The Evil Sentence

In the world of literature, sometimes authors really all love a particular concept, and you can find it in just about every book. On its own, this is not inspiring, since authors are working in a creative field, and seeing almost the exact same sentence in 50% of the books one reads does not scream originality. Even worse when the sentence does not make much sense in the first place. There are several of these, but we'll talk about my personal favorite:
 

"I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding." 

Can we take a moment to think about what that means? Has this ever happened to anyone? Personally, when I hold my breath, I know I'm doing it. I'll grant that maybe, just maybe, this does happen to some people occasionally, but does it really happen to everyone all the time? Breathing should pretty much just happen, but people in literature apparently need to remember to breathe at all times. Maybe the air is thicker in literature.

A group of my blogger friends and I started talking about how much we hate this sentence, and I certainly knew that I'd seen it around with regularity. However, a few of us began tweeting one another whenever we found the sentence in our books, and the results have been pretty terrifying. Don't believe me? Here's a sampling of books that use this phrase/idea.

First, here are the ones Jenni of Alluring Reads noticed. Obviously, this post would not exist without her diligence.

Renegade by J. A. Souders

"and the breath I didn't know I was holding releases in a hiss"

V Is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

"I blew out a breath I'd been holding in my lungs without realizing it."

Easy by Tammara Webber

"I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding"

Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy

"I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding."

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

"like I'd suddenly released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding"

Mind Games by Kiersten White

"I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding."

The Rules by Stacey Kade

"I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding."

Taken by Erin Bowman

"I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding."

 

And here's Bekka of Pretty Deadly Reviews:

Never Let You Go by Emma Carlson Berne

"Megan let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding."

And one from Giselle of Xpresso Reads:

Prodigy by Marie Lu

"I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding."

And Ashleigh Paige, now of Birth of a New Witch:

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

"I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding."

And Renae of Respiring Thoughts:

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

"Daniel released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding."

 

Starglass by Phoebe North

"I let out a gasp of breath, one I hadn't even realized I was holding"

Finally, here are the ones I found, and I'm sorry for how crappy the camera is on my iPod touch:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

"'You don't have to hold your breath, Nik.'
I hadn't realized I was."

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

"I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding."

Ashes of Twilight by Kassy Tayler

"I did not even realize I'd been holding my breath"

Mothership by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

"I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding."

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

"it wasn't until he...handed it to me that I remembered to start breathing."

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

"She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding."

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

"Breath exploded out of Angie, breath she didn't know she'd been holding"

These photos shown here were used with permission by the photographers. I know you are jelly of our photographic talents. This list does not even include all of the instances of MCs hearing screaming or crying and realizing the sounds are coming from them, additional popular phrases in which the heroine or hero has no knowledge of their own bodily functions. To be fair, these are largely from ARCs and could have been removed pre-publication, but there's still an epidemic of breathing-forgetfulness on our hands.

So, authors, when you're editing your book and looking for words to cut, these need to go first. There are so many better ways of conveying that your MC is startled or afraid, ones that won't leave them seeming literally TSTL. You could remove this from any of these scenes, and I suspect they would play just as well. Can we stop with this now?

Update 4/12: Various people have reported realizing they've held their breath without meaning too, due either to stress conditions or focusing too hard on a particular task, like a workout or knitting. Still, these aren't generally what's going on in the scenes in question, nor does it invalidate the fact that this sentence is overused and not creative. I wasn't opposed to the sentence strongly when I first saw it, and it even seemed plausible; I've exaggerated that for comedic effect, but the point is that this has been done to death.

Have you spotted the evil sentence? Have you ever held your breath by accident? Have you noticed any other overused sentences like this in your reading?

