A while back I discovered many of you see C grades differently than we do here. I thought it was a very interesting discussion and was reminded of it while reading the 60+ comments (from mostly authors) on that thread over there.
As normal most of the authors say they don’t mind ‘reviews’ and as much as they dislike the ‘bad’ ones they understand them. They hate the ‘mean’ ones, the ‘personal’ ones, the ones with ‘agendas’ or where the reviewer is ‘out to get the author’. And many a person say they didn’t do ‘bad’ reviews because why bother.
I have often said I end up buying more books off ‘bad’ grades than A++++ ones. I tend to like many a plot that is played out for tons of romance readers because really I have only been reading romance for about 3 or 4 years. So I for one WANT all reviews, even the ones I don’t agree with. And that lead me to thinking of a book I reviewed once a upon a time, which got me wondering if I see “C” grades in a way many don’t…. what about the “F”s?
What makes a book an “F” for you? If you are an author, do you see “F” differently in your work than you do a book you read for pleasure? If you are a reviewers (be it a website, blog, amazon, newspaper or whatever), is your ‘reviewer F’ ever different than your ‘personal F’?
Is there anything that causes an auto F effect for you in a book but you would forgive if a favorite author did it? What is it? Who would it be? I admit I go into a Diana Palmer novel expecting and forgiving plot points or character traits I wouldn’t in most other authors. Elizabeth Lowell can use nicknames, really silly ones, over and over in her older (amazing) novels and I love them. I don’t expect Julie Garwood to be historically accurate (who knew she did) so I go with the flow.
Things that could be book killers in new to me authors are nothing by those I love. Is that style, voice or a literary comfort blankie?
So tell us…. what F’s you of?
I read fast. I read a lot. I read purely for relaxation and entertainment. My approaching F books are those that I keep putting down due to poor writing, derivative plot or the characters are just not engaging. Bad books are the ones I keep avoiding going back to. If I don’t finish – it’s an F.
Any book where I can tell the author is an old mother hen who hen-pecks, preaches, is uptight about sex, gives a 28 year old heroine a name that is something old and frumpy like “Hazel”, and makes her act like my 60 year old maiden aunt who’s a missionary for the church.
Ugh! I’ve been running into so much of that lately, and it’s really made me grumpy >:-{
For me C reads are the worst kind of books. With a D or F book I know it is bad, and I can always point out why I think so. Whereas with C graded books all I “feel” and can say about it is that it’s blah, bland, boring, but essentially not really bad. Makes a lot of sense, huu?
Books I review always get the same grade as if I read this story just for myself, no difference here. However, I have been working as an editorial reviewer for three years now, reading English books and considering them for translation, …
In this case, as much as is possible, I try to ignore my personal likes and dislikes and look at the book with a more broad-minded attitude. I ignore personal pet peeves, except when I have the feeling that they would also concern other readers like, for example, when there is a rape scene in the book, or downright ass-holic heroes (they still exist) or spineless heroines that make me ashamed to be a female.
So even if I give one of those books a C grade because of my personal tastes, I still would consider them good “translation” material.
Hot Damn! Syb just admitted her dirty little reading secret in public! See, Syb, doesn’t it feel good to embrace your Diana Palmer lurve?
For me, the difference between a D-grade, an F-grade, and a DNF usually DOES depend on the author. If it’s an established author, I usually keep reading and hope she’ll pull off a last minute “save”. When she doesn’t and the book has nothing else going for it, it’s an F-grade- I expect more from established authors. Recent example: Susan Krinard’s Lord of the Beasts
If it’s got even the teensiest bit of redeeming grace, then it will depend on the author’s ego whether I give it a D-grade or F-grade. Seriously. If the author has already given me the impression that SHE thinks she is, or her book is God’s Gift to the Romance Industry, and the book was overwhelmingly awful (biggest crime– boring, uninteresting characters), then it’s an F-grade. Recent example: Sunny’s “China Doll” in the Skin on Skin anthology. Hell, we need to come up with a lower grade for stinkers like that.
As for new authors, I admit I’m a little more tolerant. But I also have less patience with them. So, while I don’t expect the same standards with a new ePub author that I do with a successful NY pubbed author, if the book becomes increasingly awful as I read, it becomes a DNF. I just assume they will NOT be able to pull off a “save”. Recent example: confidential because I was judging for Passionate Plumes
And yes, I also am more forgiving of my favorite authors. Case in point— I love Bertrice Small and think she’s a goddess (and unlike Syb, I’ve always proudly proclaimed my worship). For me, her “purple prose” adds to the rich tapestry she weaves with her words. But if just about any other author used some of her “love lance” phrases, I’d be LMAO at them. Go figure. Recent example: hmmm… dunno… it’s been awhile because I avoid most other “old school purple prose” authors now.
It took me years to get over my Diana Palmer reading habit, but like any good reading addict, I tend to relapse from time to time.lol.
I guess my thing is a personal issue. I don’t like it when characters smoke. I don’t care that my friends or relatives do, but when I’m reading it just icks me out. But, if it’s from an author I really like, I’m probably going to give it more of a chance. I think I’d feel the same way if I had to read a hero who chewed. (though that is something I do mind friends and family doing in front of me… it’s just so yucky.)
Hey bev I out my Palmer luv all the time. 😛
As a reader, a book is an F for me if I don’t fall in love with the characters.
While reading, I can trip into the occasional plot hole, skip over small clots of boring bumph, and even overlook a line or two of dumbed down dialogue–if the characters work for me, if they take me into the zone and make me care . . .
So I guess, F–for me–equals fugly characterization.
A DNF is fancy writing at the expense of story.
