Recently I feel as though I have hit a couple “must read” books that I just didn’t feel the love. I t starts out the same, I heard about the book through lets say:
-
Book friends
-
magazine
-
Book sites like shelf awareness
-
Book Blogs
The book sounds… well, AMAZING. The reviews are AWESOME. I read the synopsis and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! I then:
-
Purchase it from a book store
-
download it on to my NOOK
-
pick it up in audio from audible.com
-
cross my fingers and rub my lucky rabbits foot and hope I am offered it for review
And then I dive in… reading it or listening to it on audio….
and occasionally it happens….
it sucks. 😯
Ok, ok, maybe sucks is a strong word, but it doesn’t fit for you. It’s unclear, the characters are not developed well, you are lost within the story line with the first 30 minutes, it’s too long, it’s too short, the language makes you cringe, the crudeness makes you wonder why everyone raved about this book, in the end story lines are left wide open, there is no closure, there is too much closure, it quite possibly is… dull. (and by saying this I do not mean all of the above, I mean a book may be disliked for any one of these reasons… or well, yeah, all of them. 😀
You get my point.
And then, for those of us who review… you review.
I have noticed one of two things happening on these reviews. 1. You write your honest and truthful review. You are fair, you keep it light, you don’t use words like “it made me want to vomit” or “I could have thrown this book across the room, picked it up and thrown it again, preferably into a burning fire pit”, no instead at the end you may add warnings or be aware of: and you quietly and accurately list things to watch out for in the book if said book has things to watch out for (ie. language, crudeness, graphic).
and 2. You let it all hang out in the review. You put your emotion into it, you DO mention if it made you want to vomit or if you wanted it to burn in a fire pit. If you screamed or yelled or cried or groaned out loud… you say it.
Honestly, I tend to lean more towards #2 in my reviews. I like to know how a book affects people, even if it is negatively… I like a little spunk in my reviews…. 😛
So here are my questions:
Book Journey 
Great post! My Sunday Salon post was similarly themed, talking more about book hype in general as opposed to the reviews on said hyped books. 🙂
As for how I review, I am definitely more of a #1 reviewer. I wish I had the wit and nerve to write some of the reviews I’ve read where people are more brutally honest. It’s something I am actually planning to work on the next time I have to write a review for a book I didn’t love so much.
Thanks for this thought-provoking post!
I don’t review books I don’t finish. I don’t finish books that suffer from the problems you listed. If I do finish a book that I really didn’t like, I don’t hesitate to say why the book didn’t work for me. I know different readers have different tastes and expectations for books.
I couldn’t get into Lauren Oliver’s If I Fall when all around me were saying how much they loved it. But I know that books with main characters I dislike and that are written in a stream of consciousness style don’t work for me. I tried really hard to finish the book because I thought I must be missing something. I finally gave up at page 183 when I found myself checking how many pages were left in the book at the end of each page I read.
Now, I would just set the book aside to try another day or donate it to someone who might appreciate it.
LOL thanks for your comment 🙂 I havent read If I Fall….
Thankfully it doesn’t happen too often, but if I don’t like a book I give it the #2 review. Or I just don’t finish it. Which is an even greater indication that I didn’t like it! 🙂
NIce! I like to go with a #2 review if I dont like it, but also if I like it…. SSQQQUUEEE’s and over the top excitement comes out when I really love a book 😀
If I don’t like a book, I try to express what didn’t work for me. Sometimes more tactfully than at other times. I do try to point out that it wasn’t my cup of tea…and why.
I recently read a book that I gave two stars. That doesn’t happen very often…and I stated why I didn’t like it (author’s repetitive writing style, and “telling” instead of “showing” the characters thoughts and feelings). There were a number of other issues, too, which I listed. I even ended the review with words like “I was very happy to close this book.”
That is probably the harshest thing I’ve said, but it was such a struggle to read it. There have been books I wanted to throw across the room and characters I’ve hated. I try to say why I don’t like the characters.
However, I’m not just talking about books everyone else loves, but books in general.
I don’t read the books that I KNOW I won’t like; I don’t enjoy vampire books, and only some of the dystopian books appeal to me. I don’t enjoy horror, although I read one recently for a challenge and have another on Sparky. So you probably won’t find me reading a lot of the hyped books.
