What do you all think about reading James Patterson novels?

[Wetzelbill]

I am an avid Patterson reader. I love his novels. They are fast-paced and thrilling. I also enjoy his two major series, The Alex Cross novels, and The Women's Murder Club.

However, Patterson is not a beautiful or challenging writer. He has a propensity for weak or trite endings, and you almost always have a pretty good idea about who the villain will be. His earlier stuff was tougher to decipher, but he churns out novels like a fast food chain and has for a good 6-7 years or so. I heard that Stephen King called his novels "dopey thrillers." Now, I like reading his work, I think they are fun, entertaining and good to relax with. I also try not to get snobby about his style or anything. He is what he is, a writer who writes for entertainment. He doesn't claim to be a Pulitzer caliber author or anything. He just writes and writes and writes. I think that is a good thing. I liken his books to a solid action film. You don't go to an action film to wax philosophic about life or anything like that, you just go to see people get killed, stuff blown up and to have a mindless, carefree good time. Now if you happen to be in a different more intellectual or introspective mood, you might choose something like "Crash," "Munich" or "Brokeback Mountain" for your viewing pleasure. And that is great too. That is normally my style. But every now and then I enjoy watching stuff get blown up.

Same with reading. I'll read Pulitzer-caliber books. That is usually my thing. However, I also like to read fun stuff to take my mind off of the world. I don't always have to read the latest political book or another novel by some serious and great writer whose prose is achingly gorgeous. I have no problem going the "dopey thriller" route if need be. I rather enjoy it from time to time. :)

So how about all of you?

[Warpy]

1. I adore trashy escapism, and murder is my favorite

although I've never been able to get into Patterson's books. There are a few women authors out there who burned out on cranking out Harlequin romances (something I've never been able to get past page 4 without hurling across the room followed by a string of profanity) and turned to murder. Their books are hilarious and those formula bodice rippers allowed them to hone their writing skills well beyond the trite or the clumsy.

I had one good English teacher in high school who taught us the difference between a good book and a great book. A good book is one you thoroughly enjoy reading and have a hard time putting down, but once you've read the ending, it's OVER. A great book may be unpleasant to read to the point you have to kick and claw your way through every tortured sentence, but it will stay with you long after you've finished that last page.

Good books and great books both have their places.

[Wetzelbill]

6. I read a few

Sue Grafton joints before. She's fun. Janet Evanovich is fun too, I only read one of hers though. The first Stephanie Plum one. My mom has lots of books like that, a lot of the Harlequin type ones. I used to get into those when I was pretty young, never could read those at all. Never got them, I was only like 10 or so. But her other books, I enjoyed the trashy murder stuff too. Later on I branched off into my own thing, but mooching her leftover novels helped make me love writing and reading.

Yes, and it took me years until I understood what a great book was, just as exactly how you described it. :)

[mopinko]

29. i'm trying to get over patricia cornwell's decent into the toilet

her last couple of books were some of the worst crap i have ever read. so disappointed. i love hometown girl sara paretsky.
murder is a great diversion.

[Alleycat]

2. I enjoy them

Everynight I read in bed to fall asleep. I usually go thru a few books a month. Sometimes more depending on how compelling the book is or on how tired I am. I am not ashamed that I read them cause I feel that they fill a need for me. The are not so deep that I can read a few pages then pick it up again the following night. They are also great for vacations. For me if it was a choice between reality TV & American idle or a James Patterson book - I would hands down choose the book.

[Wetzelbill]

8. reading trumps

bad tv any day! :)

[Tansy_Gold]

27. bad reading trumps

good tv any day

[Wetzelbill]

28. ohhhhhh that was some Jedi Mind shit!

very nice! :)

[LizW]

3. The early ones were okay.

As you say, good escapist entertainment. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it's great that Patterson made a bundle writing them. But his later work has declined, and I've stopped reading him. I need just a little more to make me care about the characters, and a little more surprise.

[Wetzelbill]

4. what I found annoying is

that "Honeymoon" was billed as the "2005 Thriller of The Year" winner and supposedly Patterson's greatest novel etc, and you basically find out the killer right off. This isn't even a spoiler for anybody if they read this, you literally know who the killer is right away, and if you can't figure it out, then you probably wouldn't even know it if you got struck by lightning it is so obvious. The rest of the novel was entertaining, but there was never that "gotcha" type thrill. It was weird to read.

[oneighty]

5. A waste of time

Without further comment.

180

[Wetzelbill]

7. oh you can't just say that

why are they a waste of time? :)

[oneighty]

21. Sure I can

Underground house-once part of the Underground Railway-by some mysterious fashion un metered electricity is connected to this underground house with no visible conductors. Unreal.

Pervert gives girl warm milk enema inserts snake-milk snake I am guessing (Hahahaha)

One-hundred-twenty pound woman Karate expert beats up on two-hundred pound man also a Karate expert.

It is so far out one might consider it science fiction.

Unreal plot and characters.

Just so.

180

[Wetzelbill]

24. yeah but that doesn't mean it's a waste of time

especially when the goal is to waste time. :)

But yes, pretty far-fetched. But I would say magical realism is pretty unreal, and that is some gorgeous stuff. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Psssst....going to let you in on a secret, James Patterson has a ghost

writer.

