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

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

I've been thinking about this discussion as I've been writing reviews. I find that the issue is actually kinda muddy, the line broad. I mean, all reviews, if one looks at them a certain way, are about the book we wish the author had written. We wish the author had written more gracefully, or that the characters were better-developed, or that the plot didn't have holes in it.

Now if it's as egregious as Sarah's quote, "Lord of the Rings was good except for the swords and the elves," well, I don't think I'd be that unhelpful. But I can def. see myself saying 'Not to my taste, because too much time was spent developing elf culture and describing sword fights and I personally would have liked a more concise book.'

So, I say, write the review you want to write, but be aware not everyone will find it helpful if you don't explain your reaction.

I really don't have anything productive to say about this, either personally or in my role of moderator. All I do is keep reminding myself that Free Speech is Expensive. ;)

Asaik we can't review authors - the proposal was made but staff discouraged it, iirc. Many participants in the discussion conceded that authors' bodies of works were not really likely to be sufficiently consistent. Go ahead and try to bring it up in the Feedback group though - it's an interesting idea and worth more discussion, imo.

Sorry, I'm a little behind. I think I'd try to turn "...it makes it starkly clear what a preaching mysoginistic hypocrite Tolstoy was" into

"The book read as if written by someone who was preachy, misogynist, and hypocritical."

Or at least "The book was preachy, misogynist, and hypocritical."

Hm. Good point.

Would any librarians like to comment? I'm sure there are things we could do to make your efforts more effective....

Be respectful of the volunteer's time, of course, and do your research first.. but those wonderful people are there to make the database of books more accurate and complete. Some things they can do are:

Add a cover image, if you can upload one or point to one.

Correct misspellings, say of author's names.

Combine or separate authors - for example there are two name Sydney Taylor but all works were listed under just one so I had to ask they be separated.

Correct year published.

Add a description, or replace a publisher's rave with a better description.

So, when you have a book that you think should have a more accurate listing, ask for Librarian help!

Those little words like "to me" (ex, in the middle of msg 9) make a lot of difference "in my opinion" on how helpful I find a book review, especially if it's "not my usual genre."

I, personally, go with the idea that it's ok to say anything you want, if you do so with the aim of being helpful. So, saying you wish it had been more romantic when it's supposed to be a thriller, well, that might not be super helpful. Imo. ;)

50 members! Whoot!

Thank you all for getting this group off to such a rockin' start!

That's what I thought. Too bad. Well, at least we here know better and will be more careful! ;)

Welcome Dawn and Uday! You both give me the impression that you're tackling the business of writing reviews with vigor & determination. I hope you find joy & satisfaction in your efforts, too. And I hope your time in this group is productive.
I'm so glad you're here!

Yeah, I think I need to make a better effort to comment why when I 'like' a review. To me it seems self-evident, but the reviewer might like to see clarity, and besides would probably like the ego boost (not only do I like your review enough to hit the like button, but I like it enough to comment!).

"For example, here on GR if Elizabeth doesn't want to see images in reviews she can turn images off in her browser or GR settings and display placeholder text instead."

How? Remember lots of us are really naive, but trying to learn!

And to what degree of precision can it be set? For example, if I want the image of the book and of the reviewer's avatar - I just don't want the 'extra' images inside the review, could I do that?

Good question - we probably do all think of it slightly differently. But otoh, all kinds of reviews are welcomed (as we've seen in other threads), and goodreads itself uses the word to be inclusive and broad.

So, I think we're ok.

What we could do when in doubt, or when we're really talking about something specific, is try to remember to clarify. For example, I've said "an academic type review" and I've said "a gut reaction."

That's my personal opinion. In my role as moderator, I am not taking a stand (at least yet).

Sarah said this in the thread about external links. There's already been some discussion over there, but I wanted all of our viewpoints to be easily accessible, so I'd like to open it up over here.

How much do you agree with Sarah's statement? And if you agree, do you think it's more like a pretty firm & universal rule, or do you think there are times when it's just a guideline, and times when it should be ignored?

ETA - as discussion has progressed, I've realized that this issue is more relevant to experienced reviewers. Shy beginners probably want to wait awhile before reading this.

Hm - let me open a thread under 'questions and discussions,' thanks.

Kit, so long as you're writing your own thoughts about what the book was about, I am of the opinion that your contribution is still valuable. When the description is all plubisher's blurb to drum up excitement, you probably give a more honest idea of what a new reader will actually find.

"I want to write worthy reviews for books I've especially loved because I want to "highlight" them so that other Goodreads' members are more likely to find those books; this is particularly true for lesser known books."

I think I've kinda been doing this once in a while, but you make such a good point I'm going to try to focus more specifically on it.

"It convinces me to take a book off my to-read shelf. (This is a particularly welcome type of review given the size of my to-read shelf.)"

Oh wow - so true! Funny, but true!

How exciting to see so many new faces here - and welcome friends both 'old' and new!