Loving a book to death, or when you used to!

This is a short post on what is a big topic particularly if you are a re- reader.

I titled this post Loving a book to death.  By that I  mean a book that the reader holds in high esteem for any reason or conversely has read so many times that it has a place in their heart. But the sub title, is ‘or when you used to‘.

What happens when a book you love, hasn’t changed but you have?

Attitudes have changed, inexcusable (offensive and abusive) behaviour that was permitted is no longer ignored.  Lip service  is not longer paid or passively addressed to issues that matter.  

Knowledge, life and  insight has made me view the world differently and as a consequence my perspective has changed.  What may have been oblivious before, it now quite obvious to me.

Not really a book review

I have read Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz countless times as evidenced by the battered look of the book.  In my teens I was a big reader or romances and Mills and Boon. Not so much now, it just isn’t in my eyeline.

This post is not really a review of this book, rather an example of the topic which I’m going to touch briefly on. Or in other words, one of a few books that I’m rereading and saying, yeah, thanks for the memories but not for me any more. It’s on the never read again list.  I have belaboured the point mightily I know. In essence, I used to like and don’t anymore.

But as I’m here, might as well say a couple of bits about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on this book.  I will always like the world building. However, I was never a fan of Ridge the main male character even on the first read.  He seemed overly macho, chauvinistic and pig headed for no real reason. I used to think that he was coming from a place of anxiety with a touch of inferiority complex.  But hindsight says all the men are one dimensional, there is no depth to their character.

I read Crystal Flame in the summer of 2020 as a prod to get back into reading again and because I hadn’t read it about 10 years plus.

It was a hard book to re-read primarily because the amount of scoffing, eye rolling and relentless shaking of head around what was permitted and acceptable behaviour because they were ‘soul mates’

Yay to sexual coercion.

What’s not to like

 Lots of example of things being the way, they were because they were destined and it was all worth it in the end.

It was all part of learning  the push, pull and tether of a marriage

Nor was it related to just the main couple.  You saw behaviour being mitigated by the general view that everyone is constrained by something and looking for their freedom.

I guess it filled an niche for me then – it covered fantasy and romance. Result! But that said, it is clearly of its time and really wouldn’t fly if written today, even if you kept to the fantasy genre.

And my last point is about the cover, it always irritated me because it was wrong, wrong, WRONG. Their outfits were not right. Had the artist even read the book? Kalena would never dress like that! What was the brief that the artist was  given because it bore no relation to the descriptions of attire in the novel.

Now I’ve got that off my chest I can move on to the real sticking point that is tangibly related to revisiting content that you like(d)

My dilemma

What do you say  when you find out that a public figure, or in my case  an author or musician is an abusive shitty excuse for a person. Or worst yet, hold despicable views or has behaved in an unforgiveable way. 

Can you still respect their output.

Can you still engage with their product?

That is the question and my quandary.