Dear Author (Oh, and SJARL marker)

[neadods]

Dear Author,

I try not to judge books by their covers, but I'm damn well going to judge a title like The Merry Misogynist. Really? REALLY?? The overwhelming number of cozy readers are women and you're seriously trying to entice them with THAT title? I don't give a shit what it's about; I wouldn't be caught dead with that title in my possession, nor could I seriously recommend it to anyone else no matter how well it's written... which frankly, I doubt it could be, because any halfway competent author or publishing house should have sent up a forest of red flags on that one.

Signed,

People like you are why I left the mystery reviewing biz

Comments

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

Hi. I apologize for intruding, as you don't know me, but I saw this while looking at my FriendsFriends page...

Yes, that title is unfortunate. However (if it's the one I think it is), I read it, anyway, because it's part of a series that's entertaining, by Colin Cotterill, set in Laos, with an old shaman who's both a coroner and an investigator. And yeah, the villain of that book was a misogynist who was far too merry about marrying and killing women. This was not indicated to be a good thing. Still, it could have used a better title.

Still, I also have read Sherman Alexie, even his book entitled Indian Killer, which came out when I was library staff and so horrified one of my coworkers that she said she couldn't be seen in public reading it. (Alexie, a funny, angry Native American writer with a deeply sardonic sense of humor, would probably not have reacted in a way my coworker would have hoped.

As for Cotterill again, his series interests me because I like to learn about other cultures, but I do take issue with the fact that he gives Laotians far too British a sense of humor, being British himself. ...oy...

I'll go back to lurking now, sorry...

(Edited because I'm posting with a wireless ereader and everything is clumsy!)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

If I didn't mind random drive by readers, I wouldn't have open posts. Hello!

My objection is less the content - technically, all murder mysteries are about killing, which is not a good thing - but that turnoff of a title.

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

The title didn't really bother me, because I assumed it referred to the villain. ::shrug:: I bought it in hardback, though I don't know whether I read it in public (his books are slim and quick, so I usually finish them same-day.)

The book was quite good, and the misogynist in question was clearly the villain. Dunno. I've had some books where I found the titles offensive, though only a few were so offensive that I felt I couldn't read them in front of my nine-year-old. I have more of a problem with covers that objectify women (and don't get me started on the new 'Glades' murder mystery series that's been hyped on TV - where all murder victims are scantily-clad women and the cop seems to bully the female doctor he's decided he wants. UGH.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I figured it was the villain too, but it's still a trigger word IMO.

I have more of a problem with covers that objectify women

Also a huge problem, especially those creepy ones that only show women from jawline to knees. Get the tits and ass in there, you don't need to see her *face* like she's a person or anything! Ugh.

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Hello! Nea has very eclectic discussions on her LJ *g*.

As for Cotterill again, his series interests me because I like to learn about other cultures, but I do take issue with the fact that he gives Laotians far too British a sense of humor, being British himself. ...oy...

He has lived in Laos and the Far East for a long time, so I cut him slack on that (and probably wouldn't notice anyway, as I'm British!)

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

This one's not really a cosy if the others in the series are anything to go by (I've got this one in Mount TBR). I can think of better titles, but it fits with the setting -- 1970s Laos and an elderly and rather eccentric coroner.

I'm bothered more by serial killer books and the rampant misogyny in those.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

One of the things I promised myself when I got out was that I would never read "fem jep" again - the ones where only females are in jeopardy. That and torture porn, especially as they so often go together. (Talk about misogyny!)

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Don't even get me started on that! I have a lengthy list of authors I won't read (some of them female ones, which is immensely depressing).

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My list of "never read"s grew exponentially when I started reviewing.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

My husband and I used to watch a TV series on forensics-- reports of actual cases-- partly because a friend who's interested in forensics asked us to tape it for her.

After a while I started referring to the series as The Lesbian Hour because of the high percentage of cases involving women killed by their husbands or sexual partners. (I hesitate to say "boyfriends".) Watching for long would make almost any straight woman consider turning, for her own safety.

In fairness, these were all cases that had been solved, and having an obvious suspect would make that easier, hence perhaps the prevalence of this kind of case on the series. Still, rather creepy.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I could do a whole essay about how many people still see women as property to be disposed of as they wish...

[netgirl-y2k.livejournal.com]

The Merry Misogynist

Seriously!? That's taking alliteration a bit too far. I'll just be over in this corner, reading Winnie the Pooh, again.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I'm sad to say.

[bewarethespork.livejournal.com]

Is it terrible that a title like that would actually make me pick the book up out of morbid curiosity?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Different strokes and all that...