It's Friday and I am still way too far behind on my Google Reader. I'm sorry if I missed something awesome on your blog (leave a link in the comments!), but I'm trying my best. This coming week, I'll be spending a lot of time planning and getting ready for BEA. I AM SO EXCITED! If you are going to be there and we haven't talked about meeting up... we should!
In other news, one thing that I did this week was to start The Real Steph, a blog for everything that doesn't fit with The Fake Steph Dot Com. The tag line is "Thoughts on Writing and Life", so check that out if you want to know more about me. My ROW80 and Friday Links will both move from The Fake Steph to The Real Steph.
Blogging Question: How do you handle the writing of a negative review?If I have to write a negative review, I draft it and let it sit for a while. When I go back to it, I make sure that I'm being as objective as possible (even though book reviewing is incredibly subjective). Instead of being emotional, I try to explain why something didn't work for me. And I always take the time to look for something that does work for me, even if it was overwhelmed by what didn't.
I hate seeing reviews that slam a book I love and I don't want anyone to feel that I look down on them for liking a book that I don't. Yes, some bloggers make me feel like crap for having different tastes than them. I never want anyone who reads my blog to feel like that. I've only written one review that I consider "snarky". Every once in a while, I consider deleting it, but when I go back to read it, I stand by everything I said in that review. Still... sometimes...
Show Me Your Cover: What are some of the worst book covers, but hold some of the best stories inside? Don't be embarrassed, show us your cover!
I can't come up with anything off the top of my head, so I'm going to have to go through the pictures I've uploaded to this blog and see what I come up with. As always, covers will link to GoodReads.
I came up with more than I expected. These I don't hate, but I LOVE all of these books and think the covers are kind of cheesy. They probably turn off readers who would love these books.
Anna and the French Kiss is one of my favorite books and there's nothing wrong with this cover. It's just... the guy on it reminds me of someone who I don't like. At all. And every time I look at it, I think of him and feel sick. So... this is one of the only books I have without a dust jacket.
I'm done now. And really excited to see everyone elses answers.
EDIT: I love Feature and Follow, but am not participating this week. I made a decision not to fantasy cast books for many reasons, but I am looking forward to visiting the blogs that are participating.
Posts
Good choices, another person put a Janet Evanovich book too for their list, they're not too pretty! I've been wanting to read Anna & the French Kiss, but the cover was making we weary for it, I'll have to try it out anyway :)
ReplyDeleteAnna is the best!!!!! I love Lola, too, but her cover doesn't bother me.
DeleteI almost put One for the Money also!
ReplyDeleteYou've made me curious as to why you don't dream cast. This was my first time to do so. Is there anything I should be aware of?
Colletta
I e-mailed you!
DeleteThe Demon's Covenant cover looks extremely cheesy! I am probably one of the few that likes the Anna and the French Kiss cover though I understand that it can look cheesy to some.
ReplyDeleteOld follower.
Jennifer @ Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews
http://feministfairytalereviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/follow-friday-27-and-tgif-16.html
Demon's Covenant was such a good book. I'm so glad I read it. It was funny and surprising and had a ton of action and mystery and complex characters and relationships. It was also dark. All things I love in books.
DeleteHaha i was laughing at that one for the money. I love older covers, but sometimes I wonder how we got from that to what covers look like now.
ReplyDeleteGreat words of advice on writing a negative review I think I need to learn to sit and ponder before putting up reviews. Thank you for stopping by my blog.
New Follower
Liz
I sit and ponder a lot. LOL. In everything.
DeleteI think a lot of book bloggers are afraid to write negative reviews because of how readers and authors sometimes react to them. The last thing any of us want is a rage comment or nasty email. But if that is really the blogger’s opinion done honestly, a negative review should have just as much value as one that was gushingly positive. I know a few bloggers who won’t post a review at all if they didn’t like the book, which I can sort of understand, but at the same time that leaves a skewed view of the book without it.
ReplyDeleteBloggers need to do what they think is best. Personally, I try to stay away from negativity in all areas of my life. Even when I'm giving a negative review, I try to be really honest and tactful. I don't think a negative review is the same as slamming a book. I've seen bloggers write things like "If you like this book, you're an idiot"... and sometimes I want to write that, too, but I don't, because when I see it, I usually unfollow. Reading negative reviews are okay as long as they are adding value, not just bashing.
DeleteI stand by my opinion as well...I reacted very negatively once to another book bloggers downplaying of a particular book's subject matter...subject matter that I've had very personal experience with. In that case I posted my opinions but I also posted where my opinions come from...sometimes books just hit too close to home for us to be objective...when that happens, I think as long as we disclose where our opinions come from, then all is fair. I'm an honest person, so I feel if an author/publisher doesn't want my honest opinion, he/she shouldn't ask for my review. :)
ReplyDeleteHonesty is so important, but I think some bloggers think that they can't be both honest and tactful. Books affect us all differently and that's why I like reading blogs--I like reading about all the different experiences with the same book.
