The Obligation to Read

We've all felt like this before.  (Not the reading outside in the cold, though I did do that this past weekend so my daughter could drive her Jeep around in the ice.  :P)   What I mean to say is, we all have stacks and stacks -- or thumbnails galore (or avatars?  I'm not really sure how to categorize books on ereaders since they're not technically "stacked") -- of books to read, and they never seem to quit growing.  Some of us, myself included, bring this problem on ourselves, by continuing to purchase, borrow, and request books ad nauseum, knowing how many we have at home waiting for us already. It's a real problem.

But to add to the conundrum, publishers like to send out unsolicited ARCs and finished copies, as well.  I don't get these too terribly frequently, but I'm always at a loss when I do.  Do I need to review it?  Should I try to work it into my reading schedule?  One publicist contacted me the day after I'd received a finished copy that I hadn't requested and asked me if I'd received it and if it was something I thought I might be interested in reviewing.

First off, if they already had my email, I think I should have been contacted prior to receiving the book. Because in this particular instance, yes, the book was one I'd been interested in, but it was a sequel to a book I hadn't yet read -- though, I'd also received an unsolicited finished copy of the first book -- and honestly, since it's not on my review schedule, it likely won't get read anytime soon.  My point is, there are probably a hundred other people who have read the first book and would be in a better position to read and review the copy, had they been given the opportunity instead of me.  So, now I kind of feel obligated to read the book.  Not that I'm going to in the next few weeks or anything because that would just cause me undue stress, and that's the last thing I need right around the holidays.

On the other hand, there are times when I receive unsolicited books that I never would have requested or wasn't aware of, and receiving a copy puts it on my radar.  So, I can see how the tactic works, even if I do think it makes more sense to put review copies in the hands of people who actually want them.  I don't think I'll ever understand how publishers work and what methodology they use to decide who gets which review copies.  I've seen plenty of posts on other blogs about it, but it seems that no two publishers are alike, and even publicists within the same publishing house have different "systems".

Regardless, I don't think the onus falls to me to review these unsolicited titles unless it's something I want to read.  I already have a hard enough time trying to read and review the books I have requested, and even then I can't get to every one of them so I have to prioritize my reading schedule.  And that in itself makes me feel guilty.  Sometimes, I have every intention of reading and reviewing the book, so I keep it.  Other times, I give the book away on the blog so that someone else who wants to read it gets the opportunity.

How do you handle unsolicited review copies?  Do you feel like you're expected to review everything you receive, requested or not?

ETA:  I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining, though I sort of am.  But you know when you're perusing others' In My Mailbox and Stacking the Shelves posts, and you see that someone has gotten an ARC of the sequel that you're seriously coveting?  And then they proclaim that they haven't even read the first book and they hope they can make time for both before the sequel's release?  And they don't sound all that promising? THAT.  I just think instead of sending out review copies all willy nilly, publishers should maybe send those bad boys out to reviewers who really want to read them. Say, those of us who have actually requested them and been ignored.  ;0)

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Labels: reading habits, reading schedules, reviewing habits, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: If You Give a Girl a Book

If you give a girl a book,

she's going to finish reading it.

And chances are if she finishes reading that book, she's going to ask for another...and another.

This Thoughtful Thursday discussion was inspired by a very personal post from my good friend April over at Sim~Sational~Books.  (Oh, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. :D) You might know her from her awesome SIMS-based book trailers, but we connected because we both have five-year-old daughters who just recently started kindergarten this year.

Y'all, kindergarten is HARD.  Like April said in her post, I remember when all we did in kindergarten was color or go to stations (like blocks or kitchen or something FUN) or play outside.  But these days, kindergarten is like what first grade was for us.  Before they even start, they're supposed to already know their alphabet and how to count to twenty and all the stuff that we worked on in kindergarten back in my day.

Something else they're working on already that we didn't even contemplate until first grade is reading. Starting on October 1st -- after all of us parents were submitted to a very brief intro to the program via a parent-teacher meeting -- the kindergarten classes at Katie's school began bringing home a purple folder with required reading books in them.  Books that they apparently aren't going to go over in class.  I understand that parents need to be involved in their children's education, but isn't our job to help our kids on top of what they're learning in class, not in lieu of what they're not being taught?

