Girlie books men won't like
An article I read a little while ago discussed the gender differences in fiction selection. Women, it seemed, would read across a variety of genre by both male and female writers. A lot of women also commented that during troubled times in their lives they were able to find solace or guidance from a book. In fact, when interviewed, most women said the book that helped them the most during their lives was Jane Eyre, followed just as closely by Pride and Prejudice.
Men, on the other hand, did not see a link between fiction and life choices. A clear theme was that men preferred stories with a strong narrative, so much the better if it included an intellectual struggle. Another point of interest - and I'm not so sure this is a male trait as it is a human trait - is that when men would find an author who they identified with, they would use them as a literary guide. They would read other authors that this particular one cited or quoted.
Something I try to do is re-read books that made a huge impression on me at least three times in my lifetime: as a child, as an adolescent, and as an adult. Each time I get something new out of it. It must be a girlie thing, then, because the article tells me that men do not do this. A book that was painfully important at puberty would, apparently, seem overly sentimental later, thereby spoiling the experience.
In short, women like touchy feely books, and men aren't looking for instrospective characters. A huge generalisation! The list below is all my own - ones that I've used as experiments and tried to foist off on male friends and brothers and had thrust right back.
We'd appreciate our male readers telling us what they would or wouldn't read, either from the list below or at all. So email us today!
Comments: Bruce
How I choose a novel in a library:
1. It it's in the romance or fantasy sections, I don't read it.
2. If the print size is too big or too small, I don't read it.
3. If it's written in the present tense, I don't read it.
4. If the blurb says 'magic realism' or 'cutting edge', I don't read it.
5. If it has a woman as the main character, I don't read it.
6. If it's a book set in a submarine or race track, I don't read it.
7. If it's written by a woman, I don't read it.
8. (Unless the woman is called Fred or George).
I choose from whatever is left.
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
F BRO
Jane comes from nothing but is hungry for everything that life can offer her. She manages to survive her tragic childhood through sheer spirit and strength of character. And when she finds work as a governess in a mysterious mansion, it seems she has finally met her match in the darkly fascinating Mr Rochester. But Thornfield Hall contains a shameful secret, one that could keep Jane and Rochester apart forever. Can she choose between what is right and her one chance of happiness?
He's just not that into you : the no-excuses truth to understanding guys
by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
306.7 BEH
Amusingly written guide to man-woman relationships which is full of commonsense and hard-hitting advice to the lovelorn woman. It encourages, also, to examine her own life and take charge of her love life.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy
F HAR
Cruelly seduced by her relative, the cynical Alec D'Urberville, betrayed by the moral Angel Clare and haunted by her guilt and shame, Tess becomes Hardy's indictment of all the crimes and hyprocrisies of 19th century England. Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When she meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice. This unique critical text is taken from the Clarendon edition, based on the manuscript and collated with Hardy's later revisions.
How to set his thighs on fire : 86 red-hot lessons on love, life, men, and (especially) sex
by Kate White
306.7 WHI
In her seven years as editor-in-chief of the women's bible, Cosmopolitan, Kate White has learned a lot about what women want. From landing a great job to enjoying great sex, White presents 86 lessons on having it all -- complete with anecdotes and tips from her own life and the celebrities and experts she's met. Whether it's when to act like a bitch and when not to or how to get a man to really open up or discovering the moan zone on a man's body that most women ignore, White tells women everything they ever needed to know to take on the world.
Untamed billionaire, undressed virgin
by Anna Cleary
ROM CLE
The rebel billionaire... Connor O' Brien has scars - inside and out - proof of the dark and dangerous life he leads. The innocent girl next door... Inexperienced Sophy Woodruff has never known a man as devastatingly sexy as Connor. Intense, brooding and distant, this bad boy is everything she shouldn't desire... He'll take her - and show her the most exquisite pleasure. Despite his vow of non-commitment, Connor can't resist bedding Sophy. But Sophy is a virgin, and once he's taken her innocence he's not sure he can walk away...
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