This is a post that I very oddly started forever ago when an author annoyed me by basically saying you shouldn’t review books you know you won’t like. That is such a head meet desk comment to me. How do you know you will like it or not and do you seriously write off a genre cuz you are hard to please? Does your opinion suddenly NOT count?
I bore easlily and got sidetracked. Oh and the author in question I still adore and am VERY much looking forward to reading her next book which I strongly think is going to fucking rock socks. So why did I dust this off and finish it up? I know it is wild, you can not agree and still the world will spin on axis.
I am gonna tell you a secret. I didn’t like Sleeping with Ward Clever. NO REALLY. I know… you and you and you and you loved it yes? Awesome! Me not so much. And I had a bitch of a time trying to find someone to review it. The first person I finally just forced it on (thinking she would love it) begged to not have to finish it. I am evol but not THAT evol. The second reader who took it on was Laura D – this is her story. ::shrug:: Sometimes I get it wrong. Sometimes books I think people will love they don’t or books I think they will hate they adore.
YES I CAN BE WRONG. Not often mind you… but you know 🙂
oddly enough I STILL don’t like the book and find the author annoying… BUT I do love Dorchester and think the editor rocks socks so do not take this as a omg do not read Dorchester. I could careless if you read the author, I think you should try it and for fuck sakes REVIEW it. NO MATTER WHAT cuz 3 bad reviews? period? Smells like apathy to me
so with out farther ado…
I have to admit every time I read, Loyalty in Reading, I think of the line: There’s no crying in baseball. Who knows why…That so should be a button – There’s No Crying in ReviewingThe fact is or maybe the word FACT is too strong… In my opinion very few reviewers, readers, bloggers or even the ever dreaded romanceland blogging reader reviewers – open a book WANTING to hate it.
When was the last time you sat down with a book and thought gleefully “I am so going to enjoy the next three or four hours hating these characters”. Or “this author sucks rocks, I think I will kill an evening reading her tripe, so I can then kill another hour or two writing up a review”.
Every book I open, I do so wanting to love it. I want it to be THAT book that I stop and tell strangers about in bookstores. I also open the book prepared to honestly give my opinion of the book, no matter if it is for a review, a contest, a test read or just an author asking for a quick opinion.
Is that odd? I just assume all readers do that otherwise why bother reading?
At the same time I am not one to blow sunshine up anyone’s arse. There are other blogs that stick to a only happy happy, joy joy view of books. This isn’t one of them. There are other blogs you can pay to be told what you want to hear. This isn’t one of them.
And that is ok, it is a big playground and we can all find a sandbox we like. But I do wonder how many authors read a review thinking, well there was no way she was going to like my book anyway or well she just doesn’t like me. And why they think such a thing, do authors often read books wanting to hate the competition so they expect the same of everyone else?
There are a few reason I read a book but they all must first fall under the first rule of reading for sybil.
I wanted to read the book. I know that sounds like very simple logic but it is true: could be it is apart of a series I love, maybe the summary interested me, it could be the first book in a new subgenre, maybe the excerpt caught my eye, the author is a favorite of mine and I have been interested in books simply because the editor has worked on many a favorite.
The next reason I read a book is something I decide before I open it and that goes back to the blog.
1. Is this a book I am considering for a guest day? If it is and I find myself hating the book beyond reason or even just bored there is a good chance I won’t finish the book. Guest author days are only set up for books I would recommend and I am happy to read books that are recommended for guest days they have to fall under the first rule of reading for sybil.
2. Is this a book for review? If it is, I finish it. Period. There was a short period of time where I looked at publishers as a ‘we really need to get x amount done this month’ or this is a book we really should cover and if someone else couldn’t do it, my first thought was I would. Instead I decided on guest reviewers. I suppose there is the fear of if everyone wanted to read the books they will get nothing but good reviews, as I haven’t found that to be an issue I stopped worrying about it.
3. Is the ever popular impulse buy. This could end up reviewed. It could end up a guest day or a guest post. It could also end up not finished. The main point is I open the book WANTING to love it. And a series I am following I want to love that much more. I think it is an issue of expectation more than it is an issue of loyalty, maybe even reader attachment. And I don’t know if authors can really bitch about reader attachment. Isn’t that the reason our cup runneth over with series books and there are few single titles to be found?