"It Was Like a Big, Huge Dumping"

You know what I'm sick of in books? Well, actually, you know a lot of things I'm tired of reading, since I complain about them pretty regularly. Today I have another one:

Breaking up with someone for their own benefit

This happens ALL the time in books and pop culture. Edward does it in Twilight, sending Bella into a spiral of depression that sadly doesn't end by death in a motorcycle accident. Stefan pushes Elena away in The Vampire Diaries show after he becomes the Ripper, even though he secretly still lovers her. In the kdrama I'm currently watching, What's Up?, Jang Jae Hun breaks up with Park Tae Yi when he realizes that he accidentally played a role in the death of her father. In Broken at Love, Quinn tries to scare Emilie out of his life because he thinks he doesn't deserve her. That's just a few examples of a really prevalent trope.

I'm willing to admit that these guys do have good intentions. They want to protect their lady loves from themselves. They're dumping these women in hopes that their ladies will live better lives without them. For a whole range of reasons, each one feels like he will make her life worse.

Of course, if he really wanted to protect her, he wouldn't date her in the first place. In most cases, he knows about his issues before he begins the relationship. It's not like Edward and Stefan suddenly realized "Oh shit, I'm a vampire," nor was Quinn surprised to learn how fucked up he was. They knew and got involved anyway, because they couldn't resist. Well, damn, boys, if you couldn't resist before, why can you now? Am I the only one who doesn't think this makes sense? 

Fine, though, your hormones got out of control and here you are. You're dating this girl and, as expected, shit has hit the fan. Her life is endangered because of your presence in it. Obvious solution: dump the dummy for her own good. It's the noble thing to do!

Let me just tell you this, fictional guys, because you obviously don't get it: there's no such thing as a benevolent dumping. See, you're doing this out of the blue. From her perspective, you're crazy in love one moment and then the next you're telling her you have no feelings for her and never want to see her ugly mug again. There are two major problems with your plan.

Problem 1: She still loves you.

You've left this girl at the height of your relationship. She didn't do anything wrong and you've just abandoned her, which will inevitably lead to a spiral of depression, booze and ice cream. Since you didn't tell her why you left, she thinks she must have done something wrong or that you realized that she is actually unlovable. Likely, she'll need many years of therapy to recover from this.

Problem 2: She's even more vulnerable.

In some cases, Mr. Noble left to protect her physically. His logic: The evil paranormals found out about my wimpy human girlfriend and they're going to kill her, so I'll leave and she can be safe. My affection for her makes her a target for attack, so once I'm gone she'll be safe. Flaw: They already know about your girlfriend, so she's still a target, buddy. Only now you're not there to help fight off the evil paranormals. Smooth move.

Other times, though, he leaves to protect her emotional state from his dark past. His logic: Someday, she will learn the dark truth about me and have to walk away from me, since I'm such a monster. Instead, I'll save her the trouble, spare her the inevitable heartbreak. Flaw: You're going to spare her emotional turmoil and heartbreak by DUMPING her? Dude, have you been dumped? It sucks even if you don't like the person much. If she really likes or loves you, her emotions are now fucked for months. She's going to be haunted by the mystery of why you dumped her, since, of course, you didn't give her any reasons.

What should these guys do instead? Fucking communicate! Use your words, gents. Tell her what's up and trust her to be able to make the choice about her own life. Once you entered into this ill-advised relationship, you added her into the equation and, as long as you have feelings for her, she has a say. Never do something in someone else's benefit with out ensuring that it actually is in their best interest.

However, feelings are scary and brooding male heroes can't handle it. So, fine, you want to end things so that she can be safe from you. Here's how you do it: get her to dump you. Of course, there are easy ways, like cheating on her or just telling her you cheated. That will probably do it. I would recommend, if you really love her, taking your time and slowly becoming more of a dick until she has no remaining feelings for you and dumps your ass. That way, she's already over you by the end of the relationship and can move on to someone less misguided.

All of you fictional characters that do this, know this: we see through you. In no way did you dump this person for their benefit. It was all for your own, because you're too much of a coward to talk to your significant other. You're pathetic and you need to grow right the hell up.

In Defense of Romance

The inspiration for this post came from a rather strange place. Ashley of BookNook posted a DNF review of Orleans, a book I really liked. She listed her reasons (all quite valid btw - this is in no way a criticism of her decision to DNF) and one of them was the lack of romance. Ashley openly admits that she likes there to be some romance in her books.

