One of my goals for 2018 was to read more books. In the past few years, I’ve gotten so wrapped up in writing and editing that I stopped reading, and I really had no business writing or editing if I wasn’t reading!
With that goal in mind, I’ve been buying all kinds of books this year. My preferred reading is clean romance — it can be supernatural, contemporary, or historical, as long as it’s a sweet story with a happy ending. Not all of those novels are well written, however, and I wanted to see what else is out there, so I decided to do a few things:
- Read outside my genre.
- Read nonfiction.
- Read new authors in my preferred genres.
For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed this experiment! I’ve discovered a new favorite author and have learned a lot from my nonfiction selections.
It hasn’t all been good, though, and that’s where I’m struggling. You see, the more I’ve learned about writing and editing, the more difficult it’s become to find a good book because I see mistakes everywhere. Some authors can make it work; their books aren’t technically perfect, but the stories and characters are so good that I read past the issues and enjoy the book. That’s not usually the case, though. More often than not, there are just so many issues that I can’t finish the book.
That’s put me in a bit of a pickle because I wanted to post reviews about all the books I’m reading, but I also don’t want to say bad things about anyone else’s books (especially now that I have my own book out there and I know how powerful reviews can be).
What do I do? Do I only post good reviews? Do I lie about the books I didn’t like?
I don’t want to be dishonest. I also don’t want to be cruel. And I most certainly don’t want to apologize for having an opinion that differs from everyone else’s.
At this point, I’ve decided to be honest but kind: I’ll let you know what books I’m reading, but I’m only going to review the books I would recommend. If I wouldn’t give the book at least three stars, or if I wouldn’t pass it along with a recommendation to read it, I’m not going to review it.
What do you think — do you read good and bad reviews about books? When you read a bad review, do you assume things about the reviewer or accept that maybe the book has issues that you didn’t see? I’d love to hear what you think about this topic!
I will read good and bad reviews if I am really on the fence about a book, but what I like are specific as opposed to general bad reviews. I want a reviewer to tell me why they didn’t like it, and in a way that is not inflammatory. I occasionally get paid to write reviews, so I am really conscious of giving an honest but kind review of a book I didn’t like or think was well written. I try to remember that I am not the author’s creative writing instructor, just someone trying to help a potential reader decide if it’s the book for them.
I like specifics too! I don’t want to read, “Terrible book. My daughter could do better.” That doesn’t help me at all.
I do participate in some programs where I HAVE to review books, even if I don’t like them. Those are the hardest. Like you, however, I try to remember that I’m there to help other readers, and not every reader will like the same book.
When I give a review, I think it’s important to keep these things in mind:
1. Whether I like the book or not, someone has devoted many hours of their life to this project. The review should respect that sacrifice, even when their result is flawed.
2. The classic sandwich model remains my standard. I had to learn this the hard way.
A. Convey something you liked about the book.
B. Kindly critique one or two flaws (NOT personal likes/dislikes,
but flawed *writing*. This usually–but not always–contains an
example of what I might have preferred to see in the story
development.
C. End on a positive note. Tell what niche the book filled or extol
the virtue of some aspect of the writing.
Karin, I agree with your last paragraph, where you choose not to review books that you wouldn’t give at least 3 stars to. Very smart and fair.
Thanks, but I can’t take full credit for that. I literally spent hours agonizing over how to write reviews for two books that I didn’t like. It was my friend Pegg who gave me the three-or-higher standard!