A writer can create any world they want but it if isn’t a marketable one, they will be writing for a small group of people. At the same time, no one wants a series created ‘for the market’, which is such a catch 22. The author has to balance creativity, originality and voice with what readers will accept, purchase and lust after. Guess what THAT means… writing is hard work. For serious. Go Team You!
Personally I never would have read Sookie Stackhouse if I had known of the authors love of flexing her godlyness over her world by killing off characters. If I had known going in I would have been happy to skip the series, would have saved time and money. And woot for me. But there are at least two or three other reviewers JUST on this blog who lurve the series. Still to this day, YAY for them. And for me that I don’t have to read it anymore. We are both right. And I so don’t think Harrison gives a fuck about my opinion. They are her characters to do with what she will. She will rock on with her badself and you guys love it. ::shrug::
review = opinion = you don’t have to agree with me and I don’t have to agree with you…
k?
K!
Or you know feel free to disagree with me oddly enough we do allow that here. Because I say so and well I make the rules so woot!
Just an observation — I think you’re right, that for the most part nobody (reviewers, readers, whoever) opens a book expecting to hate it. That’s not why we read. And when a book we’d hoped to love ends up disappointing us…it’s sad.
However, the no-crying thing works both ways. There is a difference between a reviewer simply not liking a book with elements she’s either neutral about or is normally okay with, and someone reviewing a book rife with elements she simply doesn’t, never has and probably never will like. Like first person present. Or first person, period. Or any book that doesn’t have a true HEA (like, because it’s not a romance?) Or paranormal elements in a book with a befanged creature on the cover. Or citing too much explicit sex as a problem area when the book’s clearly labeled an erotic romance.
You see where I’m going with this?
I think I can safely speak for most of my colleagues when I say that all we ask is that anyone who reviews ours books in a public arena at least have both an understanding of and an appreciation for the subgenre in which we write. If they hate kids in books, for instance, then no fair whining that there are kids in our books. If they loathe first person and avoid it like the plague, then maybe they’re not the best ones to review our first person chick lits. However, if they normally enjoy family books or chick lit or paranormals or don’t have a problem with first person, but our handling of the elements didn’t work for them, that’s something else again. And fair game for criticism.
Obviously there’s no way of a reviewer knowing she’s going to loooove a book before she reads it. That’s just silly. And all readers have prejudices and preferences, which is fine. But when those prejudices severely impact the reviewer’s impartiality, handicapping her opinion — either way — before she even starts reading the book, then, no, she probably shouldn’t be reviewing that book.
Unless she’s open to the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, this might be the one book to change her mind. 😉
I can honestly say I’ve never – not one time – picked up a book with the expectation that I was going to hate it. I’ve been accused of that a time or two, but never actually done it. I don’t really understand why a reader would want to. If it isn’t appealing, I don’t read it. Simple as that.
Now this is a whole other situation, I think. Since KT made the comment, I’ll use her as an example:
I don’t like books about drug addicts or recovering addicts. Unfortunately I’ve had to deal with this somewhat in my personal life and it’s not hot. At all. Plus, I’m a horrible skeptic and I really don’t ever believe they’re actually, you know, fully recovered. Ever.
But because I enjoyed Karen’s first couple of books and loved her writing voice, I decided to read a book she wrote about a recovering addict. Normally I wouldn’t have bothered, but I’m really glad I did because I adored it. Still, it was a toss up whether or not I’d love the book or hate it.
Even so, I didn’t go into the book expecting to hate it. I wasn’t entirely sure KT could pull it off and make me love it, but I hoped…
I guess I feel like as a reviewer I should be able to say what I liked – or didn’t – about a book (as long as I’m fair about it) and not feel like the author is going to try to correct me. I remember not that long ago there was an author complaining because she got a B grade. Seriously? A B? Like that’s bad?
I understand that authors are sometimes sensitive about their novels and criticism of them. I really do. But like I’ve said a million times, it’s my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions….
Saying that people shouldn’t read books that aren’t to their normal taste is like saying that people shouldn’t try new foods or talk to people who don’t look like them. It’s patently absurd. Totally narrow-minded. I have definite reading preferences, but a woman cannot live on vampire romance alone. How boring.
If I try a book that has elements that don’t normally appeal to me, that means that either something about the description or excerpt caught my fancy or that someone else reviewed the book in a way that overcame my misgivings. And that says something good about the book, no?
However, if what’s between the covers does not work out for me, que sera, sera. I believe in letting readers know why I picked the book, what worked for me and what didn’t. That’s all.
