Put a stake through its heart

Well I finished the book that was annoying me. A friend jpsorrow had suggested that I persevere and read to the end because I would enjoy the twist.

And I did like the twist at the end, and almost wanted to pick up the next volume of the series. But the book's flaws had progressed from mildly annoying to fingernails on blackboard annoying, and I couldn't possibly stand to read another book written by this author. The central character was intriguing, and there's a germ of a great story, but the writing technique has put me off this author for life.

I can't understand how other people could enjoy a book that I see as deeply flawed. And yet the series sells. It has gone through multiple printings, and the author is successful. So then I find myself wondering what this means about myself. Am I that bad a judge of what makes good writing? Is it possible that what readers really want is the kind of prose that I am incapable of writing?

This is why I don't read in genre when I'm deep into writing in genre. It makes me crazed. Time to put aside the fantasy novels that make me second guess myself and my writing. Somewhere in my TBR stack I have a couple of urban fantasies, an old fashioned spy novel, a mystery and there are three research books that need to be skimmed and returned to the library. That should keep me busy for the foreseeable future.