I am so thankful for so many things this year! As far as I’m concerned there is always something to be thankful for. So, here is a short list:
1) Jesus
2) My family
3) My friends
4) My health and the health of family and friends
5) Finishing law school/passing the bar
6) My country
7) This blog 🙂
Feel like giving any shotouts today! Go ahead!
A couple of weeks ago, I came across some subjective reviews that lowered the rating on a book based on the reader’s experiences. Last week I discussed when this kind of thing was okay. This week, I’m following up with how you keep subjectivity out of reviews. So, how do you keep subjectivity out of reviews? Well, there are a number of things that I consider before I will allow my personal opinion to infiltrate a review. Here they are:
1) Did I finish the novel? If I finished the novel, there was obviously something about it that drew me in and made me want to keep turning the pages. For example, I’m not a huge Amish/Amana fan. And I have a list of reasons why. That said, if the author wrote a good book and the people are bonnet people, it’s still a good book.
2) Am I becoming bitter? To a certain degree, fiction will be….fiction. I think, in romance novels men are allowed to be the next best thing since sliced bread and women can be stunning (as an author you run the risk of pigeon-holing yourself if this is your constant practice however). If I start to get bitter about the perfect man or woman in the novel, than I’m doing too much. It’s a novel. It’s escapism. It’s okay if the fiction world is perfect. So long as you don’t start expecting real people to be perfect it’s all good.
3) Am I aware that this is fiction? If it is fiction, the author is allowed to create situations where you might think certain things could never happen. That is all a part of the fun. I don’t mind suspending my disbelief for a good novel because guess what? It’s fiction. If I want real life I can watch the news.
4) I want to read more. There is an author who, I personally feel does not quite know how to treat certain topics. Sometimes, she steps on my toes a bit. That said, a phenomenal writer. Everytime I put one of her books down I do two things: roll my eyes and find out when the next one is coming out. At the end of the day, she is good writer and her books are engaging and while I’m not against addressing issues in my reviews, I wouldn’t mark her book down because she stepped on my toes a little.
So, anyone have any other ways to keep subjectivity out of reviews? Agree or disagree?
This past week, I was perusing books on Amazon when I came across a review that said something like this “I liked this book. I really did, but why is it that most heroines are in their mid-twenties? Maybe it’s just my own hangups because I’m in my thirties, but these romance novels make it seem like once the heroine turns 28, romance is too late for her.”
The reviewer gave the book 3 stars. So that got me thinking, when is it okay to allow subjectivity to rate a book? Next week I will discuss how to avoid subjectivity in book reviews. But first things first, a really great novel surpasses all subjectivity. Anywho, subjectivity is allowed when:
1) The setting is all wrong. I just read a book about a high school in Chicago that had a really weird racial dynamic. And it bothered me because, except for a few special exceptions, Chicago is about as segregated as you can get. I tried to squeeze the novel into one of those exceptions…it just wasn’t working. If the author gets things wrongs about locations, that has a tendency to turn off the reader, and I think its fair to lower a rating. A good book can surpass this, but it’ll still be in the back of the reader’s mind.
2)Ethnicity Issues. I’m going to go there. And it’s not always one race portraying another, sometimes its your own race or ethnic group portraying ‘you’. Without going into detail, if the author portrays your race in a significant way that you find annoying, it will detract from the book.
3) Nuances aren’t explained. I don’t really understand strong female voices in historical novels. I just don’t think women were that brave or that bold to stand up against or for issues (otherwise we wouldn’t have waited as long for the women’s right to vote). Therefore, the author should explain why their heroine is the way they are. And it must make absolute sense, I always tell my mom, no woman in the west in the 1800s would turn down a marriage proposal from a good Christian man. Life was too hard back then to be trying to do it on your own. The reason has to make sense! I’ll be honest, even in books today, I envy these girls their fierceness. But, I can understand it today, it makes no sense to me if the novel is a historical.
4) Get your facts straight. I’ve been leading up to this one. I’m a lawyer, I love legal thrillers…now more than when I was in law school, but nevertheless, when I’m reading books like these, my legal mind does not turn off. I’m constantly asking myself if the lawyer can do that. Same thing goes with historical facts. They must be accurate. You can play fast and loose with certain details, but others are written in stone. Know the ones written in stone.