Confession time: I love romance in my novels. I really, really do.

Honestly, my liking for Orleans was more of an exception than a rule. I'm more accepting of a lack of romance in dystopian/post-apocalyptic, since circumstances don't make it easy and because there have been such terrible abuses of the genre in that respect. Normally, when I'm reading a book, I have my eye out for someone to ship with the main character. I like there to be a couple to root for, even if there's hardly any romantic tension, I'll imagine it down the road.

There are exceptions of course. I don't want romance in middle grade or children's fiction most of the time, and it doesn't belong in a story like A Clockwork Orange. Most of the time, though, I want there to be something. It doesn't need to be overt, but I want there to be a hint of it.

Bonus points if there are also unicorns.

Lately, with all of the instalove and horribly done love triangles, I feel like there's a sense that romance is overdone in general and that there should be more books without any romance.  Actually, I don't think it's the romance that's the problem with books these days, so much as how romance is being handled. The bestselling YA books depict horribly unhealthy, unrealistic relationships, so that's what gets churned out over and over in an attempt to repeat the success of Cassandra Clare, Lauren Kate, Stephenie Meyer, etc. The problem is writing on a formula rather than writing real, vibrant characters who will behave in a way that is logical with their mental processes.

This may be pathetic to admit, but I live vicariously through my fiction, and a sweet, realistic romance gives me hope and feels that I generally do not find in daily life. I feel almost embarrassed to admit that I actually love romance in books because it doesn't feel cool to say that these days, but there it is.

This is why I spend most of my time reading.

Let's embrace romance, but get rid of these tropes that are giving romance a bad name:

Instalove: I've written about this before, and I still stand by that. The characters might FEEL like they're in love immediately, but, if you go with that, show some of the growing pains between the idea of love and really falling in love with the person, rather than the idea of them.

Abusive Relationships: Obviously, fiction SHOULD cover abusive relationships. They're out there, and people, teens and adults alike, will benefit from an awareness of what makes an unhealthy relationship. However, I do not want to see these relationships romanticized. Fiction should imitate life, yes, but it's also making a point, and when the heroine is happy to be bullied by her boyfriend it sends a terrible message. Especially in teen fiction, I don't want to see an abusive relationship upheld as a romantic ideal and ending happily ever after. The heroine needs to come to some sort of awareness of her situation, even if she can't get out of it. This was handled well in Falling for You, but terribly in Nobody But Us.

An appropriate response to a controlling boyfriend.

Couples With No Chemistry or Personality: So many romances I've read have fallen flat because all of the characters are flat themselves. If Brandon Blah and Karen Cardboard fall in love, what the heck do I care. They're always in love the first time they meet, but they literally have nothing to talk about aside from their declarations of love, compliments on physical appearance, and minimal discussion of the current crisis. You can just seem them as an old married couple communicating in annoyed grunts because they realized they have nothing to talk about. I especially see this in male love interests in a love triangle. You can have Broody McDouche or Aggressive MacAsshole. What a choice! Of course, the heroines making those choices are generally so passive and without personality they need someone like that to tell them how to think. This is no good. At all. If the couple would not be able to entertain themselves for a week just by talking and with no crisis going on, they're not going to make it.

The Plot Keeping Them Apart: Relationships are really hard. The people in the relationship are the biggest barrier to the success of the relationship in most cases. Yet, in fiction, it's almost always the parents, the government, a curse, etc. keeping the couple apart. I think of this as Romeo & Juliet syndrome; everyone's trying to keep us apart so ours is an intense and tragic love. Not buying it.

Love Triangles: Radiant Shadows wrote a great post on this that is worth checking out. As she says, love triangles are not wrong in and of themselves, but they often combine elements of every other problem in romance, like instalove or flat characters. I'd also like to see less where the MC is leading on both of the love interests.