DeleteI don't like writing negative reviews, either. it's really hard when you get to know the author and then you think, they're a friend! how can I not like their book? I am plagued by this right now, in fact. :( It sucks.
ReplyDeleteI e-mailed you.
Deleteoh, i kinda love the Name of the Star cover, but it totally didn't fit into the book. i wasn't sure if it was a historical or not. FANTASTIC BOOK, THOUGH! great choices. i also agree with One for the Money, and Suite Scarlett, too. ~dixie
ReplyDeleteI definitely thought it was historical and I only ordered it because it was Maureen Johnson.
DeleteWait... the dude's arm reminds you of someone you used to know? lol
ReplyDeleteI used to dislike The Name of the Star's cover, and I do think it sets a darker tone than what the story really is, but it's grown on me. The Stephanie Plum books have pretty dismal covers though.
the dudes arm does indeed bother me. Quite a bit. I don't have a book jacket on that book. :)
DeleteI think that's a good way to review books we don't enjoy by not only criticizing the book but backing up are reasons!
ReplyDeleteI've also found the more I really think about what I've read I will at times even change my own opinion, so second looks are always a good idea for me!
Yes, I don't mind negative reviews as long as the reviewer is thinking about why. Don't say that the book was boring, say that the characters felt interchangeable and the first major plot point didn't happen until the second half of the book. But I ask "why" about everything.
DeleteOh, I like this question about book covers. There are so many great books hidden under some pretty hideous covers. The Ghost and the Goth for one.
ReplyDeleteI love the Ghost and the Goth. Thank you for getting me to read that one! I kind of think the cover is adorable.
DeleteLOL I'm with Kate. How can St Clair look like someone you don't like?
ReplyDeleteE-mailed you.
DeleteI never cared for The Name of the Star's cover either. I thought it was a historical till Kate told me about it. That cover for one for the money is really bad.
ReplyDeleteI have one review that I've considered taking down because I feel like I really just didn't word it right but I decided to just leave it. Then I had another one that was negative but it was more based on my tastes so I feel like that one is probably ok. I've never been put off by a blogger's review before but I've seen some on goodreads that have been pretty bad so I try not to read any 1 or 2 star reviews ever because a couple of them made me angry.
Some of the reviews on GoodReads are shocking!!! And I feel SOOO guilty when they make me laugh.
DeleteI enjoy your comment along reading your post. You may rate your books the way you like or how you feel the book is to you. Most of my books I have read have a rating of 5 rats or 4 rats in my case of my rating system.
ReplyDeleteBest of Luck to where you are going.
Yeah, if a book is below 3 stars for me, then I usually don't finish it. And I don't want to review a book I haven't finished, because I haven't gotten the whole picture.
DeleteThat's a great idea to save it as a draft and let it sit for a while. I schedule my review ahead of time mostly, so I usually have htem sitting there for a bit before they are published. But I don't touch them much.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog! Have fun at BEA! I wish I could go =(
It's really helpful to write the reviews really early and take some time away. It doesn't always happen, though.
DeleteAnd I'm so excited for BEA. I wish you were going, too.
Hah! Try the audio cover of ONE FOR THE MONEY and you'll really be put off!! It was just that ugly!
ReplyDeleteOMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!??!
DeleteI liked what you said about the negative reviews. I think the only time I really try that hard to not come off snarky is when I know that I am reviewing a book someone I'm close to loves. Like when I had to review Wither and I really didn't want to offend Andrea so I tried to be as objective as possible. But I'm a pretty snarky person in general so sometimes that seeps in even when I don't mean for it to!
ReplyDeleteI was soooo careful with my review of Wither.
DeleteI just followed your new blog, and I'll be checking it out soon! And I agree with Bittner - I love what you said about the negative reviews. I love being sarcastic and snarky, but I also don't ever want anyone to be offended by my posts. And like you said, we all have our own opinions and someone may LOVE a book that I really didn't enjoy! So I try to find something positive to say, and I also leave links to other reviews from bloggers who enjoyed the book so that readers can get another opinion. And Bittner - you didn't offend me, and since I know you even if you had been really snarky it probably wouldn't have offended me!
ReplyDeleteAnd for some reason that cover of One for the Money reminds me of a cover of The Great Gatsby. Is it just me?
those covers are pretty cheesy!
ReplyDeleteI usually finish MOST of the books I read...stop by my blog to see my whole answer.
ReplyDeleteNICE BLOG.
NEW FOLLOWER
Stopping by from The Book Blogger Hop.
Stop by my blog if you like.
A giveaway going on at my blog:
http://silversolara.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-and-giveaway-of-story-of-west-by.html
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com