Oh, the horror, the horror...

[@AlbertTheConjugator]

Hello, Phillip! Your description of True Crime using the word 'voyeurism' is perfect. I do read it on occasion, because it is history. However, I am bothered by people's lack of care for the victims in these stories. People seem to just consume one story and move on to the next. I also agree with you about reading an author's biography first. Maybe not a whole book, but I do wanna know where they're coming from. ✌️😃

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Ah, you're an inspiration, Albert. I'll follow your lead into horror & Gothic, really looking forward to the adventure. Thanks for stopping by.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you read much Jackson, Albert? What do you think?

[@AlbertTheConjugator]

@@apoetreadstowrite I've actually never read Jackson. I've only seen some film adaptations like The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix, so that doesn't really count.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@AlbertTheConjugator: Is the movie worth watching? Should I chase it up?

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

I’m glad you did this deep dive - you’ve got me questioning what a biography is about. Or what its uses could be.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks, David. I quite enjoyed preparing for this one, something I've thought about for a long time, so nice to find a medium to 'think out loud'.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you read any Shirley Jackson?

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

@ I’ve only read her short story “The Lottery.” In school.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@davidnovakreadspoetry: I can't wait to get to it. It's all new to me.

[@stuartgriffin1001]

Great video. I didn't realize that there was so much doubt whether we have much if any free will. I think it a great idea that you read an author's biography or autobiography before you read their work. It would be interesting if biographies did as you suggest

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Yes, I love to read the bio first, its helps me.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

The neuroscience & philosophy around consciousness & freewill is so interesting, fun to think about, & of such consequence for how we might understand ourselves. I love it.

[@Maeve_Ever_Books]

I’m not feeling very articulate today but, I loved your discussion on freewill.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks, Maeve. Yes, I'm really interested in the philosophy around freewill & consciousness.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Hope you're ok. Stay strong & creative.

[@Maeve_Ever_Books]

@ Struggling with a depressive episode but, I’m trying to stay above it as much as I can. Thank you for all your kind words.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@Maeve_Ever_Books: Look after yourself, Maeve. I'm thinking of you.

[@booksoffthebeatenpath]

She was such an artist 😢

[@apoetreadstowrite]

You're an inspiration. I'll follow your lead into horror & Gothic, really looking forward to the adventure. Thanks for stopping by, Meg.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

I don't think I would have discovered these genres without BookTube, & you are one key to this adventure for me.

[@booksoffthebeatenpath]

@ How sweet!💐

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@booksoffthebeatenpath: thanks, Meg.

[@book-ramble]

Christopher Hitchens liked to say, 'Of course we have free will... we have no choice.'

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Yes, but I think Hitchens was overly simplistic in this analysis, certainly most neuroscientists & philosophers today would disagree. It's a complicated picture. I think I've been on tracks my whole life - just one of my sadnesses. Odd, very odd, quirky qualms.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you ever read Shirley Jackson?

[@apoetreadstowrite]

I realise that Hitchens was being somewhat ironic, but it's such a consequential question, I think it must be treated seriously with sensitivity. I like much of Hitchens, but I find quite a bit of the analysis of the 'new atheists' a little underwhelming & simplistically binary. I want something better. I'm probably wrong.

[@book-ramble]

@@apoetreadstowrite No. Never.

[@book-ramble]

@@apoetreadstowrite I agree. As do so many others now. The binary nature of New Atheism leads to blunt statements and put downs - very little nuance. I too want something better. Perhaps, one day we will get it.

[@trippingoverstacks]

Thank you for uploading another great video. While I have read some True Crime, I agree with you about its "voyeuristic" nature. What bothers me the most is the commodification of grief and loss, and how the major focus is on the killers themselves I would much rather read stories about the lives of the victims, but that would be a poor revenue source for publishers unless, of course, the tragedy involved the killing of a highly publicized figure. I agree with many of your points about Biographies. I too, wish that we could get more than the standard 30,000-foot overview of a person's life, but at the same time have come to terms with the fact, that to really get into what drives a person's path throughout their lives would be a nearly impossible struggle. As great a story as that would be, it is difficult enough to understand the motivations of the people we interact with daily, and at times, those living under the same roof. Cheers!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@trippingoverstacks: thanks so much for this thoughtful response, I really like how you have worded this, you have given me much to ponder.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@trippingoverstacks: I’m so glad that I have embarked on this journey into horror. I don’t think I’ll ever read a lot, but I am enjoying Shirley Jackson - a new adventure.

[@TheLinguistsLibrary]

I think I have to like the book first only then am I interested in the person behind it. I'm with Hitchens on the topic of freewill...Elbo Room is the name of a dive bar in Florida lol, I wonder if there's a connection

[@apoetreadstowrite]

It's a clever image, (isn't it?), both for a bar & book on freewill. Fun to think about these things.

