Blogging--Particularly Literary Blogging
Some interesting comments here.
My personal solution to the dilemma (but then I make neither money nor large audiences from my blog) is to avoid blogging mediocre books. Place them in your "read" list and forget about them. Are they really mediocre, or did they simply not appeal? Either way, the less said the better. I've reviewed a few books that I only appreciated in a lukewarm way, but I did so because I had anticipated by all reviews really enjoying them (The Death of the Heart comes to mind.) My appreciation or lack thereof is no reflection on the quality of the book, but it does give another side to the story and suggest that if one is having difficulty with the book, perhaps it is one to put aside and return to at a later time.
But I have resolutely determined that if I must review a book I did not appreciate, I must make clear that my appreciation is less a reflection on the book than one me. So, I'm readying myself for the tomatoes when I post on Let the Great World Spin because, unless it picks up soon, I don't expect to have much enthusiasm for it.
My personal solution to the dilemma (but then I make neither money nor large audiences from my blog) is to avoid blogging mediocre books. Place them in your "read" list and forget about them. Are they really mediocre, or did they simply not appeal? Either way, the less said the better. I've reviewed a few books that I only appreciated in a lukewarm way, but I did so because I had anticipated by all reviews really enjoying them (The Death of the Heart comes to mind.) My appreciation or lack thereof is no reflection on the quality of the book, but it does give another side to the story and suggest that if one is having difficulty with the book, perhaps it is one to put aside and return to at a later time.
But I have resolutely determined that if I must review a book I did not appreciate, I must make clear that my appreciation is less a reflection on the book than one me. So, I'm readying myself for the tomatoes when I post on Let the Great World Spin because, unless it picks up soon, I don't expect to have much enthusiasm for it.
Thanks for the mention, much appreciated! I also try not reading mediocre books, and when I say mediocre, that is a relative term. I always choose the book which would appeal to me most, but sometimes it will be a weaker book by an author I really like or not up to what others said it would be. Or it might just be my fickle subjective opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhat to write about a mediocre book is a vexed issue, IMO, but sometimes it *is* about the book and not about the reader.
ReplyDeleteThere's a vast pile of books out there that I would never bother with, because I know that I'm not their demographic. If for some reason I were to read a Maeve Binchy (as I did when I was in Positano and had run out of other books to read and there was no bookshop within range) I would never review it because it's not the kind of book that appeals to me.
On the other hand there are writers I usually enjoy who write a 'lemon' and I really appreciate it when a reviewer makes it clear that I shouldn't waste my money on it.
And yes, Let the Great World Spin fits into this category. I sent it back to the library unfinished, but I really liked Dancer (http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/dancer-by-colum-mccann/)
Lisa (ANZ LitLovers)
Dear Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think I would concur with your evaluation--hence my subjective reactions posted for The Death of the Heart and such works. I agree, much of the time, I would leave a work by the wayside if it simply didn't appeal, or even if it ought to have appealed but, for whatever reason, did not.
I'm also glad to hear about your reaction to the National Book Award Winner. I have so many other things to read, I think I may end up giveing this one a miss.
Thanks.
shalom,
Steven