The Focus on LOVE: Listen, love is great, I'm sure. However, it seems like every book wants the MC to be in lurve with someone by the end. The reader doesn't need to be told they're in love; if they have great chemistry, we can imagine that for them. Every teenager doesn't think every encounter is love. Actually, I would really like to see more YA where the heroine dates casually for a while. It seems like they're mostly either single or in a SUPER SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP.

I think this is a great attitude I don't see enough in fiction.

The Hottest Blah in School: Is anyone else sick of the mysterious transfer student or the hottest dude/chick suddenly being inextricably drawn to the MC? I know I am. Why can't normal people fall in love? Every hero doesn't need to be the most attractive guy ever in the world for readers to root for the couple. For example, I ship Eleanor and Park so hard, and they are both not remotely the stereotypical hero and heroine.

Do you like romance in your books or do you wish it would stop? What are some other bad romance tropes?

Finding New Blogs to Love

When I have my Google Reader at manageable levels and stay on top of things, I really don't have all that many posts to read daily. As such, I could use some new blogs to possibly follow. In looking around, I started doing some thinking about what makes me follow a book blog, and so that's what I'm talking about today. Here's what I do when I'm checking out a new blog:

1. Look at the Design
I sort of hate myself for this one, since I know that my design is crappy and out of the box, but there you go. At some unidentified future date, I should have a pretty, simple design that is all my own, but, until then, this is what you get. This isn't a deciding factor for me by any means, because, obviously, I know that quality content isn't determined by a rocking background. Still, I do look, and admire pretty designs. Also, the design can often clue you in a little on the person's personality if it's custom, though not always. Most especially, you can usually tell if the blogger primarily reads paranormal.

In discussion with Blythe, there are some reasons I would definitely not follow based on design: use of Captcha, written in all caps or a ridiculous font, or unreadable because of colors/background.

2. Giveaways
Long ago, I used to follow some blogs for their giveaways. I don't do that anymore at all, but I do still often consider the bloggers' giveaways when looking at their blog. Basically, I want to see if they're obnoxious about them. Do they promote their giveaway on every single post, whether it's related to the giveaway or not? If so, nope. Do they require people to follow their blog to enter all of their giveaways? I can see requiring a follow for certain ones, like follower appreciation giveaways, but to do that all the time seems desperate.

3. Overlapping Taste in Books?
Though I read a really wide range of books, I don't generally follow book bloggers who almost never read books I'm interested in. I have nothing against people who only read romance novels, but I like reading blogs to find other books for me to read, and that's not going to happen with a romance-only blog. I'll generally check out the blogger's reviews for some of my favorites and see if we have pretty compatible taste.

4. Look at the Comments
Does this blogger ever respond to the comments on their blog? When I find a new blog I think I like, I will try to leave a few thoughtful comments, and I will check back to see if the blogger responds to at least one of them. I have a few blogs I lurk on but never comment on, but I prefer to interact, so, if I'm on the fence, not returning comments, either on their post, on my blog, or on Twitter, will generally tilt me to the no side. People comment on your blog, in theory, because they want to have a dialog with you, not to throw praise at you like a fangirl might throw her underwear at a rock star, okay? Bloggers that don't respond to comments one way or another come off as standoffish to me, and the best thing about blogging is the friendliness of most of the community.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

5. Find a Negative Review
Listen, I know negative reviews cause a lot of controversy, but I'm going to be honest: I love them. Now, obviously, I really wish we could all love every book we read, but it's just not possible. I can't tell you how many blogs I've unfollowed because I noticed that their most common rating was five star. Sure, their scale might be different than mine, but that's just not helpful to me as a reader. I need to know that your reviews are honest, and negative reviews are where that comes out better than anywhere. So, if you would like to, link one of your most scathing reviews in the comments, and I will come check you out.

Follower count and whether or not the blogger receives books from publishers do not factor into my decision at all. Just FYI, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with doing things differently than I happen to like. We're all different, and I appreciate that diversity. Honestly, there are even bloggers I'm close to who don't necessarily fit my 'requirements,' but I thought this could be an interesting discussion.

What do you look for in a book blog? Want to share a negative review? Other thoughts?