TMI?
Your first paragraph says it all Laurel 🙂 I think it is important for us to share why we didn’t like a book, something that bugs us will not phase someone else… 😀
I definitely tend to be more #1 if my favorite reviewers have already weighed in, because it’s one thing to say an author can’t write worth a darn, but another to say all of your reviewer-friends were way off base! 😉
Usually, the books I am underwhelmed by are bestsellers, like The Kite Runner or The Help or John Hart’s last book, Iron House, so the author isn’t going to be hurt by my opinion, so I don’t mind saying so if I didn’t think they were “all that”, but for newer authors, I’d rather not post a really bad review.
LOL – I hear you on liking the book that no one else does! 😀 Great reversal of the idea and just as true 😀 I too tend to be a little more lenient with my words when it is a well established author who can take my little “tap” and it will not even phase them.
I actually love it when I review a book negatively and my readers are still intrigued and want to read it. I think that is awesome!
I think it just depends on my reaction to the book. I think I do somewhere between the two, and some may lean a little towards one or the other. Like the book I just got from the library that I’ve decided after a week to not finish- it will probably be a review like #1, because I had no problems bugging me, it just wasn’t catching me after 100 pages (and it was over 700 page book). Now once I write my review for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, it will be a #2. I would have pitched it against the wall, except it was a library book I had on my Nook. If I’m to give a review based on my opinion of a book, I have to do just that. Though if its one I got specifically for review, I try to aim more towards #1 which is how I would have turned in if writing it as a school project.
Great comment Sarah, some reviews are easier to throw passion into as we strongly feel one way or another. I love it as I am reading or listening to a book when the review starts to form in my mind…. a phrase or happening that triggers an outline in my head 😀
Excellent post.
I tend to be more in line of #1 when reviewing but sometimes I have spun into #2. As for reading reviews, I like both styles…#2 is for certain more direct but #1 has its place for me too.
Honestly though, these days my time available to spend with writing posts and blogging is limited and to add to that my motivation has declined, so, I tend to write more about books I like. And actually, I tend to only finish books I like these days…if I am not liking then I am wasting time needed elsewhere. I have to economize my reading and writing time these days.
That is a bummer about your motivation. I have been hearing that a bit lately from a few bloggers. I too have to manage my time well to get it done 🙂
I’m usually a #1 type reviewer. If I don’t like a book I will definitely say so and why. But I don’t really let the emotion get in there… maybe I should. Do readers want that? It’s a great question.
If a book is so horrible that I want to throw it across the room, or into the fireplace, I usually give up and it’s a DNF, and I don’t review those on the blog. I will write a few lines about it on goodreads … I wish they had a DNF/gave-up category instead of only ‘read’ or ‘to read’ … but I digress. Maybe I should review the DNFs, I know some reviewers do. Another good question.
I dont know if they want it Leslie, but sometimes I have fun writing it 😀 I personally like to know how a book makes a person feel, did it touch you? Did you cry? Did you hit the table in frustration? But on the flip of that, a to the point type 1 review I find I enjoy and appreciate as well.
What a funny question and I love it! This happens to me sometimes and I usually write my review saying something along the lines of “what did I miss?!” but I always try to be honest in my reviews with specifics as to what it was I didn’t like about the book.
I do that too…. the “Why did I not love this the way you all did???” 😀 And yes, like you honesty is always the way I review…. even when it is against the grain 🙂
I’m definitely a type #1 reviewer. I try to be honest but fair, and try to remain fairly balanced. I don’t, however, review books that I haven’t finished.
I dont review books I havent finished either Stephanie, I may mention them as a DNF if I got a ways in, just so people know I tried…. 😀
I’m more of #1 … I think – this has happened to me quite a few times with a few award winners. I think I tend to be a little more politically correct because I wonder what it is that these people/ judges see that I don’t.
I can relate to that Tanya.:D
Fun question!!
I only reviewed a couple negatives loaded with emotion and then I couldn’t stop thinking about what the author would think?! It’s all very well to let the feelings fly… except there’s real people out there on the other end. So I started bein’ nice regardless.