5) The fifth book. There are some authors out there who I will tell you that I like, but don’t read. Because of the fifth book. When you read a lot of books by one author, after some point, you will begin to pick up on a pattern in they way they write, think, the words they use, when they introduce the villain, etc. For some authors, its so minor, its not relevant. For other authors, you begin to feel like if you changed the names and the cover, you would have the same books. When you can predict the characters’ personalities and what happens next, you’ve read the fifth book. I think you have the right as the reviewer to demand that the author branch out a bit more.
Well, these are my thoughts. Got anymore to add? Any you would detract?
Do you judge books by their covers? Be honest, we all do. There are certain publishers that just know how to be eye-catching. There books are so eye-catching, they’ll have you picking up books by authors you have completely sworn off. Then there are other publishers who have such similar lame covers that even if you know the author is fantastic, you will hesitate to pick it up. So I thought today I would show some covers that I think are really eye-catching that are coming out next year.
Anyone know of any covers that stand out that are coming out next year?
Although I spent the past couple of weeks talking about the importance of reviews when purchasing a novel, it is so important that the synopsis, aka, the back of the book stays true to the novel. It’s a sad day when you have to read book reviews to figure out exactly what the novel is about. So what’s so important about a synopsis?
1) It prepares the reader. If the synopsis says something big is going down, the reader is going to expect it. Every page turned will lead them to wondering when. If that big thing doesn’t happen until the second to last chapter, then that reader will most likely be disappointed with the novel. Not because it’s poorly written, but because you prepared the reader for one thing and recieved another.
2) It is often your only introduction to the reader. If I have never heard of a certain author before and I am at a book store (gasp) then reading the back of the book is the only way to draw me in. I realize that the synopsis tends to throw everything possible at the reader to make the novel more enticing, but this can backfire. If it’s too compliated in 200 words, then I might think the novel is just too complicated. Or if its really vague, I’ve been known to pick up a novel and flip to the end just to reassure myself that it is a romance. Like any proper introduction, you cannot overshare and yet be so boring as to be forgettable.
3) It must consider the readers. There is this one author whom I enjoy greatly. But every synopsis for one of her novels is written to make her novels sound fun and exciting when there is so much more depth to her writing. Had it not been for the reviews, I never would have picked up any of her books. The synopsis sounded like the author dealt foolishly with a very serious subject matter. I do not understand the lure in making heros and heroines sound silly. I like to think that we are all (or mostly) adults and we do not need information dumbed down to have a good time.
4) Honesty. I have returned books when I cracked them open and realized that they were not what they said they would be. There is nothing worse than the promise of romance and its not one really. Like if its about the love of a mom and a daughter or something like that. Yes, that’s love, but that’s not what you sold it to me as. I purchased a book like that once and returned it unread. And though it has high reviews, I’ve yet to pick it up. I don’t like to be punk’d.
5) Hope it sticks. Ultimately, I realize writing a synopsis is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. There are certain phrases that will appeal to some readers and certain phrases that will turn off some readers. But, I think the best synopses (spelling ?) are mini novels not flashing trailers with all the high points and hoping that one of those catchy phrases will be the winner.
So anyone disagree? Anyone know what I’m talking about?
How honest should a book reviewer get? It’s a question I deal with on a regular basis. Honesty is certainly appreciated when reading book reviews…especially if the novel is poorly written, but you have to be careful not to cross that thin line between honesty and just plain meanness. Here are some steps on how to do so:
1) Don’t review everything you read. I read approximately seven novels a week. I do not review all of those novels. If I didn’t like a book, I simply do not review it. I am not going to feel a review with a bunch of negative things. As I read novels, I mentally begin to review them, if I find that the negatives outweigh the positives, then I don’t review the novel. I’m one of those people who feel like if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it all.
2) Start with the good things. Sometimes I read a book and there are really good parts mixed in with some negatives. Praise the good parts, mention the bad parts, but downplay them and then go back to the good parts. The reader is not stupid, she/he will understand that the novel was good, but not perfect.
3) Say the negative things nicely. I recently did a review for a book that praised the good things and mentioned the bad parts, but I felt like one line in my review didn’t handle the negative things nicely. It was too blunt, and if I were an author, it might have hurt my feelings. I had to go back and delete (or rework) that line. The English vocabulary is filled with ways to say things creatively and still get the same meaning across.