I'm trying to garner an appreciation for reading in my little girl, and so far, it's been going great.  There are some books we've read together so many times that she knows them by heart and she reads them to me now.  But that also makes me worry that she's just memorizing things and not really comprehending them as she's reading.  And there is a big difference between reading what you've already memorized and reading for comprehension.  I try to get her to tell me what words are by pointing at them and not letting her read the sentence that they're in, just to see if she recognizes the word, and it's proving difficult for her.

As is the homework that was sent home last night. She was given this list of words you see to the right, and only three of them were previous Word Wall Words, meaning she had only been taught those words in class.  The others were foreign to her.  And now I'm supposed to teach them to her.  I'm a terrible teacher.  I was a great student, but I have never been able to pass that on to anyone else.  I tried providing tutoring when I was in high school, and that didn't last long.  I'm going to try some of my old studying methods for UIL Spelling with Katie:  word pyramids, writing each word three times each, writing each letter of the word in a different color, etc.  Just things that helped me remember, things that I hope will help her remember, too.  Even if I do think it's too early for all of this.  I mean, I get it...we want our children to be able to compete at the same level intellectually as children in other countries.  We want our kids to have all of the best opportunities.  But I still want my kid to enjoy her childhood.  It only lasts so long, and then you're a grown-up with all kinds of responsibilities, wishing you could go back and be a kid again.

I want Katie to want to read, to love going to the library or bookstore and trying to make up a haul as big as her mommy's.  Soon enough, she'll be forced to read boring books that take all the fun out of reading. Honestly, though, in this respect, I'm glad I had a little girl; it does seem like a lot of boys tend to outgrow a love of reading much sooner than girls do, if it ever comes to that.  But it's because they're forced to read stuff in these formative years that isn't fun, or at the very least, isn't presented in a fun way.  I'm not saying school should always be fun or that the stodgy old classics should be done away with, but there are ways to make it interesting and make the learning experience fun and easier on everyone involved.  And that's part of the reason that I hate this new reading program, or at least the fact that it's an at-home program.  My sister said she read a study that said at this age, the average kid reads approximately ten minutes in class, per day.  Really?  I'm okay with the twenty minutes they're supposed to spend reading at home...we did that every night anyway with her bedtime stories before she even started school.  But if they're not even spending that long reading at school, why am I sending her there, besides the fact that I have to work and can't home school her?  (I so would if I could.)

Huh.  I did not expect this post to get so ranty...I guess I'm a little more worked up than I thought.  It's just that things have really changed since I was in school, and kindergarten is proving a lot more stressful than I imagined it to be.  I'm so glad to have a friend like April who's going through the same stuff so we can vent to each other.  We just want our girls to love reading as much as we do!  No pressure, kids...but you know how awesome it is to have someone else to share your books with.  I just want Katie to be the next in line to read all of mine.  =)  And so, I'll keep reading with her and working with her on those damn Word Wall Words and reading some more.

Oh, and I think frequent trips to the library and bookstore should help, right?  ;0)

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Labels: back to school, katiebug, reading challenges, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: Feeling Antisocial

**WARNING -- This post comes with a lot of whining...and not the good kind. **
***Also, there will be rambling.***

Lately, I've just been feeling a little antisocial.  I'm an introvert by nature, but it's gotten worse since the beginning of summer.  I can't really pinpoint what exactly triggered it, but I'm sure it has a lot to do with stress.  Work's been sucking a$$.  Like, I just cannot get motivated to care about my job at all.  I've been with the company for, well...March will be ten years, and I am so burnt out.  But I have a kid in school and we're trying to buy a house within the next year, and so now is so not the time for a career change.

