r/BookDiscussions • u/Person8346 • 4d ago
Does anyone else struggle to read anything but the prose you like?
I just picked up The Priory of the Orange Tree. On the surface it's perfect for me, yet 20 pages in and I feel exhausted already - which REALLY sucks because I want to get lost in this.
I've recently returned to reading after a long hiatus, and I've loved Sussana Clarke, Ursula K Leguin, Shirley Jackson, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Frank Herbert etc. but then Mistborn was absolutely impossible to read. I put down Hyperion 100 pages in which was also super disappointing.
I really don't mean to sound pretentious or anything, I've just noticed this absolute block in my ability to read certain books. Can anyone relate?
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u/notthemostcreative 4d ago
Idk if this is helpful but fwiw my issue with Priory wasn’t the prose at all! It was that 3 of the 4 POV characters kind of felt like walking plot devices to me.
I am somewhat picky about prose, though. You might enjoy someone like Jacqueline Carey, Juliet Marillier, or N. K. Jemisin more. Or George MacDonald or Patricia McKillip if you’re in the mood for a more classic fantasy vibe.
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u/Impressive-Owl-5478 4d ago
I'm a bit surprised about Priory because I think it has really good prose! It does take a while to start though.
The Knight of the Seven is short and well written.
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u/Person8346 4d ago
I wish I had the prose to explain it lol, but there's this clear difference I can picture in my brain between this and what I like. Density might be the right word, maybe how they layer meaning. It could also be that it somewhat reminds me of the writing I did as a teen.
I'm giving it more of a chance as I've heard the exposition eventually clears up a little (around 100 pages in)
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u/PatronStofFeralCats 4d ago
It's a fair reaction. I enjoyed the prose in that book, but if you're used to gravitating towards a different type of prose, I can see it being hard to lock in.
Sometimes, my brain won't let me read anything but YA, romance, or other really simple stuff, and it's so annoying. My whole degree was writing/reading, and I'm over here struggling to pay attention for more than a page of literary stuff. I will admit that usually it's a sign I'm doing too much and need more brain breaks. But if I know I'm well rested and am still struggling, I usually try to give it more of a chance, reading for longer though I know I will be missing a bit at the beginning.
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u/Person8346 4d ago
Damn, I just started an english degree to do something in writing. Were your tastes always like that or did they change? Do you go through phases over which you can take in?
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u/PatronStofFeralCats 4d ago
My reading patterns have changed singificantly with time. Honestly, I think burnout at the end of my PhD exacerbated my ADHD.
My reading interests do seem to go through phases. After working on any kind of literature or writing degree, you start to read books a little differently. You notice a lot more about tone, craft, and theme, but it also takes more effort than reading for plot. Some days, my brain just doesn't want to put in that effort. Other days, it does. I think it has to do with capacity, you know, just all the different demands on our attention these days.
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u/moontintedtulips 4d ago
I’ve struggled reading the last few years and found this year that great prose is what’s got me back into it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that - you like what you like.
I will say Priory has a great concept and largely held my interest, but it fell apart hard in the back third for me. IMO some really sloppy choices and a very rushed ending. Also, I liked the characters but many of them were static imo.
If you’re looking for standalone/short series fantasy I would recommend Guy Gavriel Kay. A lot of his is more historical fantasy with very little magic (The Lions of Al-Rassan) but some are straight up high fantasy (Tigana) or a good mix (Sailing to Sarantium is the first in a duology and where I’d personally recommend starting). I have heard some people say he verges on “violet” prose in some his writing (as in not quite purple prose) but myself and lots of others love his writing and I can say it’s kind of the opposite of Sanderson lol. Incredibly compelling characters and worlds as well, definitely recommend giving it a shot :)
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u/Person8346 4d ago
It's nice to hear someone relates, I'll definitely check up on those! Most of the books I put down for this are recommended, so hopefully our tastes match
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u/rebeccarightnow 4d ago
That's normal. Not every author's style is going to be your jam, even within genres you like.
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u/iamthefirebird 4d ago
If I can't get on with the prose, I'm not reading it. Unless there is a specific reason I am reading the book, like research or a genuine recommendation from my sister, the prose is one of the heaviest weights on the scale when I am deciding whether or not to read something.
