Cheryl’s Comments (group member since Jul 30, 2011)

Cheryl’s comments from the More than Just a Rating group.

Heh - I like the way you said that.

I've been thinking more about that 5 star rating since I last posted. I've seen other folks do as you do, which is to give 5 stars to 'top of its genre.' But I'm not sure I can be convinced that the very best sf I've read, or the very bast romance I've read, or whatever, deserves 5 stars *unless* it would also appeal to folks who don't normally read that genre.

So, maybe I'm not rating some books high enough. I do know I have rated an awful lot of books at 4 stars, and some of them are much better than others. It's a dilemma. Thanks for prompting me to think about it again.

Aww... Thanks for sharing!

"It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on."
Helene Hanff, letter to Frank Doel, 9 February 1952

That's pretty good advice! If you feel you must look at the reviews, look at only them, at least. You're right that ratings mean diddly. Especially on GR - people have even been known to think 1 star is best. Others use them to indicate the priority about when they want to get around to reading a book. So, yeah, just write! :)

I do have to admit that I'm not 100% sure it's ok to say, as part of a longer review about the book, something about "... this author's books are usually interesting...". Implication of GR's guidelines is that's ok, because it's about books, not author's behavior. But I'm going to be very careful about stuff like that from here out....

Well, there's been more bullying between certain authors and certain readers, and so these guidelines have gotten tighter.

Do an export of your "my books" now!

Then, read the first post of this: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Note 1. - do not read further in the thread unless you're a masochist.
Note 2. - know that *shelf* references to authors' behavior are not permitted, either.
Note 3. - understand that GR is talking about both positive and negative reviews and shelves.

As always, talk about the book, not the author, and you'll be fine.

I was inspired by A Book Addict's Treasury, but of course we can get quotations from any source to share here. To start things off, consider:

"As a rule a bookshop is horribly cold in winter, because if it is too warm the windows get misted over, and a bookseller lives on his windows. And books give off more and nastier dust than any other class of objects yet invented, and the top of a book is the place where every bluebottle prefers to die."
George Orwell Bookshop memories (1936)

Indeed - and perfect for the GoodReads community!

You'll have to ask in the feedback group - I have no idea, but it seems like a bug. As always, of course, you can try clearing your cache, using a different device and browser, logging in and out.... But if nothing like that works, def. try asking in Feedback.

Love it!
It's the kind of thing we've all said - and I'm sure we'll not be able to figure who to give credit to...

y'know, I don't think I've ever met an enter-key maniac... sounds weird... don't show me an example, plz... ;)

And I agree, some review is better than none. Absolutely. That's why I acquiesced to popular demand and started this group.

will do!

Yay - I feel validated. :)

Makes perfect sense to me!
I'm glad you've given up on filler smileys. So third-grade. ;)
And I agree that long or preachy (especially misinformed) or arrogant reviews are annoying. Some snarky ramblers get lots of 'likes' on their reviews, but they won't get them from me.

How do you feel about pictures and videos in reviews? I like a few, if they say something that can't be said in words, but so many are just, well, filler, imo. But then, I'm an old fart, so maybe my opinion is not worth so much.

Hi Raevyn, welcome! And thanks for joining; I feel inspired to revive my efforts to wake us all up here. I see you're already poking around the other threads a bit, and that's terrific.

Washington Irving: An American Original
for the book, and, for your review,
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

(If there were a lot of review, and if I weren't your GR friend, I may have had trouble finding your particular review.)

I'm impressed. Very concise, indeed, but you covered all the points I like to consider when deciding whether or not to read a book. You also squeezed in enough so that, years from now, you can re-read your review and be well reminded of the book.

(PS - sorry for the late response; I have no idea why I never got the notification for your post.)

Post here your favorite inspirational, thought-provoking, or clever quotes. Please try to avoid anything terribly controversial, even though that means we risk becoming a bit bland. However, I bet you smart folks can find plenty to share that's both interesting & meets the group's TOS/ rules.

I quote the group rules here: "Be respectful and encouraging. Share joy. Be aware that this group is moderated to ensure we remember to be helpful and nice."

Surprise me! :)

Post here *your* favorite quotes about reading, writing, reviewing, book-lust, etc.

Wow this group is quiet. I do have a little scheme, though, so stay tuned. I hope to implement it within a week, two at the most.

Meanwhile, if anybody has any ideas for something you'd like to see here, please speak up!

If you look under her (or any member's) profile picture, there's a list of her 'accomplishments' (for lack of a better word). In her case, one of her numbers is '26 reviews' and if you click on that you'll see a list of books she's reviewed.

Oh, and to get to her profile, simply click on her avatar/ profile picture here in this thread.