Friday, October 27, 2006

Let your voice be heard!

Fellow Bloggies, I need your opinion.

Part of my excitement yesterday over Nancy French's fabulous new book was that it came on the heels of not just a bad life week, but an exceedingly bad book week. Or month, actually. I'm not sure why, but the last five or six books I've read have been infuriatingly bad for one reason or another - either not at all what the cover promised, or filled with the author's odd agenda that has little to do with the subject of the book. These books have mostly been non-fiction, and (fear not!) none of them were written by any of you :)

As some of you know, I keep a book log over at my website, with a few sentences about what I'm reading. (I love getting book recommendations, but can never think of an answer when someone asks me what they should read next. So I figured the log was a way to repay all the great suggestions I've received AND jog my memory when someone has a bookstore gift card burning a hole in their pocket.) By and large, I only review the books I like, which has been easy because this summer was like a tidal wave of literary fabulousity washing over my nightstand whenever I reached for a book (okay, that was a fun phrase to write). But, as I mentioned, Fall has been a little, um, arid...

So here's my question: when I read something I don't like, should I include it on the list? Now, I would never diss a book just because it wasn't my style, or because I felt the lead character should be a brunette former baton twirler from the great state of Maine. I keep those thoughts to myself. But when something goes horribly wrong within a book, or the author promises eggs and delivers oranges, do you want to hear about it? Let me know!

9 comments:

Karen said...

I definitely think you should include the "clinkers" too. Makes it interesting. You might steer someone away from something hideous or they might wind up liking it after checking it out to see why you didn't...if that makes sense.

Stacie Penney said...

I'd want to know. It won't necessarily stop me from reading the book. Sometimes, I'll pick them up, so I can either form my own opinion or see what was so terrible about it.

Anonymous said...

It's kind of like how you have to watch "Gigli" it's just that bad, everyone has to see it for themself. That made it sound like I am anti bad book review when I really only wanted to make a "Gigli" reference. I find the bad reviews helpful, especially when I respect/trust the reviewer. Friends don't let friends read bad books!

Anonymous said...

oh, for sure, tell us about the bad ones, too!

Anonymous said...

You should include the ones you don't like as well. As a writer, I'm sure that you'd be diplomatic about it as you'd understand how you'd feel if it was your book being critiqued.

xxxx said...

I agree. I don't think you'd be, like, MEAN about it or anything at all. Just the fact that you said you wouldn't put something on there just because it wasn't your style is totally generous and open-minded. I think of it as friends talking to each other about books or movies or TV shows. Some you like, some you don't, some one person loves and another totally hates. I mean, who can be annoyed about that?

BendingPeak said...

Hi,
I just found your blog and went snooping around. I will be back for more reads.
I think that you would definitely include all books in the list!
BendingPeak

LEstes65 said...

Give us both sides, darling. Like stay_c said, I'll form my own opinions especially since you and I like different types of books. But I'd like to hear both sides from you.

Smooches...

Anonymous said...

I would say that we definitely want to hear about the stinkers, but it might be best to avoid talking about them in this permanent Internet type of way -- you never know where your writing career will take you and who you might end up being friends with!

Nancy