4) Be mindful that those authors often read these book reviews. On a number of occasions the very authors of the novels of my reviews will comment on this blog. I do my best to remember that with each and every review I write. Authors put a lot of time and effort (and often prayer) into each novel they write, and for you to read the fruit of their writing and excoriate it is ridiculous. Especially if you’ve never written a thing in your life.
5) Be Honest. At the end of the day you must be honest. In order to be a trustworthy book reviewer, you must state whether or not there was something to dislike about the book. You should not praise a book simply because you like the authors other novels, or everyone else likes that book. Oftentimes you will find that you are not alone. I personally don’t put a whole lot of stock in recommendations by authors. I do not think they’re lieing, but I do think they are friends and perhaps a bit biased unless the recommendation speaks to specifics. You don’t want to be lumped in that category as someone who likes all books and all things because then there is no point in asking your opinion.
Anyone have anything else to add? Don’t agree?
I once read somewhere that reviews are currently what sales books. Yet, reviews are always subjective, what one person likes another person may hate and vice versa. So why are reviews important and how should you treat them?
1) Reviews indicate how popular a book is. If I have just enough money to purchase one novel and I’m not looking for something in particular, quite often the number of reviews on Amazon tell me whether something is worth looking at. Even if that novel has something like 4 stars, if 100 people have read it, apparently there was something in it that people liked. I will more often than not read it. Case in point, Hunger Games. The novel sounded silly to me, but since all those people had read it, I figured there must be something intriguing about it.
2) Reviews can speak to what you like/don’t like. There are some books that get 4 stars for reasons that would totally make me buy a novel or 5 stars that would make me put a novel down. Oftentimes, when I am looking for a book, I will go for the poorest reviews and make sure its not something that states “the quality was poor on my kindle” or “I didn’t know it was a Christian novel.”
3) Reviews can show you what is out there. On my blog, I have intentionally categorized the book by their topics: historical, suspense, YA, etc. because sometimes the mood hits and you just want a historical and one that is good. It helps to have a reviewer who has read a number of them and you can sift through them to find the review that is attractive to you.
4) Treat reviews with a grain of salt. I read three reviewers regularly. One of them has taste like mine, if she recommends a book, I know it’s good. Another of them doesn’t have taste like mine, yet she reads enough books that I value her opinion when it is given. Another reviewer I read, gives pretty generic reviews, but again she reads so many books out there that it is helpful to me to see what is popular.
5) Treat them as introductions. Keep an open mind. I know my goal as a reviewer is to introduce readers to familiar authors and authors that people may not come into contact with at the bookstore. There is a lot of self-publishing out there. Some of it is GOOD. My goal is to find the GOOD and the GREAT.
Anyone else have any reasons as to the importance of reviews?
So I just recently read a novel that advertised itself as a romance, but I’m sorry to say, it simply wasn’t one. That got me thinking, what must a romance have to be a good romance?
1. The foundation of friendship. Friendship, I think is key to a good romance novel. I love 5 hour long BBC movies because you can see the romance develop as two people get to know each other. Also, I think it’s easier for the reader to identify with the heroine if the relationship is based on friendship than looks. There’s great hope for the future with friendship.
2. Chemistry. I never really considered whether or not chemistry was needed (I’m sorry I hate current romance movies, they play too much on attraction), but it is. Looking for a spouse shouldn’t be like shopping for a pair of shoes, there should be some iota of attraction there!
3. The romance must make sense. I mean that’s as straightforward as it gets. There can be age differences, but by the time I put the novel down, I shouldn’t keep thinking ‘dude was old’ or ‘why did he pick that sister,’?
4. Both characters have to give a little. I’m all about men jumping through hoops for their women, but really the best romance novel requires change on both people’s parts. Otherwise, I’m reading the novel and while I see why one person wants the relationship, I’m confused as to the other.
5. Jesus at the center. This should probably be number one. But really, for you to have faith in that couple to get things done and most importantly for that relationship to last, it must have Jesus at the center.
So these are a few of my thoughts. Anyone have any other ones to contribute?
The idea for this post came out of a book I recently read. I loved the storyline, the romance was on point… and then a main character died at the end of the novel. To say I was disheartened doesn’t quite cover it. So it got me thinking, should books always have happy endings? My answer is unequivocally yes and here’s why:
1) It’s called fiction for a reason. There’s a relatively old movie called The Breakup, and I remember my cousin told me she didn’t like it because it was too much like real life. And that got me thinking. If I want real life, I can read newspapers. In my opinion, a novel is supposed to pick you up and set you in places you’ve never been and introduce you to people you’ve never met. In other words, it is escapism not reality, so although it makes sense for a main character to die after doing xyz, it’s fiction. Let ’em live.