And so I read to escape that stress and anxiety.  But that whole antisocial thing because I'm stressed out at work is now carrying over into my blogging world.  I want to visit everyone and comment and discuss books like usual, but I'm finding it difficult to interact with anybody these days.  In real life or in the blogosphere.  And I feel terrible about it...I owe so many of you some comment love!  And I know that you guys will have my back and understand.  I don't think I've lost any of you because of my self-imposed hermitage

Guys, I've been such a lurker lately.  I've been reading all of your wonderful posts and delighting in your comments here on my own blog, but I've just kind of been lurking in the background, not saying anything or doing anything to make it better.  I've just been so blah lately.  All I want to do is read...even the desire to write anything substantial has kind of waned, though I hope that urge hits me again soon because it's one of the few things that usually gets me out of a funk like this.  Well, besides a terrific reading streak.  Which I am not having, though I have read some fairly good books recently.  Or a really, really solid cry.  I think I'm about due for one of those.

Anyway, I want to come back is what I'm saying.  I want to catch up on everything you guys have been doing, see what's been going on in your lives.  Stop feeling sorry for myself and stop being such a shut in. I've always been a bit of a loner, at least until I started blogging and met all of you wonderful people.  And I want to repay you all for the friendship.  But I'm afraid I still don't have enough time to go back and catch every post I've missed.  :(  I'm going to try very hard to devote Saturday to visiting everyone.

But this whole experience has made me wonder, how do those bigger blogs do it?  They must get tons and tons of comments each day.  How do they respond to everyone, visit all of their own favorites, create new content AND still have time to read each day?  I just can't fathom it.  It's daunting to me when I just have a piddly 15 comments (not that I'm not appreciative of each and every single one...I totally am!) on a meme post that I need to return the favor for.  Used to, I had time during the day at work to do so, but my workload is kind of crazy right now, so it just keeps snowballing and I keep getting further and further behind.

I think I'll make this one of my blogging resolutions for 2014:  be a better blogging friend.  For every comment I get, I will return a comment.  I've always felt that's the way it should be, anyway, but well, life happens.  I've blogged about this before (earlier this summer, actually) and it seemed like maybe we all go through spells like this.  But you know it always helps to hear from others sometimes.  :)  Oh, and don't even get me started on all of the blogs I follow via Bloglovin' that I haven't visited in weeks.  I finally just started deleting that daily email until I could get caught up again.  Like I said, hopefully this Saturday...it's supposed to be rainy and we're going to the State Fair on Friday, so I'll probably be worn out from that and too tired to do anything else, anyway.  :D

Pretty much, this is a usual case of Jen putting too much pressure on Jen, of me being the perfectionist that I am.  I hate not doing something 100%, and it makes me like this.  Grrr!  But acceptance is the first step to recovery, right?  And, hey, if you guys do want to hold it against me, well....I can take it...


Hehe.  Sorry for the ramble.  I hate re-reading one of these posts and seeing just how much I rambled.  I did warn you at the beginning, though.  I don't know if this made a lot of sense, but I definitely feel better having gotten it off my chest.

You ever feel like this?  Do people frequently say, "Oh, it's just the weather that's got you down"?  Do you ever just say, "Screw everyone," and do your own thing for a little while?  If so, do you feel guilty about it later?  'Cause I do.  :(

Ever your antisocial basket-case,

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Labels: blogging community, blogging goals, book bloggers, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: When a Year is Just Too Long

I know I'm not alone when I say that it's entirely too difficult, not to mention insufferable, waiting a whole year -- and sometimes more! -- between installments in a series. Obviously, the hardest part is the waiting.  And it's even worse if the release gets pushed back.

But even more dreadful than the waiting is the forgetting.  I've already read 150 books this year, which is the same as I read in all last year. Which is to say, I read a lot, at least by some standards.  So much so that's it's easy to confuse characters and plots in my current reads, as well as recently finished reads.  Not to mention how difficult it is to remember key elements in a book I read a year ago.

I resolved this pretty quickly when it happened, so most of you are probably oblivious, but last Tuesday, I posted a teaser from Never Fade by Alexander Bracken, and the author politely advised me that the teaser in question contained a rather large spoiler for this sequel to last year's The Darkest Minds.  I don't know how you guys pick which teasers to post, but I usually head to somewhere in the middle of the novel and then read a little bit and try to find a tantalizing teaser.  One that's actually interesting.  I mean, the point of teasing the books is to spark interest in the title, no?

