tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post6387439068434345837..comments2023-10-07T11:55:47.724-04:00Comments on A Reader of Fictions: On Reviews, Ratings, and OpinionsChristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-25247491713889338762013-08-22T00:57:40.113-04:002013-08-22T00:57:40.113-04:00I think what I liked most about this post was that...I think what I liked most about this post was that it prompted me to start following you on GR as I thought I already did (I don't think our tastes are similar enough to warrant friendship and that's okay). <br /><br />I'm kind of amazed by what seems like an almost guaranteed 4 from that requestor-I used to rate a lot of books as 4 but the more I read, the more willing I am to give a 3 or 2 (usually I don't finish books that would earn a 1 star and I don't tend to rate books I don't finish-I just want to move on!)The Insouciant Sophisticatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03934853089105345052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-63612605393008601382013-08-19T16:27:38.900-04:002013-08-19T16:27:38.900-04:00Wow, just... wow. You really hit my reaction poin...Wow, just... wow. You really hit my reaction points and LOVED your gifs. :)fakestephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08178042157823156839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-89471901196898746412013-08-18T14:31:16.719-04:002013-08-18T14:31:16.719-04:00Oh for f*ck sake! That old horse again! It reminds...Oh for f*ck sake! That old horse again! It reminds me of a saying "of dead people say only good or none" (or something similar). I've said that before, - a book is a product. If a consumer writes a bad review about a hoover, nobody says it's because this person is mean or jealous of the manufacturer, right? :) Why is it any different with books? <br />The only reason most of my reviews are 4 or 5 stars is because I tend to DNF anything less to save myself time and brain cells, otherwise I'm totally fine with bad reviews. kara-karina@Nocturnal Book Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11262585710463536717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-66144491882989041432013-08-18T11:15:13.867-04:002013-08-18T11:15:13.867-04:00This is so ridiculous. According to several theori...This is so ridiculous. According to several theories, an author is practically obsolete from the reading experience. It doesn't matter how hard the author worked on the book, once it's published, it's out of their hands. And you're so right about differing opinions - that is why there are a variety of books and the world is an interesting place to live instead of a uniform, boring place. Oh and Shatter Me was a terrible experience for me. I couldn't finish it because reading the purple prose felt like someone was dragging their fingernail down a blackboard. Ughhhh. Also, if Shakespeare could be criticized for his (superior) rhetoric, I don't see why modern authors can't. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-42361580258784883302013-08-18T01:18:09.550-04:002013-08-18T01:18:09.550-04:00Dude, sometimes it takes an effort to crap but peo...<i>Dude, sometimes it takes an effort to crap but people won't buy it from you!</i><br /><br />Awesome quote :-)Tez Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13399027286593758485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-62337020179056151732013-08-17T21:11:45.250-04:002013-08-17T21:11:45.250-04:00What a weird, weird request. It's this entitle...What a weird, weird request. It's this entitlement spirit that makes people think they should always get an A for effort. Dude, sometimes it takes an effort to crap but people won't buy it from you!Kat Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05768408902595007324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-20685882059317970832013-08-17T21:07:53.841-04:002013-08-17T21:07:53.841-04:00I'm about to threaten Spock's facial hair....I'm about to threaten Spock's facial hair. Ick.<br /><br />Great post, Christina, as always. We've already discussed this on Twitter, so all I will do is repeat my hearty YES.Shelver506https://www.blogger.com/profile/01766003186139844901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-37287950623071352302013-08-17T15:07:13.656-04:002013-08-17T15:07:13.656-04:00Rehashing jacket copy reviews are THE WORST. What,...Rehashing jacket copy reviews are THE WORST. What, exactly, is the point? That work has been done for you already.<br /><br />I do really understand why authors might not rate books negatively, but I think there are ways to do that without resorting to the method this author uses. Some specifically state that they only rate books they enjoyed enough to rate four or five stars or don't actually rate books, so that they can honestly list positives and not have to commit to a rating. These methods are valid. I still might not be GR friends with them, but that I would respect.<br /><br />Author blurbs have burned me more than once, so I pretty much ignore them now. I mean, Courtney Summers and Kody Keplinger blurbed Nobody But Us, and it was pretty much the worst ever for me.<br /><br />Love the metaphor of a meal in a restaurant. Even if they worked hard, if your food isn't cooked correctly, you're going to be upset.<br /><br />No one is making you be on Goodreads. If you can't handle it, then you should just avoid it. Le sigh.Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-55907622779156806032013-08-17T15:00:26.432-04:002013-08-17T15:00:26.432-04:00I agree. Seeing a range of opinions makes me trust...I agree. Seeing a range of opinions makes me trust that a book has been fully vetted. I'm skeptical of books that have exclusively 4 and 5 star ratings, because I have no way of knowing if they're all honest unless a personal friend read it. I feel bad having to be like "suck it up" to some extent, but no one forced you to publish your novel. If you leave it on your computer and only you can see it, you can keep thinking it's perfect.<br /><br />There are very few authors on GR whose opinions I will listen to at all. Their ratings are so inflated, and it's hard to tell which reviews are the truest ones.