That said… if ya know what yer lookin’ for, I’m very, very clear about my opinion in my reviews!!! Lol. 2 stars really stinks even if I found something nice to say about it… and hidden in there somewhere is WHY, too. Anything and everything I’d look for as hints in other blogs, I sneak in my reviews. “Cute” is not very complimentary unless I clarify why it’s ok, etc. Hidden review language, maybe, but I can still smile at the author at the end of the day. Pretty much.
Most reviewers don’t mind being disagreed with if there’s reason behind it. Don’t you think?
I think when it comes to the authors we have to remember when we dislike a book, it needs to be about the book itself – never about the author. We can dislike characters, scenes, development, plots, whatever… even when I have a negative review I remind my readers this is just my opinion and offer them other reviews to take a look at 😀
I also know that while one book by an author may not appeal to me, another by the same author may be FANTASTIC! 😀
I can go either way with my reviews. Really depends on my mood. I once was asked by an author not to post my true thoughts on a book and after that I started to back away from review copies that came directly from authors. I hated the book, thought it read like a bad Lifetime movie, and basically I would’ve written that, but sometimes I guess I had to remember that old adage, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” I like honesty and spunk! 😀
I do a combination – well, sort of. If I just didn’t like it, then I opt for the #1 approach. If I felt somehow offended or just really upset, then I rage full out. I just raged in my review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower – it made me so mad.
I have not read the Wallflower read but it is one I would like too. Curious now about what made you mad… 😀
great post! i am honest in my reviews – so that can go either way! but i never review unfinished books. and i feel every book deserves a chance so i try to read a substantial part before even forming an opinion.
I think I must have wrote my post wrong, I did not mean to imply that I reviewed unfinished books, what I meant are books that I did not really enjoy but did finish 🙂 Good comment!
I lean more toward #1. I definitely say what I didn’t like and why, but then I’ll try to suggest a group of people who might like it. I just write it as nicely as possible. If I really hated something (Hush, Hush comes to mind), the review comes out like a whip-crack; short and harsh. But I *hate* it when I find myself in this position!
I have been adding other opinions to my reviews too Jen. I like to give other opinions, ifI liked it or not 😀
Some are really hard to review when I didn’t really like anything about a read… those are rare… but yes, hard to review and usually turn into a straight to the point review.
I try to be fair, but in the end, I say what I think of it. I actually think I used the trash can reference when I wrote a review of Noah’s Castle. If I remember right I even told everyone to not read it.
I think you have to say exactly what you think of the book, but then back it up. You can’t say you hated it, without explaining why you hated it. It’s for that reason I don’t take reviews that gush over a book, without explaining why, all that seriously either. Postive or negative, I want to know why.
Still not sure why WordPress changes my name sometimes.
WordPress has been crazy weird lately. I hope they straighten themselves out soon.
Good points Ryan. I do gush (Occasionally) but hope I explain why 😀 Yes, you are right – you dont get to say LOVED it or “UGH” without backing that up 🙂
Great topic, I did one also, go here if interested. http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/12/popular-and-hyped-books-you-did-not.html
I think I am a little 1 and 2. I had anxiety on bloggers being rude over my comments but so far all positive and thanking me for being honest. My biggest was Time Travelers Wife. Hunger Games I understood the hype but it wasn’t for me and made me realise I don’t like dystopian, but TTW truly I just didn’t get.
The more I read the comments here I think even I mix #1 and #2, I just find #2 to be a more fun review for me to write personally 🙂 I love to talk about the book! 😀 As in with the Hunger Games, even though I loved it, I respect that you did not. That is the beauty when we explain ourselves well 😀 great thoughts, thank you!
It depends. If it’s really bad and there’s no beating around the bush, I’ll go full force number 2 as I did with Henry’s Sisters by Cathy Lamb (worst book ever). I even have a tag for bad books. But if the author has a reputation and I simply didn’t understand the novel then I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt and assume it is I who missed something, as I did with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre.
LOL – and I loved Henry’s Sisters! 😛 We read it in book club in January and we thought it was really good. For the record, worst book ever is The Fourth Hand by John Irving. LOL 😀
I lean toward the second option (this shocks you, I know ;). In my experience being nice doesn’t gain you any points, any way, so you might as well let it all out.