[@CGRatedBooks]

I like the idea and practice to read up on the author before experiencing their work. I never really thought of the impact it could possibly have. Bravo Philip for exposing me to this concept....I like it!!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks, Charles Gregory. You are a gem. I know some readers hate the idea of biography getting in the way of appreciating the work, but I'm not so sure. I think appreciating the life of the creator, enriches the reading of their work. Maybe I'm a tad too simplistic, but it is my way of reading - odd, isn't it?

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you read any Shirley Jackson?

[@CGRatedBooks]

@@apoetreadstowrite I have not. I, too, have refrained from reading horror. However, I have dabbled a little with "christian fiction" and that was rather borderline horror. But I haven't read much of that either.

[@CGRatedBooks]

@@apoetreadstowrite Well, based on my experiences, I have detected heavily noticeable traces of authors in the books they write. You could argue that pieces of the author's characteristics and traits are contained in the very characters they portray in their stories. I just never put it together that "early detection" would be possible; or have affect on the reading experience, if researching the author prior to reading the work. I wouldn't know how to personal feel about making the same decision for myself.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@CGRatedBooks: 'Christian Fiction': now, that has me curious, what is that all about? And how does it verge on borderline horror? Very interesting.

[@TheLinguistsLibrary]

Such a shame she stayed in that toxic relationship

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Yes, but such a common story, certainly sad.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you read any Shirley Jackson?

[@TheLinguistsLibrary]

@@apoetreadstowrite Absolutely, I love 'We've always lived in a castle' and 'The Lottery'. I think I read the The Haunting of Hill House but I can't recall much

[@TheLinguistsLibrary]

@@apoetreadstowrite Now that you made me think about it, I'm pretty sure The Lottery is the best short-story I have ever read!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@TheLinguistsLibrary: I can't wait to read it. I've read so much about it, I must get to Jackson's voice now.

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

I prefer to do it the other way around. I like the book to hit me as it is as a thing in and of itself first. I don't like to read explanatory notes before the book either. If I really like the book I might read the notes or a biography afterwards and see if I have missed anything or why they wrote what they did. Maybe the book was part biographical? It could be because I am on the opposite side of the world to you! One exception to this, in part, was the book of short stories A moveable Feast by Hemingway. I had read a lot of his books but not this one. Then I read his biography and about him so when I came to his book on his early life trying to be a writer in France with his first wife and surrounded by famous writers, painters and sculptors it was a delight.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Ah, I love all these different ways of reading - so enriching.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks for stopping by, & for the insightful reflection. Have you read Jackson? I think I'm really enjoying the discovery.

[@BeyondBooks-wt5il]

Very interesting to hear your thoughts! I don't read a whole lot of biographies.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@BeyondBooks-wt5il: thanks, Reney. I can’t keep away from biographies when approaching a new writer. I love them.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@BeyondBooks-wt5il: it’s interesting, isn’t it? You don’t have to read biographies first, I like them, not always sure why. It helps me - curious.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@BeyondBooks-wt5il: what do you think of Shirley Jackson? I’m really excited about discovering this new genre.

[@BeyondBooks-wt5il]

@@apoetreadstowrite I actually don't THINK I've read any of hers! I will anxiously await your thoughts!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@BeyondBooks-wt5il: Yes, I'm really excited to launch into the novels & short stories now. My next big adventure.

[@Already-Overbooked]

I think we all have free will to the extent that it doesn't interfere with the larger forces at work in the universe. As I believe in fate and that is the predetermined nature of the universe.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Interesting, isn't it, to juxtapose these forces, & see where things intersect? Very Interesting.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks for stopping by, & watching my video, I love reading your thoughtful replies.

[@SeaninsShelf]

I absolutely believe in free will and understand it in a theological sense as foreknowledge, not predestination. There are plenty of accidental elements to a life, especially considering we do not live in a vacuum and are animals of necessity but I do believe that there are things which are more conducive to changing oneself in a positive self-affiirming way. These mostly come down to what is in line with Spirit and Freedom that we can grasp such as love and creativity. Religion itself, to believe or not to believe is up to us. The resigned determinism I find to be very lacking and I choose to believe in that which I find much more wonderful. I also know that many people have a problem with a God who they think gives people free will to watch them struggle with it just to throw them in Hell but this is not what I believe. My own understanding of cosmology is contrary to most "Christians" though. And with the issue of biography, it does not usually capture the Spirit of the person or the miracles that shaped them. To know someone is to love them and if I do not love someone by the end of the "biography" then it wasn't done well enough. Thank you for your thoughts!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Interesting that you've thought about these issues so deeply, these are ideas that have such consequence for how we might understand ourselves, I love big ideas like these.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these ideas. I enjoyed reading your response.

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Have you read any Shirley Jackson?

[@SeaninsShelf]

@@apoetreadstowrite I have read The Lottery by her but nothing else at this point. Maybe I'll get to more of her work at some point!

[@apoetreadstowrite]

@@SeaninsShelf: It's all new to me. I can't wait to get to Jackson's voice now. What an adventure ahead for me. I'm quite excited.