The Reading Joy & Delight Thread

[JSWolf]

It can be a joy to finish a book you've been enjoying. But it can also be a hassle trying to figure out what to read next.

[Sirtel]

It's never a hassle for me. Usually I know before I've finished the previous book.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

The "This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons blah blah blah entirely coincidental" disclaimer always tickles me, especially in books with more fantastical elements.

John Landis, in An American Werewolf in London and the Thriller video has "persons living, dead or undead" and in the film Return of the Living Dead (which imagines Night of the Living Dead was based on true events and army canisters with two of the zombies were forgotten in a medical supply warehouse) has "The events portrayed in this film are all true. The names are real names of real people and real organizations."

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

The "This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons blah blah blah entirely coincidental" disclaimer always tickles me, especially in books with more fantastical elements.

And ironically some such books have resulted in author and publisher sued and eventually the print run pulped. In one case it was totally fictional, but an important character had a rare name and the real person successfully sued.

Sometimes the suit was quite justified as the book was libel disguised as fiction. In one case the penalty was 1 penny as the jury that was what the reputation "damaged" was worth, and the costs awarded to the accuser, not defence!

Also you can't libel or slander the dead (or at least you can't be sued) and the suit will fail if reality is that it's not slander, but even generous.

Libel = Written (L for Literature).
Slander = Spoken.

Stating an obvious fact is not slander or libel, even if it's obnoxious to target.



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