Anyway, this particular teaser made the heroine sound badass. But it also hinted at something or someone that will definitely change the course of the novel.  Except, it had been a year since I read the first book, and so I didn't realize the implications of the teaser. (I'm sorry for anyone who was exposed to the spoiler and comprehended what it means.  It's unfortunate, but I haven't heard from anyone that anything was ruined, so I'm hopeful.)

As soon as I was contacted by the author, I removed the teaser and put a placeholder up until I could get to the book and find a replacement. Alex was super nice about the whole ordeal, even pointing out why said teaser was so spoilery, to which I replied:

@starryeyedjen haha, I've been so paranoid about avoiding scenes with him that I've run out of teasers to share! xx
— Alexandra Bracken (@alexbracken) September 24, 2013

Anyway, good author experience...but bad blogger.  Sometimes I can't believe how much it's possible to forget in the span of a year, especially when it comes to really awesome novels like these.  And that's why it's awesome that some authors provide recaps on their own blogs or elsewhere.  Ilsa J. Bick has pretty good recaps for her Ashes series on her blog, and Maggie Stiefvater collaborated with The Recaptains for her recap of The Raven Boys.  Honestly, I wish all authors would do something similar.

And I wish there were more sites or more offerings like those from The Recaptains.  I've often considered doing something similar on my own blog, but I just don't have the time these days.  If I need a refresher, I usually just listen to the audiobook, if it's available.  But that can get costly.

Have you ever committed this reading faux pas?  How do you counteract this problem?  Take really detailed notes while reading to refer to for the next book in the series?  Do you know of any other sites that recap books?

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Labels: reading faux pas, recaps, sequels, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: The Great Goodreads Debate

I usually refrain from offering up my two cents on these author/blogger debacles, unless they involve a friend, and only then to comfort said friend.  But this change in the Goodreads ToS affects us all, some more than others, obviously.  (I didn't have an author-related shelf on Goodreads.  At least, it wasn't labeled as such.  It's simply listed as "not in this lifetime", but the objective is the same as those who had "due to author" or "authors behaving badly" as their shelf titles.)

Anyway, I don't agree with Goodreads' handling of the situation. At all. If they'd at least given notice prior to doling out this twisted retribution, things might be a little different.  I might not have been directly affected by this change, but I feel for those reviewers who lost hours of hard work in the form of honest reviews.

I agree with so many others before me that this move seems very pro-author. Goodreads has always been a site for readers, for book lovers, for people who just genuinely want to discuss books.  We don't always like the same books, and for the most part, we've always been okay with that.  There are some trolls out there who will never stop trying to convince us of this or that book's superiority, but there are far more honest-to-goodness book lovers on the site.

I didn't interact with authors all that much in the beginning on Goodreads, and to be honest, I still don't really. I've added some as friends, but for the most part, my interactions with authors, at least on Goodreads, has been very limited.  I've only had a few comment on my reviews, and it's usually a pleasant experience.  I called one a debut author in my review, and she politely pointed out that the book was actually her second novel.  Another simply wanted to thank me for taking the time to read her book.  Those interactions are nice. I've never had a not-nice situation with an author, luckily.

But to be truthful, I've always believed Goodreads should have remained a place for readers to interact with each other.  I understand that authors are readers, too, but their presence on Goodreads should remain as such.  Especially when it seems that so many of them cannot take constructive criticism.  It's unbelievable how some have treated our fellow reviewers.  I daresay they'd think twice about attacking a reviewer from a major publication.  But we're no one to them and so we're easy targets.

At first, I wasn't going to say or do anything.  And then I read more and more of that thread and got more and more incensed.  It does almost seem as if Goodreads is rewarding bad author behavior.  I know, I know.  They're cracking down on that, too, or so they say.  I understand where Goodreads is coming from...they just want everyone to go back to their separate corners, call the fight over.  Honestly, isn't that what we all want?  But is this change the way to go about it?