[Wetzelbill]

11. I think he has a couple doesn't he?

:)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. Maybe the first few, but I know for a fact he has a ghost writer. When his

last book came out he was on The Today Show, and Matt Lauer was giving him a quiz about what characters were in which books and he hadn't a clue! I was of course laughing because at that time I already had found out about his ghost writer.

[Wetzelbill]

25. no I meant I think he has a couple ghostwriters

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

26. I thought it was only the one I know of. If he has one, why not two? lol!

[bklyncowgirl]

10. As a librarian I say if everyone liked what I like it'd be a boring world

Oh you can hold your nose in the air and sniff when people voice enthusiasm for a James Patterson or a Dan Brown novel but what you're missing out on is that these best selling writers are probably more tuned into the culture around them with all it's faults and secret desires than the more esoteric "literary" authors.

Both have thier place and I've enjoyed more than a few thought-provoking literary novels in my time (I'm a huge Steinbeck fan) but when I'm kicking back and relaxing I want the author to take me places I can never go to, let me solve mysteries that I could never solve, and take me into situations that I would personally do everything in my power to avoid in real life.

I'm a populist in my literary tastes as well as my politics and proud of it.

[Wetzelbill]

13. I think that because

I write relatively serious work,and I read serious stuff most of the time that Patterson, who is really my only vice, is a welcome respite from all the earnestness. :)

[bklyncowgirl]

23. Enjoy it! You can't live your life caring about what other people think.

[NV Whino]

12. Patterson has gotten into a rut with his Alex Cross novels

I like the Women's Murder Club series, he still has fresh material there.

But what's with the co-authored stuff he's been doing? Is he getting too old to use a keyboard?

[Wetzelbill]

14. he has gotten in a rut

Alex is a good character, but he seems like he's just phoning those ones in nowadays, haha.

Women's Murder Club is interesting, I like Lindsey Boxer a ton. I think sometimes he makes her a little too much like Alex, you know? I'd like to see him seperate those characters a bit more. Probably too late now, I suppose.

I think his best co-authored novel was "The Jester." That was a pretty interesting attempt at a historical piece. He did a solid job on it.

I believe his coauthored stuff is probably mostly the work of the coauthor, sort of like how Tom Clancy would have writers use his name so they could both make a few quick bucks. Just a guess though.

[georgiagirl]

15. No More "Ghosts"

Patterson's co-authors are no long ghosts, but are credited by name now right on the book jackets. At the rate he has his books published a year, I think the collaborators are writing the majority of them and JP just reviewing and adding a few lines maybe. No way one person can author that many books a year, even when each chapter is a page and a half and each 300 page book has probably less than 150 pages of actual prose. He turned me off when I realized he was capitalizing on his name and not doing much or most of the writing anymore.

I loved the first Alex Cross, but they became so outlandish (take Violets Are Blue for one) that I quit them. Have read a few Women's Murder Club, but much prefer real mystery writers.

[Wetzelbill]

16. yeah Patterson writes more books in a year

than I do complete short stories, haha. So I'm thinking he doesn't write the majority of them. :) I read serious literary work constantly. I don't even read mystery writers really. Patterson is my only vice, as I said earlier. He's sort of like my break in between everything serious that I do.

[NV Whino]

18. If you want entertainment

and an excellent book, try Minette Walters. She doesn't churn them out like many (most) popular writers. I see a new one about every two years. All are well crafted. The Sculptress was her first and probably her best, but I've liked them all. Make you work, they do.

[TahitiNut]

17. Patterson is a non-nutritve bedtime snack for me.

Engrossing enough to get my mind off politics and economics ... without the kind of crap that'd pervert my dreams. I alternate between Patterson-like mystery novels and think-pieces - stuff that helps form my worldview. (I'd rather read Grisham, but he's not as prolific. I've read all his stuff.) Besidess, I like the continuing characters in Patterson - Nana-mama, Alex, etc. They're a little single-dimensional - but that's sometimes all I want as I doze off.

[sproutster]

19. Hehe, I call patterson books "zipper rippers" coz of his narrative

Regarding Cross. :)

My escapism reading is the Undead series -- Starts with Undead and Unwed.

Harlen Cohben is an excellent thriller writer - he is great with a twist or two.

OH! Heartbreaking book of the year "History of Love." I was crying with snot and outloud by page 14. Seriously. That book tore my heart out.

[Zorra]

20. I really liked "Black Friday". It was very different from most of the

Patterson novels that I've read.

I enjoy reading his novels, they are a quick and entertaining read.

[watercolors]

30. Latest Beach Road really bad

I;m not a fan ,especially when he has a co-author. I'll take Koontz any day!

[yellowdogintexas]

31. there is always room for a dopey thriller or two, I always say

and there are several sub categories of these:
murder
espionage
political
legal (other than murder )

Bring 'em on, I say.

I read to escape from my daily grind, ergo the book must not be a grind to read.

end of rant, we now return you to your regularly scheduled posting...