I have been reading a ton of ‘not my normal kind of reads’ lately. I thought about not reviewing them but something made me read them. So where I may have loved some, been eh about some and was very WTF about others they still seem to be worth talking about.
One I invested the time in them, two you might like them and three some of them I liked. So in my ever ongoing quest to drive Gwen and Bev crazy I decided these reviews needed a title! Cuz… uh… I had a reason but it was so long ago I forget. But we decided on ROB Reviews: why you ask?
ROB = Reading Outside (your) Box
go with it
But then I decided eh screw it, why name it? Cuz a review is a review is a review. Right? Thinking about this, which yes I did for a while as normal, it dawned on me that I really have no ‘normal kind of read’. So where all of these aren’t romance, well we never said we JUST reviewed romance, did we? hmmm well if I did I lied. Sorry… tis a woman’s prerogative to change her mind… right?
What do you think? Do you have a ‘normal’ kind of read? I EXPECT and WANT and get really really really PISSY if the label of the book lies to me. But other than that… if it is historical fiction, I don’t expect a HEA. But I do like them, sadly people tend to die though. Bastards.
Do you stick to ‘just’ romance? I tend to go in cycles for a while I read only smut, I know shocking, and when I say smut I mean that in the nicest way. Jackie Collins type books, le sigh I still own Rockstar, haven’t read it in forever but I still have it. For a while it was Anne Rice, back when she didn’t suck and did horror. Man I loved me some Witching Hour. One year was crime type novels, loved Faye Kellerman, Dennis Lehan and Jonathon Kellerman.
Than I fell into a ::manyyearsnotgonnathinkaboutit:: fanfic habit and didn’t read too many books at all. Then I fell in love with Historical Romance. A fanfic writer who I adore and beta’ed many a fic for (hey mishy!) rec’ed and rec’ed and rec’ed and rec’ed… until I gave the hell in a book she loved.
After reading Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale… well the rest is history. Or I guess my story. So I am thinking we don’t really need a label to say YO this might not be romance or what we NORMALLY read right now. What do you think? Do you want to know? Would a tag help you know if it might be something you want to read?
Do you ever step outside of the romance box? If so what do you like? What other places do you visit?
Yes, I step out of the romance box. Part of it relates to authors I love to read, and the other part is my neighborhood book club. They choose some of the oddest books to read.
Let’s see, my favs outside romance include Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice. Others I’ve read lately are A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (I’m sure I butchered that one), Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I’m currently reading Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver.
I think it’s reasonable to assume lots of people read outside romance, but their primary love is romance. I’d fall into that category.
On the other hand, I just finally finished the Leopard Prince and OMG, I loved it. I am going to Borders today to get Serpent Prince.
Fantasy is my favorite genre, whether it’s paranormal romance or urban or epic or even graphic novels.
But I read outside the box all the time. I love mysteries, thrillers, and spy books. Some of my favorite authors have nothing to do with fantasy, like Donald Westlake and Ian Fleming. I’ll read anybody once. 🙂
The only genre I’m hesitant to pick up and rarely ever read is sci-fi. Aliens, technology, space travel, meh. I’ve been thinking about trying Linnea Sinclair though …
I’d just put a tag on the reviews saying what genre they are — mystery, thriller, romance, etc.
I always read outside the romance box, started doing that years ago when the genre started causing me burn out. Most of the authors that I love – Kinsale, Ivory – currently MIA. Where is Alexis Harrington? She writes some of the best westerns. Lisa Valdez, missing still with no word about her next release and I was really excited about her. Oh, well.
I read mysteries, graphic novels (a lot), manga (a lot), fantasy and historical fiction (a lot).
You read Dennis Lehane? LOVE his work. I’ve babbled enough.
I used to read a lot more ROBs. Patricia Cornwell (Scarpetta stories), Dean Koontz (Sole Survivor and his Chris Snow books STILL freak me out), Lilian Jackson Braun (The Cat Who…), Dick Francis (horses and mystery).
But it seems like ever since Urban Fantasy became popular, it has met whatever non-Romance reading needs I have. Ironic that we place Urban Fantasy under the Romance umbrella, but it isn’t really, and it gives me a break from Romance.
Those authors I mentioned would be a ROGB- Reading Outside (my) GENRE Box. But I think ROB would also apply when reading a sub-genre or theme that we don’t normally read.
For example, Devon and I both have said that we don’t care for futuristic Sc-Fi, but we both are curious to read Ann Aguirre’s upcoming Grimspace because we love Annie’s characters. So, to me, that would be a ROB Review, too.
But the question then becomes (and I’m speaking in general terms now, not directed at Annie), is it fair to review a book knowing up front that I don’t care for the genre/sub-genre/theme? I mean, if the author wins me over… GREAT! But if the aspects I don’t like are directly related to that genre/sun-genre/theme, then is it fair to give a lower grade based on MY opinion of the book? Or do I try to be objective with my grade even though I don’t really like major aspects of the story?