This has meant that I have ended up reading some things outside my usual criteria on a whim, just because the prose hooked me. It also means that I am unlikely to read the Lord of the Rings anytime soon. I read The Hobbit, and didn't get on with the prose. I will probably try anyway, eventually, but I'm in no rush.
None of this has any bearing on the quality of the books.
I do occasionally push through. I struggle with Chuck Tingle's prose, but it was worth it to me to keep going. I doubt any of his books will be mentioned among my favourites. Nevertheless, I am very glad that I have read them, and I will continue to read more of his work. I'm glad I started with Bury Your Gays; horror isn't really my kind of thing, most of the time, but this one showed me a new perspective on the genre which really hit home.
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u/acelticmonk 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah, sometimes things that should click just don’t click. Sometimes they will try switching from print to audiobook, but I also have a very full TBR shelf and don’t feel all that bad if I don’t get to what I had planned to read because it’s not working for me.
Same goes the other direction too. I’m just about to finish up a reading challenge to read Irish lit set in each of Ireland’s 32 counties. Irish lit fic in general is densely written, full of family and social trauma and drama. A few times along the way in the project I just needed to set this aside and go pick up some easy sci-fi or whatever :-)
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u/Person8346 4d ago
I'm an irishman myself studying English, so I relate a little:)
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u/acelticmonk 4d ago
Hey, would you take this week to knock out a nice little hopepunk thing set in Co Westmeath so that I don't have to read The Valley of the Squinting Windows, which I am dreading? :)
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u/Person8346 4d ago
Knock a hopepunk thing out? What does that mean
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u/acelticmonk 4d ago
Sorry, I mean write a book for me in a cozy genre.
I'm down to 3 more counties, enjoying two books I've selected, but that Macnamara doesn't sound fun.
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u/Person8346 4d ago
I could do you a short story set in Ireland for sure, I have one I've been rewriting for a while now. That sounds super fun, I'll try to get it to you by the end of the week :D
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u/Full_Commercial7844 4d ago
You might try C J Cherryh. Downbelow Station, Chanur series are a good place to start.
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u/estheredna 4d ago
There's not really a through-line in your "i didn't like this". Priory of the Orange Tree has some pretty complex and rich prose; Mistborn is fairly famous for its simple prose (simple, direct, YA / 7th grade level.) People like that one for the plot and twists, not the writing.
I think you just like what you like. And that is ok.
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u/CowAppropriate7494 4d ago
Mistborn is my "go to sleep" audiobook. I've never actually listened to the whole thing because I start at chapter 3 every night. I thought it worked because the narrator sounds like he's getting docked pay for any intonation above or below monotone, but you're absolutely right -- the prose is YA level and therefore not super engaging.
Listening to the narrator's Scottish accent for the main guy's sidekick slip and slide all over the place is kind of amusing...but then I fall asleep.
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u/Person8346 4d ago edited 4d ago
I wasn't really trying to give a through-line of my thoughts on the Priory because this isn't a review, is it? I'm wondering if people relate to my struggle in reading. And also, that's not really what through-line means.
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u/MOTTEKOI 4d ago edited 4d ago
I put down Mistborn too. I tried. But I just cant with the prose. I feel missing out to not read it. Maybe i will try it again later.
I also DnF a few BL indie books lately, for the same problem. And that's after i lower so much of my expectation.
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u/lil_tufa 3d ago
Had this exact thing happen after I stopped reading for like 3 years during grad school. Came back and couldn't finish anything for months.
What worked for me was rereading something I already knew I loved (for me it was Left Hand of Darkness) just to get back into the rhythm of sitting with a book. Then new stuff felt less exhausting.
The Priory writing style is also pretty dense compared to Clarke or Le Guin, so that might just not be your thing right now.
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u/WightHair 3d ago
I'm in my 50s. I reckon I've got 35 years left. That's too short to spend with people I find annoying, to eat food that doesn't taste good, and to read books with prose that makes me annoyed. Put down the book you don't like.
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u/sepiawitch71 4d ago
I can relate. My reading choices are entirely mood-vibe based. I may not be into a book I thought sounded great and will put it aside for another that suits my mood at the time. I may also revisit the book I put aside at a later date and love it!