Comments on Alley Of Books: In Which I Rant About Things That Bother Me And......

I agree with Irish. Of course, naturally, we will ...

2011-08-11T10:55:12.027-04:00

I agree with Irish. Of course, naturally, we will all have different opinions on this, but I do have a few trusted bloggers whose opinion I wholly trust. That doesn't mean that I'll cross the book of the list right away if they didn't like it because I'll research into the book to get more of an idea of others opinion on it.

As a blogger I count on those bloggers to be honest in their reviews. And so if they just said they weren't to fond of it without explanation it would leave me scratching my head as to why. I think you also owe your readers an explanation and so it's important for me, personally, that if I don't like a book I explain why. Of course author bashing is unacceptable since we are reviewing the book but I wouldn't be reading the review in the first place if they did get out of line.

And as strange as it may sound. When I read a review from a trusted blogger who I know I have VERY similar taste to who reviews a book they didn't like. You take into account what they weren't fond of and see for yourself how you would feel about those things. And it's from that perspective that you see that the book isn't for you.

Thanks, Mitali! I think there is a way for people ...

2011-08-05T01:21:07.746-04:00

Thanks, Mitali! I think there is a way for people to express dislike without spitting loaded words at an author who has put a lot of work into writing something--and who was brave enough to try to share it with others! Sure, they've got to learn to take some criticism, and reviewers should be honest (or lose credibility for poor recommendations) but there's criticism and then there's bashing. I've actually unfriended someone on goodreads for how much they bashed books (even ones I didn't like, though what they said about the books I loved already made me cringe)... and she's a pretty influential person on GR. To avoid bashing her myself, she shall remain nameless :D but she has lost *all* her credibility with me.

well said, Mitali ;)

2011-07-18T10:41:44.368-04:00

well said, Mitali ;)

For what its worth, I like to see negative reviews...

2011-06-21T09:12:12.512-04:00

For what its worth, I like to see negative reviews on blogs. When I read a blog I like to see rave reviews and ones that are more negative. With both types I want to see that breakdown of why the reader felt like they did. That is how I start to match my reading tastes to theirs. If the reviewer didn't like X, Y and Z for X, Y and Z reasons and knowing my thoughts on those issues then I can say that I probably won't like the book for the same reasons. Why should I go out and still read that book if I am pretty certain that I won't like it? When that time could be spent reading a book that I think that I'll like.

So yes I'll read a negative post from a blogger I trust and if they don't like it then I might say, "Thanks for the review I'll give this one a pass". In the end that will save the author another negative review if I had read it, disliked it and then posted about it.

Again this is from blogs I read and trust. If a blog is new to me and I don't really know how our tastes match up then yes I'll probably still give the book a go. But if there is that established history of my liking (or not liking as the case may be) the same books as the blogger then I will just take their word for it.

I know that the publishing process is long and that authors work hard and have strong feelings for their books. But as readers, we can't like everything that is put out there. The world would be a very boring place if we did. So as long as the reviewer isn't attacking the author in their post and writing a well thought out review of what didn't work for them then I am fine with that. I like to see that. When blogs only review positiviely then I tend to stop reading them. It just makes it more difficult for me to match up my tastes to that blogger...and I go to the blogs to get recommendations of the books that are worthy of my time. I don't have a lot of free time so I don't want to waste it on a book that I think is going to suck. There are so many excellent books out there that I feel that is where my focus should be. And with so many options to choose from I need other bloggers to write their honest thoughts to help me sift through all the possibilities out there.

Beautifully said! And it applies to writers talkin...

2011-06-21T08:38:17.604-04:00

Beautifully said! And it applies to writers talking about other writers. Don't trash the community you want to embrace you. Be honest, but tempered.

Nice post Mitali! I have a problem with this too. ...

2011-06-21T06:51:30.949-04:00

Nice post Mitali! I have a problem with this too. I don't mind if people say why they didn't like it (though paragraphs upon paragraphs do get redundant). What I hate is when a reviewer starts to bash the author and everything they stand for. There are a lot of mean, rude and immature bloggers out there. I always try to add "if you like... you may like this" because feel the same way that you do and don't want to take a way a book from someone who may like it.