On Comments and "Great Reviews"

Friendly friends, I'm not going to lie to you; in fact, I endeavor never to lie to you, even when I have to tell hard truths. I unashamedly love comments. When I wake up and check my email and have a bunch of comments, I am ecstatic. A thoughtful comment is approbation. It tells me that not only did you read my post, but it in turn inspired thoughts in you. This is the start to a discussion and I LOVE bookish discussions, because, hello, book blogger. Comments can be such positive affirmation that I do not suck at what I'm doing.

This is how comments make me feel.

However, I'll admit that there are some comments that I would rather not see. All of the bloggers in the audience can surely relate to this. Some comments seem like empty gratification, intended to blind you to the fact that they didn't read your post with flattery. I regularly get comments that say "great review" or "thanks for the post," but that don't say anything else. While I'm sure it's not always the case, such comments often feel like an inducement to get me to comment back on that person's blog.

Here's the thing: I don't think I ever need to hear great review from anyone. If you have a meaningful response to my post, whether it be on my blog, on Twitter, or on your own blog through a discussion post inspired by and linked to mine, I can tell that you actually appreciated what I was doing. Without any thoughts to back it up, the "great review" comments look like a nicer way of saying tl;dr. Of course, some of this is my fault, because most of the comments like this are giveaway entries, which, by the way, will not count.

Edit: For clarity's sake, I'm speaking to comments that consist of those couple word comments that say nothing but "great review" or something similar, or the ones that accuse you of not liking a book you gave 3+ stars to. Adding "great review" to reflections on the review is totally legit. :)

Comments don't have to be essays to be meaningful, but they should be reflective and suggest that you've read at least some of the review, and considered it. Heck, I even like getting comments saying that the reader only looked at the rating because the book's at the top of their pile and they're excited or concerned. I get that. I've had brief comments that were thoughtful, just a short sentence. It is possible to be brief but still indicate that you really did read the post.

Personally, as a commenter on other people's blogs, I try to comment only when I have something to say, usually something either terribly weird, wordy or both together. Almost never do I use the phrase "great review." I guess I would need to ask some of the blogs I comment on the most to see how they feel about my comments and whether the lack of a specific complimentary phrase leads them to believe I think their reviews suck and I comment for RTs or something, but I doubt it. I think that taking the time to actually respond to a long post shows your interest in the subject matter. I personally try only to say that a review or post is great when I have been just completely blown away by its awesomeness.

Posts that make me go like this, basically.

If you've commented with a "great review" on my blog, don't feel bad. Now that I'm coming to the end of my rant, I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. I don't want to tell you that my way is the right way. I still will appreciate the fact that you took the time to comment on my blog, even if you did it for a comment in return. Just know that I personally, unless I'm really bored that day, only return comments on meme posts, because that's the deal, and to ones that are incredibly thoughtful. If someone comments with a standard response, I would only feel like putting that much effort into returning the comment, and I would rather not comment at all if I can't leave something funny and thoughtful.

Other bloggers, how do you feel about comments on your blog? Readers, what are your commenting strategies? Thoughts, anyone?

Five Criticisms You Won't Often See in My Reviews

In my time reviewing and reading the reviews of others, I've noticed just how unique an individual's lens for viewing fiction can be. There are certain things I basically never notice that are bemoaned by other readers, and particular qualities I harp on constantly that might not bother others. Today, I'm focusing on the former. All of these I have probably mentioned once or twice, but they're not criticisms I personally wield often. Please note, too, that I think these are all very valid and important viewpoints, just that my brain doesn't lend itself to them.

1. Showing versus Telling
Under ordinary circumstances, there's both showing and telling, and, honestly, I really don't notice how much of one or the other the author is employing. I see people comment on it, and, while I know what it means, I generally can't really apply it to my reading. This is a huge factor for Kara of Great Imaginations, and she'll mention too much showing for books I've loved, when I had no sense of some sort of imbalance. I don't know why this isn't a thing I pick up on, but it's just not. From what I recall, I have used this criticism precisely once, in my review of Ellen Oh's Prophecy. The fact that I did in Prophecy says a lot about the book.

