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25
Sep
I realize, of course, that the book reviews I put on my reading page are crap. I found that once I decided to express my opinion about books I’d recently read, I didn’t want to say anything that would hurt the feelings of an author who might be out there Googling herself and one day she trips over my blog and breaks her ankle and then who’s going to pay? Me. So all my little reviews are either evasively positive or positively lame. Lamely hobbling all down the page on crutches and then collapsing in a toothless little piles of rags, because they also have no teeth and are too poor to dress themselves warmly. Or bathe.
Basically, the only good thing about my reading page is this cute little tool I found [via Maggie's book] at Library Thing, it magically gathers imgaes of the covers of all your books so you can display them on your blog. So I did that, and it was fun, but the reviews still suck so I am working on that. It’s kind of a personal growth thing I have to confront and it’s going to take some time, so don’t go expecting results from me earlier than, say, Christmas.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
- Published by Eden M. Kennedy in: Main
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21 Responses to “Library Thing”
Very kewl. Thanks for the tip. And don’t worry about those authors. If they spend too much time googling their own name they need to be taken down a notch.
Just to tie-in for a moment: Your entry from last week, We All Fall Down, is the title of a banned book by Robert Cormier.
This week is Read A Banned Book Week. http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm
Oh this is excellent. Thanks for sharing it. Now we have to see if I can figure out how to use it. I am technically-challenged.
I know what you mean about the reviews. I let myself be only truly critical if the author is dead or has offended me in some way, which is actually kind of hard.
I started a blog dedicated to book reviews for my book club, a sort of online bookclub, if you will. I ran into the exact same problem! I’m also in the process of rethinking how to go about making the reviews interesting.
I’m looking forward to seeing how you handle the issue!
I can’t wait to read your uncensored opinion. I am sure you will find a way to be kind and honest. Yay! Personal Growth! ™ Ew. That kind of sounds icky.
I always feel handcuffed by the potential to bruise an ego when reviewing anything either, and I have no traffic to speak of. But Google. Darned Google. GOod luck with it, I think it’ll be interesting to read what you really think when you figure out how to say it.
We’re girls, and thus trained not to say anything that might hurt someone’s feelings.
I personally promise to try and be meaner!! I might even get a personal trainer. Wonder if Rosie O’Donnell is busy?
Mmmm…good idea. I’ve actually been reading books other than non-fiction lately and would like to include reviews (both glowing and scathing) on my site, and that looks like a great way to do it.
I used an ex boyfriends full name once, like a year and a half ago on my blog and I am still getting hits from people googling him. I am totally jealous.
I wonder if anyone googles me. Ofcourse, there are 8,000 geeks out there with my name and only one of him, since his parents had the creativity to give him a unique name and not the most popular name of the entire decade he was born in.
I’m still bitter. Can you tell?
The way you deal with book reviews is how I deal with my whole life. Mustn’t offend! I am getting sick of it. Personal growth, indeed.
Whoops, I just trashed an author on my site and didn’t even think about him finding it next time he googles himself. Oh well, it felt great!
Good luck with your reviews!
Book reviewing is a tricky thing–particularly if you liked the book. Hard not sound like a gushing fangirl. Add to it that books and the reading of them are ultimately personal experiences.
Having said that, I’d be interested in doing a book trade, but your email address on your reading page wouldn’t work for me.
Good luck with walking that line. I think, in the end, you have to be honest and just say what you really think about the book. If what you have to say is negative, chances are the author has already heard it from someone else anyway. And if not, perhaps they can learn a thing or two from your reaction. If their feelings are that easily hurt, they shouldn’t publish.
And I agree with Phyllis. It is more challenging to write a positive review that sounds intelligent than it is to write a negative review that doesn’t sound mean. Does that make sense?
Love the Library Thing!
And reviews are hard. You either sound like a fourth grader, “I liked this. It was good” or a snob.
I have a list of books I have read so far this year on my blog with little one liner reviews. That works enough for me.
I’m the same way.
meno said…
“We’re girls, and thus trained not to say anything that might hurt someone’s feelings.”
Truer words were never spoken.
I’m addicted to HeadButler.com which basically only does positive reviews. Might be a good example to learn from? Upside? Lots of great new books and CDs. Downsides (for me): a never-ending pile of books on my night table and the certain knowledge that I will never be able to write a review like that. And I swear I’m not a shill–just a fan!
Something new to play with! HURRAH!
I had that happen to me in around 1996 with my first set of web pages, Bookmania. I didn’t think anyone but me and my mom and sister read it – I just kept short informal notes on books I read each month. And one of the authors of a kids’ book wrote and begged me.. absolutely begged me… abject & angry… to take down my rambling paragraph about the flaws of her book, or to make the “review” sound more positive. It was awful! To think I might have had an influence on her career as an author! It was a perfectly nice book, well written, just not my cup of tea.
- badgermama
http://badgermama.blogspot.com
p.s. I **love** LibraryThing!
jenny, have you ever been 8th grade? Girls say plenty of mean things!
Best to read the books of dead people if you are going to review. Or people so established they don’t care.
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