Top 10 burning book questions

Our Top 100 Extravaganza continues with the most-discussed questions from our weekly Yay or Nay feature along with some of your comments.

10 Can book bloggers be trusted?

After author Susan Hill suggested book bloggers hold more power than the traditional press and John Sutherland claimed online book reviewers just enjoy “shooting off their mouths”, we asked if book bloggers have as much sway as the traditional media.

Shanna: “The traditional media doesn't tend to cover the kinds of books I want to read.”

Newsbitch: “As a public, us readers are the ones paying for the books so why shouldn't we be entitled to our own opinion?”

9 Should children’s books only be read by children?

In these days of adult/children crossover books (Harry Potter, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, His Dark Materials, etc.) are we happy to read a kids book on the train?

Ms Mac: "Good writing should not be restricted to the demographic some anonymous bod has deemed it appropriate for."

Shanna: "The way I look at it, the authors I loved as a child and young adult didn't stop writing just because I grew up, so why should I stop reading their books?"

8 Can a film adaptation ever be as good as the book?

Inspired by the release of The Devil Wears Prada movie, we asked if a film adaptation can ever match up to the source material, or is something always lost in translation?

Shanna: "It's a very, very rare case when the film is better than the book, simply because so much has to be cut to fit the film into a reasonable length, and that usually messes with the plot and characterization."

Camilla: "I have a feeling Devil Wears Prada is going to be much better as a film." (See if we agreed.)

7 Should books by convicted criminals ever be published?

Following the outcry about the proposed OJ Simpson book (subsequently dropped by the publisher), and news of Jeffrey Archer’s latest book deal, we asked how you felt about books by convicted criminals.

Charlene: "Sure, let them write a book, BUT the profits go to charity or the victims, if they can't agree to that, then their books should not be published."

Ms Mac: "I say let them publish whatever they like. None of us have to buy or read them."

6 Do you want your partners to read your work?

After hearing that Gordon Ramsay apparently refused to read his wife's cook book, we asked how you would feel if your partner didn't want to read your work - rejected ... or relieved?

Maz: "All men should just be left to their own devices. After all, nobody made anybody write anything in the first place."

Charlene: "I think the operative word here is "read." My dh doesn't read anything except the daily newspaper."

Carry on over the cut for the Top 5 and the year's number one burning book question!

5 The new Jane Austen cover designs.

After author Deborah Moggach claimed the chick lit style covers of the Austen reissues 'demean' the author, we asked if you agreed!

Luisa: "I like them! I'm all for it!"

Gemma: "I'm really on the fence. I think in some ways it makes perfect sense to rebrand them in a chick lit style, after all she was one of the first real chick lit writers ... but at the same time I always think Austen books should be in those 99p 'classics' jackets, with old paintings on ..."

4 Celebrity authors.

With the current trend of famous people being given contracts to write books (Katie Price, Nicole Richie, Pamela Anderson for a few examples), we asked if you think it's right that these writers get contracts purely because of the fame.

Victoria: "It's irritating when they're purporting to have 'created' some work of fiction of their own, when in fact what they've done is ramble on about 'that time in the Viper Room' and settle some 'too libellous for the autobiography' scores under the guise of fiction, while the poor ghostwriter cobbles a novel out of it."

Gemma: "If they actually write the books themselves, why not. But too often the whiff of ghostwriter is in the air and it's a bit too fishy for me."

3 Is it okay to use famous dead people as characters in a novel?

Eve Pollard's new book Jack's Widow - in which JFK's widow Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is depicted in fictional form as a spy for the CIA - was the inspiration for this one. Should we be more respectful of the deceased, or is this a way of keeping their memory alive?

Melanie: "I think it's better to read about someone who's sorta-like-this-one-person, but has their own issues and flaws and personality. If Pollard's character had been based on a first lady from the 60s with a kick-ass wardrobe and unflappable grace to boot ... well, there would be speculation but no family members could chew her out for her imposed character flaws."

Camilla: "What next, Princess Diana as a KGB secret agent? Whoops, that was probably the sequel."

2 Can men write romantic fiction?

Reader, I Married Him host Daisy Goodwin suggested that few men enjoy, or enjoy writing, romantic fiction. Did you agree?

F G Gerson: "But of course. Chick-lit is very inclusive ... and extremely alluring beyond gender: modern, fun to read, fun to write! I'm a straight French man (whatever that means) shamelessly writing chick-lit for Red Dress Ink (and sort of proud of it)."

Jenni: "It's unfortunate that the number of men writing is so small - that way when you come across one or two that you don't like it can cloud your judgement of the rest."

1 Do you love a raunchy read or do you wish authors would leave it out?

Typical. All these interesting discussions and it was the smut that got you all going!

Linda: "Yay, yay and thrice yay. I love a bit of raunchiness, and the worse it is, the better."

Shanna: "If it fits the story, is in character, and is done well, then Yay. Otherwise, Nay."

Dataceptionist: "I love the bedroom scenes, but you gotta work up to them, set the scene, or they feel awful. If it's really bad it's good to laugh at though."

It's not too late to chime in on any of the above! Let us know what you think.

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