2. Tears or Terror
Rarely do books actually make me cry. I might feel sad for them and even get shiny eyes, but actually tears happen two or three times a year. Nor do many books make me laugh out loud, even if I found them very funny. Even more rarely does a book scare me; horror movies turn me into a puddle of petrified goo, but books don't get to me at all. I'm not sure why, but no matter how engaged I am in a book, I still keep my reactions internalized most of the time. If a book does manage it, though, you can bet it will be getting a high rating, unless the emotion was rage.

3. Too Much or Too Little Dialogue
Recently, someone asked me what I thought the right proportion of dialogue to narrative is and I was utterly flummoxed. It never really occurred to me that there might be a right or wrong amount of dialogue. However, I have seen this from other people, and I'm sure they're making a valid point. Personally, I think I might be more likely to note info-dumping from the dialogue or that it feels unnatural, not how much of it there is.

4. Slut-Shaming
This one comes up a lot, but isn't something that I bandy around much. The term 'slut' is a really hot button issue for some readers, but I'm just not as bothered. Yes, I think slut-shaming is a terrible thing, but I haven't read too much where I felt like that was the overall message. I accept some uses of the term as natural, because this is how most people think, particularly in high school. Though I might not be proud of them now, I certainly had them. Actually, I think I'm more upset by the focus on purity in a lot of YA, most notably Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden Trilogy, than the fact that heroines still call promiscuous girls sluts sometimes. Basically, I think slut-shaming is awful, but it's not something I'm particularly sensitive to. If I notice it, though, I will call it out.

5. Hard to Picture the Setting
You guys, I am not a visual reader. I don't see everything in my head at all, so only if things are really confusing do I ever pull this one out. I'll read reviews that point out that the layout of a room doesn't make sense or contradicts itself, and I'm just so impressed with the attention to detail. Pretty much the only time I comment on the descriptive nature of a book is to praise how well it's done, so much so that even I have a strong image in my head of everything.

This one has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic. I just love it.

All of this is intended to show what I love about reading reviews. I can go to someone else's review of exactly the same book and, even if we have the same opinion on it, their review will raise points that I never noticed. Though there are thousands of reviews out there, we all bring our own unique brains to the table, and I think that's fantastic.

Pride and Prejudice 200th Anniversary Party Blog Hop

Pride and Prejudice turns 200 today. Author Alyssa Goodnight, whose sophomore novel Austensibly Ordinary releases tomorrow from Entangled Publishin, arranged for a bunch of Austen-loving bloggers to participate in this hop to discuss our undying love for all things Bennet and Darcy in the form of a fan letter to Jane Austen. So here goes.

Dear Jane,

     We have never met before, the occurrence of your death more than a hundred years before my birth roundly precluding that possibility, but I hope you will permit me the familiarity of referring to you by your given name. Since my youth, I have read your books and loved them (most of them anyway), and I feel as though we are kindred spirits, a great presumption, I know.
     Two of your books rank among my tippy-top favorite books of all time, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, but I write to you today, dear Jane, to speak of the former. P&P has become your most beloved and enduring work for a reason, and, though you're not here to celebrate, we're honoring your most popular work with fanfare and pomp.
     Sadly, I cannot remember the precise circumstances of my first trip around England with Elizabeth Bennet. However, I do know that I was young, somewhere from eleven to thirteen. My mother had suggested P&P and I was still young enough not to automatically balk at the suggestion from some silly sense of teenage rebellion. Your characters mesmerized me almost immediately, and I sped through the book. I was insulted with Elizabeth when he refused to stand up with her, laughing uproariously every time Caroline Bingley's flirtation attempts backfired, confused but moved by Darcy's first proposal, giggling like the school girl I was when Darcy and Elizabeth meet up so tentatively in Derbyshire, crushed by Lydia's idiocy, applauded Elizabeth's responses to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and wept with happiness when those two crazy kids finally came to an understanding. Rarely has a book impacted me with so much emotion.
     Through the years, I have revisited Darcy and Elizabeth more times than I can count. Unlike some lesser works, the story never diminishes, and, in fact, I find new qualities to love about P&P every time. As I grew older and gained more of an education, I discovered the subtle cutting wit and social commentary, which I think makes P&P a companion to Oscar Wilde's work.
    Unfortunately, it has been a couple of years since I have returned to Pemberley, but I'm thinking I must do so quite soon. As a woman of a certain age where her friends are all wedding, but remaining somewhat determinedly single myself, I have a new lens through which to view Elizabeth's choices than I did as a younger, more romantically-minded person.
     Dearest Jane, words fail to properly convey to you the feelings of my heart, but please allow to share with you some moving pictures from the internet (don't worry about what that is), so that Mr. Darcy can speak for me.