SHOCKED! 😯
😛
I think we can still write excellent reviews without ever being mean about it. I enjoy writing reviews sometimes for books I did not enjoy because I can have a little fun, even poking it at me saying obviously I did not get the memo that ____________ was now cool or trendy…. of course not always… sometimes I have to be straight forward and just say it did not work for me.
Great post Sheila and isn’t it funny I was just thinking about review style a few days ago and remembered my review of Bumped by Megan McCafferty where I let it all hang out lol http://teddyree-theeclecticreader.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/bumped-by-megan-mccafferty.html (check it out if you get a chance) but normally I tend to be more style 1 … honest but in a more subtle way.
I guess it also depends on my mood and if the review is for a blog tour. I recently read a historical fiction novel that was a real struggle and I said so in my review and I didn’t rate it well but I didn’t put it all out there because 1. it didn’t really illicit that much emotion and 2. I accepted the book believing that I’d love it and just about everyone else seemed to so I felt kind of mean disliking it. SAD I know lol.
Excellent point again Sheree! I will also tone it down for a tour, honest review of course…. and I will totally gush if it is gush worthy, but it it one I accepted for review, I do tend to be more to the point…. as I give myself a little more freedom with books I have purchased or own on my own.
Oh and Sheree, I just “bumped” over to read your review and I loved it. That is what I call actually having fun with a book that you did not really enjoy, not poking fun, not really, but I bet you had a good time writing the review and it is not mean. It made me laugh, it was like having a good friend tell me about a book they just read and I love that.
My thoughts exactly, I knew exactly what you meant when you said “letting it all hang out,” you can have fun with a review without getting personal or being rude or harsh and neither of us do that. And I did have heaps of fun writing that particular review, glad it gave you a laugh 🙂
Although it doesn’t happen often, I usually say that I didn’t love it as much as most seemed to. I actually have a review scheduled this week where I say pretty much the same thing.
I have used that too Mary…. usually adding a *sigh* 😀
I’m more of an approach 1 reviewer, however I rarely find a book that I really don’t like (I can only think of 2 at the moment).
I am pretty careful with the books i choose to review, but I am not always right about a book, my “didnt likes” are rare, my “SCORCHERS” rarer yet 😀
I’ve not been blogging for long, but I’ve depended on book reviews/reviewers *forever*. I love a strongly felt, strongly worded review. If the book was heave-able (either by throwing across the room or vomit), then sure, let me have it. I review in the same way, though I have recently decided to call my entries “opinions” rather than “reviews” since there seems to be more responsibility attached to a Review. 😉
What a great idea! I use that word too, especially on books i did not enjoy, I remind the reader it is just my opinion, I am one person and they may very well pick the same book up and LOVE it 😀
Your post has made me think. I am pretty new to blogging and I think I am too much of a type 1 . Even if I did not like something, I would say it in the mildest possible way.Like telling people, I hated it but you may not. This is more in case of books which everyone ELSE loved. But I don’t have the opposite problem. I mean I have no qualms about raving about a book few people liked.
Another thing is at times, I would not be able to tell people exactly why I did not like the book, like I did not like the dynamics of a relationship and the relationship is a surprise in the book, or like too many loose ends in the end.
As of what sort of book reviews I like, I would prefer an honest type 2 review any day. I should really work up the nerve to do so myself. But I am too scared I will offend someone… 😦
And that (Choice #1) is a perfectly wonderful way to review books! I think #2 should only be used if I can do it tactfully, and at no disrespect to that author. You don’t have to be offensive. I think I have to clarify this post, I think some of the commenters think I meant to let it all hang out in #2 type reviews… and I didn’t mean that,.. 😀
My first reaction when this happens to me is to feel inadequate and stupid, so I’m sglad to see so many people who just think their own taste is different! :–) My approach is to be lukewarm but not too negative, I guess, since I always think it is ME, not the book! :–)
Excellent point Jill…. when I do have to write a negative review, I usually point that back on myself, like you said. I think its me who doesnt get it…. 😀
If I don’t agree with the majority I will still aim to write my review just as I would any other. I think the best way to be is honest, and when discussing what you weren’t sure of, say why that was. That in itself helps because so often you can find you haven’t liked something, and it might have been because you didn’t truly understand it – so saying why you didn’t like something gives others the opportunity to help you understand it, even if you still end up disagreeing. I like to leave the literal fact that I felt differently out of the review, too.