2) I want to be entertained. I saw the movie Million Dollar Baby and I can barely remember the plot or whether or not the acting was good. What I do remember is my dad handing me wrinkled napkins and sobbing into his shoulder. Hated that movie. I have a rule and it’s called I don’t pay to leave depressed. The same rule applies to books. I want to be entertained. I want to feel like I’m glad I bought that book instead of wanting to throw it across the room.
3) I need closure. Has anyone seen Gone with the Wind? I have (book is better!) and let me tell you, never has there been a more annoying character on the face of the earth than Scarlett O’Hara, but still, that ending gets me every single time. Did it make sense for Rhett to leave? Yes, but my romantic heart was like that’s it! That’s how it ends! I think readers need closure and unhappy endings leave me feeling like the book isn’t finished and then I feel like I’ve wasted my time.
4) Unhappy endings have me questioning the purpose of the book. Titanic. Everyone has seen it, I’m sure. I have no problem with books that deal with tragic circumstances. If the director had allowed the Titanic to reach America that would have been a problem. And for that fact, I’m not saying no one can die in novels. I just have a problem with endings that leave me thinking what the mess? After Jack died (hope I didn’t give it away), I kept wondering what the point of the movie was exactly. Are you trying to make me cry?
5) I don’t want to have to pray myself to sleep. Ever see a movie that just disturbs your spirit? It’s not scary, but there’s just something about it (I’m not going to name the one I’m thinking of) that makes you want to leave the light on at night? Please don’t do that to me as a reader. Don’t make me put down your book and realize I now have to pray myself to sleep and not in a good way. This kind of praying is please Jesus don’t give me nightmares praying. I fail to comprehend why that is ok.
6) It gives the reader something to hold onto. I love to know the endings of books and movies, but I don’t want to know the details. So how does this translate exactly? Sometimes, when I pick up a new author, I’ll flip to the last page, try to ignore names and just make sure it ends with two people in love with each other. That way, when I start the novel, no matter how much drama there is, or whatever is thrown the couple’s way, I know in the end they will get together. That means a lot to people (chick flicks anyone?). When I have no clue as to what will happen cause it’s just one of those movies where lots of people are dying (Hotel Rwanda), I can just feel my blood pressure rising and my heart skipping beats. It’s like being on a roller coaster, and I don’t like roller coasters. I can take the bad stuff in books and movies better, if I know the main characters will come out good in the end. Yes, it’s a cop out, but that’s how I’m wired.
So anyone disagree? Anyone love sad endings? Anyone feel they’re necessary? Thoughts?
Does anyone else miss bookstores? I know I do. I was a freshman in high school when a Borders was built half a mile from my house. To say I was there all the time is an understatement. Dad often jokes that I’m the reason Borders closed; because I read so many book there without buying them (um…that may or may not be true). When Borders closed, in spite of my 20+ years, I did tear up. I don’t know about where you live, but where I live the next closest bookstore is about 30 to 40 min. away. So, what do I miss about bookstores?
1) Browsing the Shelves. Sometimes you just want to look and see what’s new. I bought a lot of books at my neighborhood Borders just trying new authors. With this new online business, I think reviews are the way (at least in my opinion) of getting me to check out a new author. Gone are the days where you flip through pages to see if its what you want.
2) Meeting new people. Yes, this is an odd one considering I’m not a people person, but I have met a lot of interesting people at bookstores. Not lifelong friends mind you, but others who just enjoy reading and being there.
3) The environment. I’m not a huge fan of reading at the library. Too many bad experiences. Now I just pick up my books and go. But there is always someting nice about sitting down with a book, with music playing in the background and the smell of coffee and new books wafting over the shelves.
4) It gives you something to do. I’m not a huge shopping fan, so more often than not I would run to the bookstore while my mom shopped. It’s not an option anymore, now I drag a book from store to store and pray I can find a seat.
Do I like Amazon? Uh…yes. And the Kindle was revolutionary. But I still miss the bookstore, talk about an end of an era.
Anyone else miss bookstores? Glad they’re gone?
remaininhislove 