<br /><br />That's exactly how I feel about reviewing. One of the great things that makes them interesting is the reviewer's personality and biases. You know why they didn't like something and if they value something different, you can consider that you might still like it. If they were objective, only one person would ever need to review anything.Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-10638800459503899062013-08-17T14:54:10.262-04:002013-08-17T14:54:10.262-04:00I was too. I'm pretty sure I stared at GR for ...I was too. I'm pretty sure I stared at GR for about a minute going REALLY?<br /><br />People can rate however they want, but her policy on why she only rates highly is what I find so strange.<br /><br />Including the story is important. It's a pretty crucial part of a book, imo.<br /><br />Just because someone worked very hard, that doesn't mean the quality matches. Thus why I might get a higher grade on tests that a friend who studied for hours when I just read through the chapter in ten minutes. *shrugs*Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-68359253769701733182013-08-17T13:31:45.096-04:002013-08-17T13:31:45.096-04:00Great post Christina, I kind of look at author rev...Great post Christina, I kind of look at author reviews of their peers the same way I do paid reviews- as paid opinions! They never carry wait and are what I like to think of as fancy spot-lights. They showcase cover and offer a little info but aren't really opinions. I want to know if the characters had depth, was the pace well done, did you get lost, were there holes in the plot etc. and for those I look to bloggers, and consumer reviews. Great post, and maybe this author is able to compartmentalize them too. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15658833731713991138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-60897348578682177412013-08-17T13:01:46.715-04:002013-08-17T13:01:46.715-04:00I've only gotten flack from ONE PERSON so far ...I've only gotten flack from ONE PERSON so far for a review on Goodreads. And he kept going on and on and on ... first of all, like you said, it's my opinion and I'm entitled to it, and second of all, the author in question was a VERY famous author and I doubt my little 2-star review has any impact on whether people will read his books or not. It was so annoying that this guy thought he could just harrass me based on my opinion. Thank goodness for the 'block this user' feature! <br /><br />I do agree with you -- reviews should be done however each reviewer wants to do them. If I were to rate ONLY grammar on some books, they'd get a horrible rating! For me, I try to look past horrible grammar (for as long as I can) and just enjoy the story. <br /><br />Oh, and I'm ALL for screening friends on Goodreads. <br /><br />Great post! Kristilyn (Reading In Winter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12401451485460760416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-16286948171171113652013-08-17T12:19:07.408-04:002013-08-17T12:19:07.408-04:00Geez, a friend request you wouldn't touch with...Geez, a friend request you wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. I've just started rating books on Goodreads, and my average is now 4.12, but mostly because I've just added a bunch of books I read in the past years and I mostly remember the best books. Alessandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652990135572677170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-80187389910305041782013-08-17T11:43:00.888-04:002013-08-17T11:43:00.888-04:00I would agree with everything you've said here...I would agree with everything you've said here. When I'm rating books, I tend to go with what goodreads describes the stars as meaning - 3 stars is liked it, 4 is really liked it, and five is it was amazing. It says my average is 2.77, which is lower than I would have guessed, but I suppose it's probably true. <br /><br />I feel bad giving a one star rating for a book that I didn't like but thought was fine technically and well-written, but I always add in something about that in my review. I always say that there was nothing particularly wrong with the book, I just didn't like it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755472634583011546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-77533699428109007442013-08-17T08:51:03.565-04:002013-08-17T08:51:03.565-04:00"I love to give 5 stars." Everyone does,..."I love to give 5 stars." Everyone does, because that means the book was truly amazing. Giving them out because you like giving something five stars is like falling in love with someone because you love the feeling of being in love. It cheapens the effect because it's inauthentic.<br />There seems to be so much confusion on what a review is. It is not a celebration of the fact that someone somewhere finished a book. It is not an essay, analysis or paper on the timeless themes present in the work. As per definition, reviews carry a level of opinion with them, because they are an evaluation of the product.<br />I understand that, as an author, it's not the easiest thing to dole out low ratings. Personally, I'm more annoyed by authors who rate their own work five stars. I once saw one giving his book three or four stars. That was hilarious, but overall, I'm not really a fan of the trend.<br /><br />Elend agrees. He says hi.Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470566419565265253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-39898696597316563972013-08-17T07:45:54.980-04:002013-08-17T07:45:54.980-04:00Wow. As I stated the other day in my post it's...Wow. As I stated the other day in my post it's impossible to be objective when reviewing a book. You can't set aside all the other things that you have experienced or read and just focus on the writing and execution, and even with that there is no "standard."<br /><br />Furthermore - as an author don't you want your reader to feel things? Isn't that part of the story? I'm not a writer so maybe I'm wrong, but I like to think that an author writes a book because they have a story to tell that will make me feel something or make me think about something. Kimberly @ Midnight Book Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10649785182080499981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-34058165679721517942013-08-17T05:25:28.214-04:002013-08-17T05:25:28.214-04:00Underscored, italicized, bolded, starred. Every wo...Underscored, italicized, bolded, starred. Every word. And I'm pulling out the quote that Wendy mentioned above, because it's just the absolute truth: <br /><br />"If you don't think that readers should be allowed to give opinions on novels, then Goodreads probably isn't a good place for you to be."