I like Goodreads...I didn't want to abandon ship after several great years.  And I still haven't completely because they provide valuable content that, so far, isn't easily accessible all in one place.  I know a lot of people are heading to one of Goodreads' competitors:  LibraryThing, Shelfari, or BookLikes. I debated if any of these were right for me, or if should suck it up and hope that Goodreads would set things right. They've tried to make amends, but for some, it's too little, too late.  In the end, I decided to make a new home for myself over at BookLikes.  I think it's the only of these sites that isn't at least partially owned by Amazon.  In general, and from a purchasing standpoint, I like Amazon. But they have no place on a site made for readers.  Not when all they're attempting to do is collect data from us and line their own pockets. And definitely not when, because of their influence, a site I favor over all other social media has struck out against its very own users.

So, yeah, I've still got a profile on Goodreads.  I may never fully leave it, simply because of the wealth of information it provides.  I know I have a little while before my shelves finish importing over to BookLikes...something like 44 hours.  And it'll take me awhile to familiarize myself with the general setup of BookLikes.  I like it, but I don't love it.  Not yet, anyway. But I'll keep playing with it.  In the meantime, I've still got a foot planted firmly over there at Goodreads, despite everything.  I can't help it...I feel like I've lost a good friend, but we're still trying to work on the friendship, ya know?

How are the rest of you coping with these changes?  Were you affected?  Are you completely abandoning Goodreads, or are you still feeling things out like me?

If you've moved to BookLikes, feel free to add me; I'm under starryeyedjen.

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Labels: authors behaving badly, goodreads, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: Changes

For some reason, I've had David Bowie on the brain lately.  Maybe because I've decided it's time for a change.  Or a lot of them.  You may have noticed the blog got a face-lift, for which I will forever be grateful to the awesome Stephanie at Hopeless Romantics.  And, yeah, more changes are on the horizon.  I have to do something to get out of this slump I'm in.







For your viewing/listening pleasure:



This is me...to myself:

I put so much pressure on myself to post often, to post daily, and to post the best damn content I can.  I think I do alright.  If I didn't have a real job, I could do better.  =)  But it doesn't look like I'm going to win the lottery any time soon, so I'll have to make do with the time I've been given.  Which also has to be split with reading.  Oh, and the family.  And they demand a LOT of time, not that I'm blaming them. I love them and I want to treasure the precious years I have with my daughter while she's still little.






I feel like I'm always under pressure to read, to post, to meet deadlines.  And no one's really putting that pressure on me but myself.  There's like a six-week window for reviews of new releases, and yet I feel the need to always post those reviews prior to a book's release.  And I feel responsible for reading and reviewing every title I request or receive from publishers.  I have sixty books on the schedule right now through the end of April.  o_O



And that would totally be doable, if I didn't feel the compulsion to read books NOT on that list.  I have become such a mood reader these days, and yet, I don't allow myself to stray much from the schedule.  My friend Christina at Christina Reads YA has been urging me to give into the moods, though.  And those few times that I have, I ended up having a truly awesome reading streak.  I just read a book not scheduled on the list for a few weeks, and it was kind of a wake-up call.  The one I desperately needed.  I try and try to keep up with other bloggers and read what's scheduled so that my review goes up close to when everyone else's does, but I'm tired of feeling rushed, tired of the pressure that I put upon myself.  And to the schedule, I say NO MORE.



I'll keep the schedule to help me keep track of what's releasing and when and where I got it from -- and also just 'cause I'm a nut like that and love the organization it provides -- but I'm not going to force myself to adhere to it anymore.  I know I've said that before, and I meant it when I said it, but that old familiar guilt always creeps back in.  This time, though, I can't let it.  I've got to prove it to myself -- and to my family -- that I do still have a life outside of reading and blogging.