THAT, to me, is what a real ROB Review is.
Ah bev my over thinking pal… really I think I agree with Jennifer Estep.
We are readers… this is a reader review blog… soooooooo it is going to be our opinion on the book we read.
That sort of goes without saying… no? So where does “fair” come into a personal opinion. Or am I wrong?
Keishon LOVE him. Drink Before War, Gone Baby Gone… really that whole series… awesome. He is doing an historical next I think…
Fair to both readers and authors. I say I didn’t like a book and therefore give it a low grade based mostly on the fact that it wasn’t my preferred genre/sub-genre/theme. Now when a reader sees that and, as a result, decides they are NOT interested in the book, then it’s not fair to the reader or author.
Now, hopefully, I will have explained WHY I didn’t like it well enough that the reader may see that the elements I didn’t like are ones they might enjoy.
Unfortunately (and I do this too), I think most people will skim a review first for the grade and a few key phrases like “didn’t work for me” and decide not to invest their time reading any further.
So, a designation like ROB Review *may* cause the reader to pause and take a more thorough look at the review.
It also works the opposite way. I may read a review raving about how unique and different a story is and therefore buy the book. However, I find the book to be ho-hum, same-old same-old, been there, done that. Turns out, that reviewer had done a ROB review, whereas the book was definitely in *MY*… uh… “box”. Had I known that the reviewer had little experience reading that genre/sub-genre/theme, I wouldn’t have wasted my money buying the book without more research. (That’s a generic example because the fact is, with the exception of a lot of Gwen’s reviews, I don’t buy books based on one review).
So, that’s what I mean by fair.
I don’t actually know what my reading box is, but if we’re talking non-romance, I recently read THE THIRTEENTH TALE, by Diane Setterfield–and it blew me away! Gothic, mysterious, character driven, it was a flat-out fabulous story with a fabulous and unexpected twist. For me, it had everything.
I like the idea of ROB reviews, Sybil. I’d surely check them out.
Edna (currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s, EAT PRAY LOVE . . .)
I do read outside of the romance box, but I tend to stick to genre fiction–mysteries, fantasy, horror. I’m actually thinking about writing my next Reader’s Gab post on why I avoid literary fiction like the plague. I’m not sure why myself. If I’m getting sick of, say, paranormal romance or historical romance, I tend to try out a different subgenre like Harlequins or futuristic rather than stepping too far out of the box.
I think it’s ok to review book that are usually not your cup of tea. But I like to express something to that effect right up front, letting readers know that some of my views may be colored by that.
I also like to read non-fiction. I’ve got one that looks great on my bedside table called “Sex With Kings” about famous royal mistresses.
Jennifer–I highly recommend Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. As Bev mentioned, I usually have a laundry list of issues with futuristics, but it was my favorite read of 2007. I’m a LS fangirl now, and part of it was how she won me over.
Sybil, I think you should do what ever you like. If you feel like reading books outside the romance genre and want to review them, I say go for it! People can pick and choose what reviews they read. I don’t read every single review that is posted here because I am not interested in every book. (Plus, you guys review quite a few books!)
Bev, I am speaking from my own experience here; if a book I want to read received a low rating on a review, I will read the review to find out what the reviewer didn’t like about the book. It’s possible I may still enjoy the book if I know what the reviewer didn’t like about the book.
If it is a book I have never heard of and yeah it got a meh review, then I am likely not to read the review.
One other thing, if you start reading out of your box, I hope the reason is not just to write reviews because won’t it start to seem like homework? I know as soon as I force myself to try and read a book, (because everyone is telling me I have to read this book, it’s that good). I find myself not wanting to read it because I am forced too. I don’t know, just my opinion.
Hey Jill!
You know I agree to a point because I won’t force myself to read anything. But uh… well you see this show up at my door and I just end up reading them.
Because they catch my eye, interest or something. So I hate NOT to review them but I hate to review them ‘unfairly’. Of course FAIR means what?
yah know 😉
I think fair means you just explain what you like or don’t like about the story. People may or may not agree with you. That’s how it is with any review anyway. Most people are coming to your site for romance reviews. If you happen to come across a ROB book and you liked and want to review it or discuss it, I say go for it. I don’t think it will detract from your site at all. If people don’t want to read it they won’t. Of course, all this speculation is just my humble opinion 🙂
Do I have to answer this? You already know I read outside the box though right now it’s pretty much UF, I read all over the place. I wish I could read faster. I was I was two people–one who wrote and one who read 😀
no you don’t HAVE to answer anything 😛
just you know… send me books 🙂
Ok, I’m in…I’m reading Lescroart’s Hunt Club right now, in between my RITA books.
I decided for the year to ROB (even without getting prodded from you, Sybil)
I’m really enjoying it, too!
Bonnie
LOL Yes ma’am. Soon as I have something to send!