For quite a while, I’ve been noticing various items on the book blogs and sites in my feed reader and think, “That again?” Evidently, I’m not alone as King Rat (a.k.a. Philip Weiss) kind of brought it home in a post he did on book blogging topics he’s done with on his blog.
Like him, there’s a variety of topics I’m just tired of reading about — and certainly don’t want to write about — that still seem to show up consistently in the book blogosphere. Now I admit I may have discussed s one or two of these in the past but it’s gotten to the point I’m fed with up certain tropes. Ignoring the all too often inane so-called memes that continue to persist, the topics include:
- Bookstores/printed books are dead/dying.
- Ebooks are killing/saving the book.
- How to start/write/promote a book blog.
- Blogging in or about a “blogathon” or a reading “marathon.”
- Book trailers and blog tours.
- Zombie and vampire books.
- I know it is literati blasphemy but… DFW
Now I realize that some of this topics are “important” and their persistence often results from stories in the traditional media. Still, to use a colloquialism from my workplace, continuing to post about them is like “barking up a dead horse’s ass.” Admittedly, there’s a few subjects I may be guilty of barking about, such as “real” book reviews vs. book blogs, literature in translation or the importance of the public library. If they annoy you, pass them by — just as I have been doing and plan to do for the topics above.
The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards.
Alexander Jablokov, “The Place of No Shadows”