In general, sniping at a review never looks good for an author. It just doesn’t. Cry to your offline buddies, or on a private group. Much less chance of looking like a schmuck.
I’ve never opened a book thinking I’m going to hate it either. I’ve had the thought that maybe a book just might not be the one for me. An example:
Fall of last year I received three or four ARCs to review. I kept looking at one of them – just the cover – and told myself, “Oh, that’s a fantasy, I’m not going to care for that one.” Fantasy has never been one of my favorite reads. So I put it aside and picked up one of the others.
I did this at least twice, was down to three books when I decided, well, I might as well just open it and get started, that way I’ll just get it over with.
That book ended up being the best book I’ve read in years. A book that took me away for hours, a book that mesmerized me, a book that puts strings of words together in a way that I can’t even describe it to anyone. The book?
Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson. That has become my all-time favorite book now. And I’m following the series avidly. This is a world that is just simply amazing, characters who engage you and you remember forever, and a story so incredible you’ll never forget it.
And I learned the lesson we all say now and again but don’t really apply in everyday life. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. I was definitely crazy to do so. I now look at fantasy in a whole different way.
So maybe if someone says they don’t like such and such in their books, they should one of those every now and again because you just never, ever know.
I was going through my TBR trying to re-organize and check up on what’s in there, and I ran across the CL Wilson’s and thought man, I’ve really got to get to those.
I love fantasy romance to begin with, but Sandy is making me want to read them soon!
Here’s the thing. I actually do say this to people all the time. I’m a Children’s librarian, and if a kid doesn’t like a cover, they ain’t reading. I have to beg and do my song and dance. Maybe that’s why I think it’s silly for people to limit themselves with reading (or reviewing).
First, thanks, Holly, for giving my recovering alkie book a fair shake. I did know going in that the subject would be difficult for a lot of readers, but heck, we pretty much take that risk with every book we write.
Not sure if this was addressing my comment , but that’s not quite what I said. Of course readers should read outside of their comfort zones — that many of them don’t is outta my control. But what I said was, that I felt reviewers with very strong prejudices against particular elements probably shouldn’t review books with those elements unless they feel they can set those prejudices aside enough to judge the book as fairly as possible. And from what I’ve seen over the years, I don’t think all reviewers do. Or can.
Not so much a criticism as a simple observation.
Hey…there are subgenres I will no longer judge for contests because I just can’t get into the mindset that enjoys those elements — I’m not the target readership — so I know I can’t be objective enough about them to give the author the fair shake she deserves. God knows I’ve tried, but I think we all know when something’s just not our thing, right? And since there are reviewers who state upfront that they don’t review X or Y books for that very reason, I’m guessing I’m not that far out in left field, after all. 😉
In any case, I completely agree that sniping at a review never looks good for the author (which is not the same as graciously correcting an actual error in a review that might mislead a potential reader, for instance). I also understand that, since this is the real world and all, it’s not as if we can pick and choose our reviewers/readers, much less their reactions to our books. You never know what will rub someone the wrong way, or simply not work, even for those reviewers who liked your stuff before. Just the name of the game.
However, since the subject came up ;-), I just wanted to toss in an author’s perspective in general terms.
We now return you to your scheduled programming.
Bad reviews are part of being an author. Yeah, they sting, but you just have to shrug them off. You can’t please everyone. We all have our likes, dislikes, and pet peeves, especially when it comes to books. I know there are books out there I’ve heard folks raving about that just didn’t impress me. And vice versa.
What I don’t like are the reviews that say “This sucks” and nothing else. It’s okay if you don’t like my book, but please tell me what you don’t like about it. Don’t just dismiss it with a “it sucks.”
I’ve got Lord of the Fading Lands in my TBR pile too! I may have to move it to the top. 😉
I started reading a book and wasn’t hooked in the first few pages. I put it down and almost took it back to the used bookstore. But then, I settled down with it again — and it was one of the best books I’ve read this year — Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn. I think part of it is reading the right book at the right time. I’m eager to get my hands on the rest of the series.
Karen, my statement was not particularly directed toward you. It is spurred by comments such as Sybil mentions, and the response made to laurad’s review suggesting that reader shouldn’t review books that are outside their normal tastes.
We get a lot of ARCs and author requests. By accepting one for review, we are committing to get that review done. Whether or not we liked it. If I commit to reviewing a particular book, it’s because something about it appealled to me, regardless of whether or not it’s my usual tastes. If I was to stick within certain parameters, it would bore me.
