We have finally completed our house move (of which more later) and I am now almost finished typing the tenuous connections nominations (of which more imminently) but I thought I would share with you something I saw in the bookshop.
I was in W H Smith’s looking for the Pope’s new book when I came across a new section. Jammed betweeen “Millitary History” and “General Interest” was “Tragic Life Stories”. A whole new genre has arisen while I was distracted by the long cartoon legs on the covers of the Chick Lit books. Just to add to the poignancy, the section was marked with a sign saying “Two for the Price of One!”
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I’ve seen that section too! And it’s such a wide ranging selection of books that seemed to mostly have appeared on the Richard & Judy Show and/or GMTV!
Have you noticed it’s sub-section “3 For The Price of Two”, and the alternative name “Buy One , Get One Free”?
What to read when you’re feeling low, I suppose.
What??? Another Brittney Spears story? Damn!
I believe Tragic Life Stories often fall into the category of Sick Lit.
yeah, but it has a shout line – ‘triumph over adversity’. how vicarious is that?
reading too quickly, as usual, i thought the new genre you referred to was ‘two for the price of one’. in which case, bang goes my royalty payment. i could write a tragic lives story about a novelist trying to scrape by on advances. pah!
(house move – that explains the long absence. please tell more). hope you’re both v well
x
I think I offended an English & History student by describing Jane Austen as ‘Classic Chick-Lit’.
Celebrities now have their own space in the library. Nice.
They’re obviously not shifting enough Tragic Life Stories, hence the special offer.
Hmmm. I can think of some tragic life stories, but my definitiion of ‘tragic’ is probably a lot more sarcastic than the real books in that category. I’m thinking that Kerry Catatonic woman, Pete Doherty, Katie Price, and Jade Goody as my starters for 10………
Moobs! Sounds like a rather interesting category there, I like bookshops with quirky genre’s or ways of organising, but unfortunately we have none, we have only the great deity that is waterstones!
The Pope’s book sounds interesting, I’m not a catholic, but it would be interesting to know how he does view Jesus on the personal level like that, I’m sure there are many things that are common across denominations when you get down to the level of personal relationships with JC.
I’m sniggering so much at Foxy’s ‘Sick Lit’ I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. Now that’s tragic.
Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous, man. I hate to quote the Madden brother’s (well Ok, it does make me feel super cool to quote randomly obscure music), but they are always complaining about the troubles money brings. I think it’s our Christian duty to relieve them of such burdens myself.
Oddly, people find those stories inspirational. I think it’s all about the secondary PTSD, but hell, I’m a therapist…. who quotes Good Charlotte no less…
Am I cool now? Maybe I should write one of those books….
Claudia – I don’t think your coolness was ever in any doubt. I’m always grateful when you comment because (apart from the terror of a commentless Zen post) you always blow a breeze across the fustiness I have adopted as my trademark.
Pete- Having acquired a copy, I have to tell you it is a dry read. He uses the pulral noun “Exegetes” about two paragraphs into the introduction.
DS- If they had all given themselves a papercut who would you, as first-aider, leave till last?
she blushes and giggles.
Oh, cripes. I was kind of hoping it would read like “Jesus is friendly, he was very wise, and had good hair.” I’d never even thought of exegesis as being a particular hobby of his, or is Benedict referring to himself?