Absolutely – always write honest posts. That’s exactly what I mean here (thank you for getting me! 😛 ) But showing emotion I am letting readers know how the book made me feel.
Great post – and discussion here in the comments! I’ve gone snarky on a couple reviews – mainly on authors who are fairly well loved and so I know a review on my little blog isn’t going to affect the author much. If it’s a young or relatively new author, I tend to go with review style #1. I know that’s probably a bit hypocritical – but I hate the idea of someone actually being hurt by my review or somehow taking it personally. So, I’ll be honest about why it didn’t work for me – writing, characters, setting, ending, etc.and give it an accurate rating – but usually also mention that other bloggers have enjoyed it.
I had 2 of these books last week. Great hype but for my they were excruciating reads. One I hated absolutely every character, they had no redeeming qualities whatsoever and the other read to me like a textbook, so many details and description and dates. Writing the reviews this week should be quite interesting.
OOH…. leaving me guessing Lori! LOL
Now I am curious….. 😀
Just wrote 1 review that will post tomorrow. man it was as hard to write as read the book. The basic story was good, just too much extra stuff. Midnight in Peking. Unless you are a great fan Chinese history it is not worth the time.
I tend to favor approach #1, as the #2 approach isn’t usually helpful. Just saying you loved the book or it made you want to throw it across the room doesn’t tell me why you felt that way. I’ve read too many reviews that don’t give me any details, so I take those with a grain of salt. And unless you’re talking about torture or something incredibly repulsive, why on earth would a book make you want to vomit? I like #2 if I absolutely loved a book, but still try to explain why I’m sitting there petting and cooing to it. *L*
Yes! 😀 I dont think I made myself clear in this post…. I am really picking up on that by the comments…LOL, that will teach me 😀 You absolutely cant do #2 without back up reasons why. Ans oh yeah, I totally love to gush on a good read – but also with reasons why…. always with reasons why.
I am style number two totally. You always know where you stand with me. Why sugar coat it?
There you have it 😉 The differences in all of the ways we review just make it fun – I think each of us as book bloggers have our own style of handling versions of one and two… 😀
I lean toward number 1, and I prefer reading reviews in number one. It’s slightly irrating when everyone loves a book that you don’t love. I’m always dying to know if just 1 person feels the same way…
When everyone is loving a book I did not, I always think I missed something or didn’t get it 😀
If I don’t like, I lean toward number 2. But also check what other says for the book and if view of mine and others are same then I strongly pointed out (I know, its little rude) but if someone like it then I always mention about other’s view in my review.
There are some folks out there who are really dependent on my review (and not avid reader), so I don’t want to down their moral (and their money) and hence lean with point # 2 🙂
I try to do that too, just because I may not like a book, I am happy to show you others who felt differently 😀
In every book review, I try to be objective and write what another reader my like about the book as well as what they may not like about the book. On the few occasions wherein I have hated a book (but finished it anyway) I go out on a full rant in draft and then go back later to temper and publish it. My most recent hates were books I couldn’t even manage to finish and I ranted on twitter; but didn’t post reviews.
LOL – I like the full out rant in draft Tanya! 😀
LOL, Yeah, sometimes you just have to say it and see it!
I guess I’m a #1 type of book reviewer. Of course, I haven’t really had the time to become a super book reviewer, but I’m working on changing that! 🙂
I have an off topic question for you, Sheila. Which theme are you using for your blog? I’m going to start a new blog that combines ALL of my passions-reading, teaching,and running, and I want to add separate pictures at the top of the blog. 🙂
Thanks!
Shannon
http://www.everystepcounts365.wordpress.com
Hi Shannon, I am using customized Bouquet with wordpress. The header I made by using Picnik and collages – but Picnik is no longer available (except through Google). I now use PicMonkey but they do not have collages yet.
I always strive for balance in my reviews…but if I really hate something, I have enormous fun writing ranting reviews. If I know everyone else loved it I feel a little more like I have to prevaricate (“this is how it was FOR ME” etc), but I still would probably say exactly how I felt. I do think it’s more interesting for the reader when I talk about books I don’t like too, instead of just giving a “it was great!” to absolutely everything I read. That’s how I feel when I’m the blog reader!