’t and can’t, it saddens me like you wouldn’t believe. Sure, the black sheep club can be close-knit and fun. Our small numbers band together and bond over our mutual dislike. But I’d rather be totally smitten and fangirling with the majority. I don’t WANT to dislike any books.

I also feel a sense of puzzlement when I don’t like a book that everyone seems to love, because I DON’T think I am that critical of a reader nor have I any strong predispositions, I think. I understand that everyone has a different experience while reading and I get why opinions vary but it’s still a little discomforting when you are an odd man out. Why was my experience so different than so many others?

Some recent examples of my black sheep-ness are Hopeless by Colleen Hoover and Sekret by Lindsay Smith. But a book that still troubles me is The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Now I am not exactly a black sheep on this one because I did still like it somewhat, but I did not love it., not even a little bit. But I want to love it so much! I want to have the desire to pick up the second book so that I can swoon over Hector too. I want to feel the magic and be in awe of this series that everyone is always talking about. But alas, I do not feel this way. Sadness.

Share your thoughts! Are you ever a black sheep? Do you mind it? Do you wonder why your feelings differ from the majority?

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blacksheep187 90p · 569 weeks ago

I'm actually the type of reader who'd pick up a book just because everyone's raving about it. and while in some cases it does work out for me, there were a couple of times when they turn out more like an okay-book to me but an amazingly great book to other people... when times like this happen to me, I think a lot why do people love it so much after reading it.. and in some cases, I'd even go to the length of rereading parts of it just to experience th book all over again..
if it bothers me, I'd say it doesn't.. I kind of think it's a pretty nice thing because it means that I don't easily get influenced by the thoughts of other people :)

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mel1704 86p · 568 weeks ago

Oh yes, I've been a black sheep before. Not only do I often hate books everyone seem to love, I sometimes stumble on books I devoured and it turns out I'm one of the few people who do. I always try to not let it bother me, because let's face it: we are all different. We can't all like the same thing, so it's not strange when I don't like a book even when everyone else does.

I do get what you mean with the whole 'I want to love it toooooo :(' feeling. It makes me wonder why I don't fangirl about it, but then I go back to all the books I already love and I don't care about it anymore, haha.

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Pam@YA Escape · 568 weeks ago

I agree with you, I hate when that happens. As you know, that happened to me with Open Road Summer. Everyone is raving about that book and I just didn't love it. It was fine, I liked it, but I did not love it.

Now I felt the same way you did about Girl of Fire and Thorns, but all of that changed with the second book. So read the second book! But yeah, I want to love the books I read, that's why I read them. I don't want to read a book I don't love and I hate writing critical reviews (although obviously they're helpful). I want to flail and giggle and swoon and cry and have all of the reactions everyone is having. And it's a little sad when that doesn't happen.
My recent post Novella Review: Time's Echo by Rysa Walker

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christinajune 17p · 568 weeks ago

I'm frequently the black sheep, mostly I think because I don't typically love fantasy or sci-fi. I've learned over the course of this blogging experience what my likes and dislikes usually are (though not always and I do love those surprises) so I try very hard now not to request things I don't think I'll like. And to also not be swayed by the love of the masses for those things I know I'm not going to adore.
My recent post Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

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Brittany S. · 568 weeks ago

Ohhh I HATE when I'm the black sheep. Some books I just don't get and I feel so weird when everyone else loves them!! In a way, sometimes I feel better when that does happen, though. Like I know my feelings aren't being swayed by the majority and that I'm able to really get what's on my mind out in the open. It does make it hard though because I always want to be able to fangirl with other people too!
My recent post The Book Addict’s GUIDE… to “Crossover” Books!

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joyousreads 92p · 568 weeks ago

I can't remember the last time I was on the outside, looking in, to be honest. I don't know how much that says about me as a reader, but I always just try to be honest with my feelings about a book. So if that makes me a sheep that follows, then so be it.

Great post, Nicole. :)

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jnbarber13 28p · 568 weeks ago

Yea, I felt like a black sheep when I read The Girl of Fire and Thorns too. I just didn't get why everyone else liked it so much, but I do still see some potential for the future books in the series... so maybe I'll try the second one at one point.
My recent post Review: Cress

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Kay · 568 weeks ago

I think you have become a critical old bad. haha kidding. :) I can say that I hate being a black sheep as well. It just makes me feel....weird or something, but whatever the feeling is i don't like it. I felt that way when I didn't real like Obsidian but so many did, or same with The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I liked these books, but not nearly as much as everyone else. I think it just happens sometimes because everyone does bring their own self/history to what they read, and I also truly think it depends on your mood when reading too, but that one may just be me. If it makes you feel better, even though you may be the black sheep on the books you mentioned above, I still am going to pass on reading them because according to your reviews I really don't think I would like them. So I don't think you would be totally alone if I read them, but you wrote such a good review that I am not going too. ;)
My recent post Help! I'm Struggling. I Need to Get Out of My Reading Funk.

1 reply · active 568 weeks ago

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Kay · 568 weeks ago

bat***

Note to self, read comments before hitting post...I must fight my excitement to discuss.
My recent post Help! I'm Struggling. I Need to Get Out of My Reading Funk.

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astoldbyrachelk 50p · 568 weeks ago

I'm often the black sheep so it doesn't really bother me. I'm very picky when it comes to almost everything, so there are often books others love that I just don't see the appeal. For example, "cute" contemporary books. I cannot read those, and I know everyone else loves them! I used to feel so left out, but now I'm just "meh" about it because I think being the black sheep can be interesting! If we all felt the same way about a book, blogging would probably get pretty boring.
My recent post Epic Recs: May!

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Nyx @UnravelingWords · 568 weeks ago

I'm the black sheep quite often when it comes to contemporary books. Half the time I just don't see the appeal, and the other half they were readable but again didn't love. In regards to Hopeless I tried reading it cause all my friends raved about it. So I said the hell with it. I gave up midway through the Prologue. Just no.
My recent post Early Unraveling of The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

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Samena · 564 weeks ago

I experienced this when I read the Hunger games series. I wasn't in love with it to be honest. I didn't like the first one and last one but I thought Catching Fire was amazing. Because The Hunger Games is literally loved by everyone around me I always think "Is everyone seeing something special that I'm not?"

My recent post Stacking The Shelves [1]