Your friend ever,
Christina

 

Plagiarism Is a Bitch

Guys, I am seriously upset right now. I've been afraid this was coming, watching for this specific moment with this specific plagiarizer. I thought I was ready for it, and that maybe it wouldn't hurt so much because it was so inevitable, but, you know what? It does fucking hurt. And I probably shouldn't write about it, because that stirs up drama and everyone's just going to want to know who it was and what review and all of that, when I really haven't decided what the fuck to do about it yet. However, this blog is my outlet, and I really need an outlet.

Here's what happened without any super specific details.

From one of my good blogger friends, I heard about a relatively popular reviewer on Goodreads that had been a lot of subtle plagiarizing. The blogger I know was looking for a second and third and fourth opinion that plagiarism really is happening in this case. The plagiarizer is clever, not copying exact paragraphs or sentences, but taking ideas, some more obviously than others. I read through a bunch of the plagiarizer's reviews and noticed that none of them seemed to have any original analysis to offer, rehashing the opinions of others, though in admittedly lovely prose.

At the time, I'd never heard of this reviewer before. Oddly enough, the reviewer in question liked a couple of my reviews shortly thereafter (negative ones, since those are the reviewer's forte). This made me concerned, and, not wanting to sound stuck up, I feared my reviews might become a source for one of this person's.

Then today, I saw that a number of my GR friends had liked a review by this person for one of the books I reviewed. And the ideas in it sure look really fucking familiar. In one spot, only one word has been changed. Not only that, but the review already has more likes in one day than mine ever got.

As if this weren't bad enough, it makes me doubt myself. The plagiarized review would probably be considered better than mine by most people, as the number of likes suggests. The reviewer fleshed out some of the things I covered and maybe added a couple of things (though those might be borrowed from someone else).

I mean, someone steals my ideas and I have to feel fucking inferior to this person? I just. I can't. I feel stupid and helpless and weak. 

Balancing Reading and Other Things

Believe it or not, y'all, I like to do things that aren't reading.

I mean, not often, of course, but, every so often, I do like to get out in the world and do such daring things as:

• sitting on my other couch and watching television
• sitting on my other couch and watching movies
• impromptu dance parties
• going for a walk
• seeing friends out in the sunlight (even if it does burn us, precious)

Last year, I pretty much only read books and saw friends/family, because I was trying to get through my book challenge, which I called my challenge to end all challenges, because it's the most ambitious one I've wanted to accomplish. This year, I want to have fun with it. However, I have difficulty figuring out how much time to spend reading and how much on those other noble enterprises, and whatever ones I forgot.

I don't know about you, but I come up with systems for everything. Those for choosing what to read next and deciding how much to read of one book before moving to another for a bit are most pertinent here. I've also always (for the last four or so years) had a reward system for when I get to watch a movie or a tv episode. So, yes, I'm crazy, but I can't be the only one.

Basically, I'm not in love with my current methods, so I'm looking to innovate. So I'm searching out you internet people who are my brand of crazy and begging for help.

Questions: Do you have anal-retentive ways of deciding what to read or when to shift from book to book if you're a juggler? If you have a system in place, what is it? Have you found a nice balance between getting a lot of reading done and doing other things?