From: Andrea Johnson <ajohnson>
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 10:49:37 -0600

I found Nancy's comments really interesting because I just had this experience myself. I read "King of Shadows" and commented to a colleague that I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had it not had Susan Cooper's name on it. It was quite good, but being a big fan of "The Dark is Rising" series, I was hoping for more of Cooper's epic fantasy, and that it was not, so I found myself disappointed. Had it not had her name on it, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more thoroughly because I would not have gone in with preconceived notions of what I wanted to get from it.

I'm not sure it *is* possible, Nancy, unless we start reading the books anonymously. This problem, I think, relates to the problem I've had with some books (such as "The Folk Keeper" or Jane Yolen's "Briar Rose") revealing too much information on the back cover or the inside flap. I never read either anymore if I can help it, as too often the suspense has been spoiled for me that way. Some books go even further and give something away in the cover art, which is hard to avoid even if you're trying. I don't think it's possible to read a book in a vacuum, so there's always going to be something at play in the attitudes we bring to a book.

Andrea Johnson ajohnson at cooklib.org Children's Librarian * Cook Memorial Library * Libertyville, IL
Received on Wed 15 Dec 1999 10:49:37 AM CST