I'm not saying that I won't still be posting daily or that I won't still be reading.  I most definitely will.  But I'll probably spend less time reading -  and definitely less time reading things I don't feel like reading -- and I'll hopefully rearrange things so that I can get all of my posts scheduled once a week so that I'm not spending so much time in the evenings working on the blog.  And hopefully I'll have more time to visit you guys when all this is said and done.  =)


Just curious...does anyone else suffer that same guilt, that same need to review all the books?  I mean, I requested it...I'm supposed to review it.  But I don't think it's fair to the author or the book to read it when I'm not in the mood for it.  I'm more likely to be apathetic and probably rate it lower than I normally would if I didn't feel like I was being forced to read it.

Also, what's up with books with similar themes and premises releasing so close together?  I don't want to read three similar books in a row based on their release dates and then have to try not to compare them when I'm reading and reviewing.  I like to mix it up.

Okay, I'm rambling now.  I just needed to decompress.  Also, this was an excellent reason to bring out the David Bowie.  (I warned you that this would be a really David Bowie-heavy post, didn't I?  And now I just want to go watch Labyrinth.  =)  That movie's almost as old as me, but it's timeless, as is Bowie's music.  :D)

Happy reading!

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Labels: blogging goals, changes, thoughtful thursdays, updates

Thoughtful Thursdays: Project Falling Stars

Have you ever found yourself perusing Goodreads and noticed a friend reading a book or marking a book "to be read" that you've already read, seen your rating off to the side of their status update, and thought to yourself, "I rated that book how many stars?"  I've found myself doing this a lot.  My tastes have changed so much over the last few years...and apparently, I had some pretty questionable taste to begin with.  That, or I just hadn't been exposed to much in the way of young adult novels at that point.  Either is probably true.

Back in the day, I think I pretty much loved everything I read.  Pretty. Much. Everything.  Now is not so different, but that's because I have a better sense of what I do like and can make better decisions about which books I actually spend my precious time reading.  I wish I could read all of those books again (or not) and re-rate them as the more experienced reader I am today.  And thus, Project Falling Stars was born.

Obviously, with a TBR the size of mine, re-reading every book is pretty much impossible if I want to read anything new in the near future, but I still want to spend a little time on my "read" shelf on Goodreads reevaluating my star ratings.  For a lot of the books I'm referring to, I didn't even write proper reviews because I didn't consider myself a reviewer at the time.  I was still just your average reader, desperate for my next book.

I want to start this project, but I've got some moral dilemmas to confront first.  Does changing my star ratings on Goodreads -- I won't change anything on my blog...that just seems counterintuitive at this point -- seem like cheating?  Does it seem unfair to the book, since at one point, I must have enjoyed it enough to give it that particular rating?  And does it seem snarky to only be downgrading ratings?  Or should I just do what pleases me since it is my Goodreads account.

I would only change ratings on books that I was absolutely certain I wouldn't like as much upon another reading.  And I'm not talking about dropping from five stars to a measly one star.  But if you check my "read" shelf from back when I first joined Goodreads, you'd find a ton of five star ratings, and I can guarantee that most of those books wouldn't hold up to that rating, should I find the time to venture into their worlds again.

Decisions, decisions.  And it's not like I don't already have enough lined up with the blog to keep me busy for the next few months.  But it bothers me to no end to see some of my older ratings, especially when they're for earlier books in a series that I've already decided not to finish.  I should just do it, right?


What are your thoughts?  Do you ever re-rate books on Goodreads, just for the fun of it?  Or do you think it's only fair to change a rating after re-reading a book?

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Labels: project falling stars, re-rating, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: Judging a Bibliophile by Their Book Covers...Among Other Things

First off, I just want to say that I just love the book blogging community...how we come together in support of each other and the books and authors we adore.  

And we also fight together when the situation warrants, which is more often than it should be.

That said, sometimes I think we can be a bit judgmental of each other, even a little harsh at times.  