MistyG, I remember a rather old Nora Roberts, Hidden Riches (it is one of my favorites). It plays in the nineties and it was really strange to see the hero and heroine smoking. I guess that was before the big clean-up *g*. Personally I don’t like smoking h/h, just imagine the different flavour of kisses they are going to share BEURK. In this Roberts book however it is rather tame, no real addicts, so I can kind of ignore it. And rather off-topic, I used to re-write Elizabeth Lowell’s stories, especially those (namely all of them) featuring a bearded or moustached hero. Can’t say I still read her today, somehow her books lost their appeal.
Bev, you are truly the first person I know who loves Bertrice Small. WOW. 🙂 And I only know one Diana Palmer which will hopefully stay my last. The closest to guilty pleasure I come with Julie Garwood (only her medievals), and in former times (long LONG ago) I used to read Virginia Henley. But please don’t ask me why, ’tis beyond my grasp 😉
I want to say that an F more or less equals a DNF. If I were forced to read a book I was not enjoying for one reason or the other, my resentment would probably overshadow any sort of objectivity I had and that would definitely push the grade down.
That said, I have *had* to read books i haven’t enjoyed, but could see the positive aspects of it (writing, setting, daring choice in character type, etc) and if I had to rate them I’d give them in the D to C range.
Then there are the books that are soooo bad, they’re good. You read only to see what unbelievable plot twist or mangled phrasing, etc, will show up on the page next. But you’d never recommend them. Ds, all of them.
While an F book would really suck, imo, and I’d never finish a book that was shaping up to be an F–given a choice–not all DNFs are Fs (could be a It’s-Not-You-It’s-Me book).
Katie said:
Yep, I luvs me some Bertrice Small– the Skye O’Malley series (which, btw, Gwen loves too) and her World of Hetar series are on my all-time favorites list. I have read a lot of the Henley books too. But she is no where near the level of goddess that Small is. Henley often slips into too much of a historical facts dump (at least I HOPE that’s what it is) so I really have to be in the mood to read her and I haven’t been for quite awhile.
Actually, looking at my favorites list, you’ll notice that I love more than one author that seems to be fodder for snark here in Romancelandia. But I loved them before I knew blogs existed and don’t see any reason to change my opinion just because the “cool girls” make fun of them. I likes what I likes.
Well, I am reading a romance right now where the heroine is a hermaphrodite and the hero has two penises. And he sure does lover her extra wee-wee, so I am pretty much giving this an F. Sorry hermy heroines don’t do it for me.
And of course sex with trees books. A definite F.
I think the most appropriate F I have ever given an eBook was for Nica Berry ~ Venom’s Bond from Loose-Id.
Not only was the damn thing totally mis-categorized by the publisher but even at the end of the story I could not figure out as a reader if it was 1) actually a romance and 2) what type of audience would consider it a romance.
Unless you were into lizards, I mean, really really really into lizards.
It got a dead on F for not only confusing me as a reader but going on to confuse me as a person.
Katiebabs, let me guess. The author’s initials start with EA, the book title with R???? I read this book for review and by heaven was I grossed out. So much that my editor didn’t make me finish the story. *shudder*. The two penises would have been ok, even though I try to avoid them like crazy, but the HERMAPHRODITE heroine, and especially those icky medicinal … things … examinations? … from the beginning of the story, totally turned me off. BEURK.
EA? EA? hmmmm you do know that you both suck and I will now be forced to figure that out…
le sigh
Oh Katie you are right on!! Also the enema scene that didn’t happen seriously made me throw up a little in my mouth. I am so glad I am not the only one alone in my thinking!
Sybil, the hermy book is Raine by Elizabeth Amber and it comes out next month.
ROFLMAO!!!! Here I was thinking you guys were talking about a SCI-FI book! But, HOLY SHIT, all that in a NY release?!!!
I guess that answers the question about whether the next Lords of Satyr is going to be BORING— the middle brother was such prig in the first book, I was worried his book was going to be ho-hum. *snicker*
Well Bev, I didn’t read the first book in this series, but I heard the heroine only had some fairy wings on her back. She looks to be the lucky one!
Makes me wonder what the third book will have?!! Two heads and 3 penises??
You guys are making me giggle. Good way to start a Monday morning.
And yes. I love me some Bertrice Small. The Skye O’Malley books were some of the first romances I had ever read and several scenes from them have stuck in my brain. They all have a very fond place in my heart.
An F review from me is a book that is so poorly crafted that all I want to do is throw the thing at the wall. I can read a book as long as I don’t want to get my red pen out and start correcting all the syntax and spelling errors.
I’ll also give an F to a book that pisses me off – gang rape scenes pawned off as okay, really crappy writing, etc.
Isn’t that what the H/H have now? [hee]
You know, I’ve been reading Romances for a l-o-o-o-o-ng time. And everything you’ve mentioned, I’ve read at least once. So, no shockers in there.
However, I haven’t read them in an Historical or in a “mainstream” release so I have to admit this will probably be the first book I snatch [hee] up when I buy the 02/26 releases. I’m always looking for different and… uh… yeah.
Course, maybe someone will take pity on me and make sure I happen to get a copy BEFORE the release date. (hint hint, Syb)
want to get my red pen out and start correcting all the syntax and spelling errors.
Gwen did something really really bad in her last life to get stuck here with me *g*
Oh my god, there’s an enema scene?
You know, I didn’t read the whole story, THANK GOD it seems. Hermy? ROFL. Well, I already warned my editor that no way am I going to read the third book. Hmmm, the hero will need at least three penises, and the heroine better have a very talented mouth with built in massage brushes.
So sorry my book wasn’t for you Katie!
Elizabeth A