<br /><br />THE POINT is to express your opinions on novels. That is literally THE POINT if reviewing. I get an author not wanting to get into that FOR THEMSELVES--glass houses, throwing stones, all that jazz-- but to malign the entire enterprise is just... wrong.<br /><br />Automatic GR rejections, obviously. But at least it lead to a perfect post!GillyBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622344092774777709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-43329559663703019122013-08-17T01:54:16.676-04:002013-08-17T01:54:16.676-04:00I am in total agreement that all reviews express a...I am in total agreement that all reviews express an opinion--or at least good ones do. Otherwise it's just rehashing jacket copy and marketing material, and who reads reviews for that?<br /><br />Coming from a PR background, I actually do understand why some authors choose only to review books they like. Putting forth a public statement--and that's what <i>all</i> forms of internet posts are--is awkward at best. I see a lot of people expressing outrage over these sorts of policies, but I wonder if they'd expect a director to trash someone else's work or the equivalent? Maybe if you're Anthony Bourdain or Megan Fox you won't care about burning bridges with potential colleagues, but I think most people in the public eye have to think about professional courtesy. <br /><br />Having said that, this is why I rarely trust author reviews or jacket blurbs, even from authors whose work I enjoy--there's not even a dozen authors whose opinions I really weigh seriously if I'm reading over reviews, especially with tit for tat exchanges, agency/publisher sisters, or whatever. I get it, I really do--but that knowledge just makes me appreciate authors who review honestly even more.<br /><br />The email you received would rub me the wrong way too, because it's a troublingly skewed perspective on not only what GoodReads/citizen reviewing is all about, but also rating books because of the effort involved. If the product doesn't work for a consumer, it doesn't matter one bit if the creator is fulfilling a lifelong dream after studying for years and is PERSON with FEELINGS and children to support or whatever. Anyone who makes these sorts of pleas to a reviewer's sensibility has not stopped to think about whether she's ever expressed a negative opinion about a meal at a restaurant or the like. Do you care about the chef's Cordon Bleu credentials or the owner's struggle to pay his bills or all the staff the restaurant supports? No. Because all of that effort still didn't result in a positive experience.<br /><br />And this:<br /><br /><i>If you don't think that readers should be allowed to give opinions on novels, then Goodreads probably isn't a good place for you to be.</i><br /><br />There are days when I feel like this should be the message that pops up every time an author interacts on GoodReads.<br /><br />Wendy @ <a href="http://www.themidnightgarden.net" rel="nofollow">The Midnight Garden</a><br /><br />Wendy Darlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13471461156849725177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-83756835315782224082013-08-17T01:17:42.580-04:002013-08-17T01:17:42.580-04:00I think the beauty of reviews have always been in ...I think the beauty of reviews have always been in the fact that we all have different opinions, you will always have positive and negative reviews for a book and I think it's fascinating to read from both perspectives. Authors really need to accept that if you want to succeed and improve as an author, you have to accept criticism. You're never going to improve if you keep ignoring criticism. Being afraid of negative reviews and trying to stop people from writing negative reviews is just childish. This is what comes with being an author, if you're not prepared for the negative reviews and criticism, this isn't the field for you. <br /><br />I'm not a fan of authors rating positively for every single book they read at all. I understand they don't want to develop a bad rep but they're not exactly going get me to buy a book based on their opinion unfortunately. <br /><br />Books reviews can't totally be objective because of our varying opinions. Anyone's opinion is valid as long as there isn't any bashing to the author and everything the reviewer talks about is valid and pertains to the story. There is no correct way to review a book. If we can't talk about the story in a review, the review is going to be really boring and not informative at all. We might not see it in the same way as the author did but it shouldn't really matter too much, we don't all see matters eye to eye, this is how the world works. You just gotta accept it or you're gonna have a hard time in life. *shrugs* Just do what you think is right in a review and write how you felt about the book. <br /><br />A great discussion post Christina!Charlotte @ Gypsy Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03961224280412324344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-555254327067745492.post-24474746787098950612013-08-17T01:09:29.528-04:002013-08-17T01:09:29.528-04:00I am absolutely flabbergasted by the review reques...I am absolutely flabbergasted by the review request that you received.<br /><br />I do have a high rating average on GR but that has more to do with the fact that I have been reading some truly awesome books lately. I am definitely not opposed to rating books low and I have done that on several occasions.<br /><br />I do include the story in my reviews but I don't make that my sole criteria in reviewing books. My reviews are also based on editing/writing style,character development and how I feel while reading the book.<br /><br />Writing a book IS hard. I'm working on 2 novels right now and it is SO hard. However I would feel pissed off if someone rated my book based just off "how hard I worked on the novel"<br /><br />Okay I think I'm done rambling now.Alexia Boesenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084749931224225112noreply@blogger.com