There's the trolling of reviews (on blogs and on Goodreads -- especially Goodreads).  Someone will post a dissenting opinion on a book, and of course, someone else disagrees.  That's fine...no two people will share the exact same opinion.  That's what this community is about, after all:  finding those who share your likes and dislikes when it comes to genres, authors and all things bookish.  And it's fine to share your reaction, even if it's the opposite of the rest of reviewers.  It would just be nice if everyone could do so in a way that doesn't promote such negativity.  Don't get me wrong, I love snarky and gif-tastic reviews as much as the next girl, but even those can go too far at times.  As can the comments on them.

There are also those people who judge you solely on what you're currently reading or what you've read in the past.  This type of assessment probably bothers me most because I've read a lot of YA novels that I probably wouldn't give a second glance now, but I wouldn't hold it against anyone else if they still enjoyed them then or continue to do so in the future.  (But I still wish I hadn't rated them so highly.  *sigh*  That's a conversation for another day, though.)  Hell, I still like a lot of books that others don't.  You can't please everyone, am I right?

What prompted this whole rant was a post recently on Twitter from someone who proclaimed that they wouldn't accept friend requests on Goodreads from anyone who's average rating was 4 stars or higher.  This was weeks ago, but it still bothers me to this day, so I felt the need to discuss.

I mean, my average rating is 4.08 stars.  And I feel like I'm probably in the norm, but I didn't do any checking to find out.  I honestly don't care where my average rating fits in the scheme of things.  Because, the fact of the matter is, I like to enjoy what I'm reading.  I try not to pick books that I likely won't find entertaining and will therefore rate lower.  It's a waste of my time to read something that's going to bring out the snark in me.  If it makes me all snarktastic, I'm more likely to simply DNF it rather than rate it really low. In fact, I rarely ever rate below three stars because if I've found a book worthy of a lower rating, I'm not going to finish it.  But that rarely happens because I know what I like.

I don't know...that post just irked me, and I needed to vent.  What are your thoughts?  Do you tend to not friend people because of what they choose to read and how they rate their books?  Or are you an equal-opportunity friender?

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Labels: blogging community, judging a book by its cover, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: Blurb, Blurb, Blurb is the Word

If you read the following, would your curiosity be piqued?

"Spellbinding complexity.  Deep, dark & intense."

Does that sound like the kind of book you'd be interested in? Or does that sound rather generic to you?

What if I told you that those words were referring to coffee?  Don't believe me?  Behold:

I was in the break room at work the other day, waiting on my coffee to brew, and I happened to glance at a box of coffee next to the coffee maker.  And on the front lip, it said verbatim:  "Spellbinding complexity. Deep dark & intense."  (Coffee wasn't even mentioned on the box, though it is in the description on the website.)  And I thought to myself, that could be any number of books I've read.  In fact, it rather sounds like a blurb, telling you nothing but making it sound good all the same.

Well, that's how I personally feel about blurbs, anyway.  A book blurb means very little to me these days.  I used to be of the mind that my favorite authors would only blurb books that were similar to theirs or that would at least appeal to fans of their books, but now it seems like any and all authors' opinions are up for grabs, no matter the book's content.

In essence, a blurb is just further promotion for a book.  It's purpose is to entice the reader, either by what is said or because of who is saying it.  And that may work on some people, but I've never considered purchasing a book based on a blurb and vice versa.  If I had let a blurb effect my buying/reading decisions, I never would have picked up All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, and I would have missed out on a fantastic time travel story:




Honestly, what the blurb says is pretty true, and I'll admit it, I read Becca Fitzpatrick's books.  And I liked them in the beginning, despite the stalker-like tendencies of the male lead.  But I know better now.  I'd like to say I'm much better read now, and that kind of story just doesn't cut it for me anymore, which is probably why I still haven't finished that series.  And I could have let the fact that this author blurbed a book that I was seriously interested in reading affect my decision to pick up the story, but I didn't.

Because blurbs mean zilch, nada, nothing to me.  They provide no useful service to me.  Their pretty, flowery words have zero effect on me and my reading decisions.  In fact, they kind of annoy me because it seems like they're trying too hard.


So, where do you stand on book blurbs?  Do you find them helpful when considering a new read?  Are they even remotely effective at selling you a book?

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Labels: blurbs, recommended reads, thoughtful thursdays