I guess the idea that people should only review the stuff they’ll definitely like (which is never a given anyway), just smacks of the whole “you have to be nice” school of thought.
I am ALWAYS nice damn it
I’m not saying a reviewer has to be “nice,” or only review books she’s predisposed to liking (because she’s a fangirl of the author, for instance). I’m all for honesty from reviewers, even if that honesty hurts my widdle feelings. But while I’m sure there are reviewers who actually love the challenge of reading something beyond their normal fare, there are those who really do not, or cannot, leave those biases behind. God knows why they’re reviewing, but just as all authors don’t approach their jobs the same way, neither do all reviewers.
It’s just the bias works both ways. Certainly, a “squee-this-writer-can-do-no-wrong” review is of questionable value. But so is the opposite. Ideally, the reviewer should be able to judge each book on its own merit, whether the subject matter/author be her fave or not. Not easy, I know. But I would think requisite to trusting the reviewer, no? If a reviewer cannot answer this one question — Does the book work within the parameters of the genre/the world the author’s created, regardless of my own tastes — then the review probably isn’t going to be as helpful as it might.
Holly’s positive review of my book, for instance, means a great deal to me because I know how she feels about the subject matter. That I handled the issues in such a way as to overcome her objections is a very sweet victory (and I fully accept that for other readers, perhaps I didn’t). All I ask for — and what Holly gave me — was a fair shot at judging the book for itself, despite her personal feelings. And I think it’s safe to say — having read her other reviews — that even if the book hadn’t worked for her, she would been completely open and honest about why, citing which elements gave her problems from a personal standpoint and which ones she could be more objective about.
Not all reviewers can do that. That’s all I’m saying. 🙂
YAY! Sybils brains is working! (umm, I think).
Bad reviews suck, but I’ll take a bad review with some commentary and explanation of the hate over an anonymous, numeric RITA score. A 2? Really? You really think I have no command over the English language and my book makes better asswipe than reading material? Really? At least, that’s what I inferred from the score. No explanation, so I had to take it upon myself to “show the work.”
Anyhoo – as Linda Howard once said (and I’m paraphrasing, but this is the gist), “No matter who you are and what you write, someone out there will hate it. And they will hate it so much, they will get on Amazon and tell the world about it. Get over it.”
And I’ve read so much stuff I “should like” that was terrible (authors who have been on autobuy forever) and stuff I thought I’d never like (I don’t do vampires! Wait, what, JR Who? Can I have another hit? Please, just a little till I can make my next score) that I think if the story and characters resonate with the reviewer, it will get a good review, even if it has to overcome a hurdle. In fact, it may get a better review, because it exceeds the reviewers expectations.
Seriously, when is the last time you read a review that said, “I opened the first page, saw it was set in regency england, and gave it an A .” Or, conversely, “I read the first page, learned the hero was a werewolf, and gave it a D.”
Awww, Jami. The numeric score with no explanation would make me nuts. If it was a reader review (as a reader) I would definitely not pay any attention. But as a writer being graded by other writers? I’m sure it’s tons of work or whatever, but some discussion would be nice.
Since this is about reviews… I think rating a book that you haven’t read is a wierd thing to do. I saw this on the B&N site for Archeron, five reviews stating how much they are looking foward to the novel and not only that they all gave five stars for a novel they haven’t even read. Wow, there I was thinking, “all right reviews!” It was very annoying to discover all it was was gushing.
Yes that’s very weird and fangirly. There are no guarantees you’ll like anything. What if Acheron stinks? (Which I don’ think it will, SK has been working on this one a long time). It has no use except to show how excited they are.
I don’t mind DNF reviews, as long as you clearly mark it DNF rather than giving it a grade, and thoroughly review the portion you did read. A lot of times (for me) DNFs are because of things that I could not just get past, but I think others would like the book.
I do agree with what KT seems to be saying about reviewers needing to be aware of their prejudices. I read a lot, in a variety of genres, and will try anything once. And I have read books I enjoyed that I might not have picked up otherwise because of reviewing here. But I do know my prejudices. (I don’t read about blind characters in books, because that effects me IRL and lots of times authors get it wrong.) Which isn’t to say that if my favorite authors came out with a book featuring a blind character, I wouldn’t read it. But every time I see a review request for that kind of book, I cringe and tell myself that one isn’t for me.