SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
All About Goodreads
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Has Goodreads made you a better reader?
Good point. Looking for, or at least being open to, more 'diverse' books will help keep me going on enjoying reading. Ruts bog me down.
You’re right about the lack of these books on Australian shelves. It is getting a bit better but there are still heaps that are popular overseas that I haven’t seen here at all. Goodreads has definitely made me read different books that’s for sure. And has sent me along paths I didn’t know existed. It has made my reading better but it hasn’t made me a better reader.
Mod
What a pithy distinction!!
Donald wrote: "I think it's made me a better reader in that it's exposed me to a lot of books I simply would not have stumbled across without GR...."Definitely agree with that statement. I have found some wonderful authors through this site and read books that I never would have picked up on my own.
None of my friends are readers, which is weird. Hhmmm
I started looking at Goodreads for reading orders in various series I was looking to start. Then I started to use it to keep track of books I read, and started reading more reviews. Then after hearing about my sister's book club, I was wishing I could find something similar, but I didn't know enough people who liked to read. So I started looking at online book clubs and stumbled on to this group late last year.I don't know if it has made me a better reader, but I am certainly reading a wider variety. The volume is probably about the same, but I didn't track it before this year. I used to read mostly my favorite authors, best sellers, books I found from lists of top fantasy books, and recommendations from my parents. Now with this group, I'm finding myself reading things I might not have discovered. I try to do as many of the group reads as I can, and I have enjoyed some buddy reads too, but the best resource here is the group shelf. Lots of great classic Sci Fi and Fantasy, along with a bunch of books I've never heard of, but sound really interesting. When I first looked at it, I found lots that I've read, with a ton that I had been meaning to read eventually.
As to diversity, I'm pretty happy about the push to read books by authors and about characters of different backgrounds. Not because I necessarily feel like I need to read more of that, but because it pushes new stories into the light that I might not have seen before. All I've ever wanted is a good story that lets me be immersed in a different world for a while, and I'm just glad that I'm getting a bigger variety of worlds to get lost in. So I won't read a book solely because the author or character is different than I am, but I'm very happy to be getting good books that might not have gotten a chance at other times.
Allison wrote: "Jacqueline wrote: "It has made my reading better but it hasn’t made me a better reader. ."What a pithy distinction!!"
Oh wow... I wonder if that's part of the misunderstanding along the thread so far.
I still say that reading with the GR reviews and community in mind has made me a more careful & thoughtful reader. But I can certainly see that some ppl were already reading just fine, tyvm, and say "no" to the original question, even as they admit to reading more and/or choosing books more carefully....
Iow, hmm...
I really, truly appreciate the push for diversity. As a woman and a PoC, I had to train myself not to look for myself in any books. I love to read but I never had character stand-ins. I could almost never place myself in my favorite book settings - since 100% of them had zero people of any color whatsoever. ZERO. In fact, as a Fantasy/SFF reader, I also conditioned myself to not look for very many [main] women characters, as well.
Over time, I found a character here and there. And as I got older and had money, I found myself gravitating to female authors and MCs. Not many PoC MCs, of course. At one point I could name the female POC fantasy authors on one hand with fingers left over.
So when I read all the hoopla about NOT having diversity in books, I was instantly transported to the years where I had none. And I think of the selfishness of those who don't want to share the literary landscape with me. And I do a little happy dance when I see their angst.
Bobby wrote: "As to diversity, ... All I've ever wanted is a good story that lets me be immersed in a different world for a while, and I'm just glad that I'm getting a bigger variety of worlds to get lost in..."Oh, this bears repeating.
Cheryl wrote: "Bobby wrote: "As to diversity, ... All I've ever wanted is a good story that lets me be immersed in a different world for a while, and I'm just glad that I'm getting a bigger variety of worlds to g..."Oh, this bears repeating."
Not for me. I need more than just a different world populated by people exactly like the world around me...but with some really glaring removals.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Bobby wrote: "As to diversity, ... All I've ever wanted is a good story that lets me be immersed in a different world for a while, and I'm just glad that I'm getting a bigger variety..."MrsJoseph, I hope that didn't come off as too selfish or dismissive. I am definitely happy that diversity in books has given more people characters they can relate to. I was just trying to make a point that new material from a different talent pool can only be good. I don't mean to diminish the importance to you and others, but I just wanted to show another reason why this is a good thing.
MrsJoseph wrote: "I really, truly appreciate the push for diversity. As a woman and a PoC, I had to train myself not to look for myself in any books. I love to read but I never had character stand-ins. I could alm..."
As a white male I have so so many character stand-ins, but it's honestly frustrating at times these days. A large part of why I read is of interest, and a big part of that is new and interesting experiences. It's why I love traveling or eating at different places or drinking beers. ;)
The increase in diversity, or at least available diversity, over the last decade or so has let me add reading to that list of activities that can give me new and interesting experiences. There already were plenty of books that were fun to read, but the expansion into fun _and_ interesting has been great.
MrsJ...I think when Bobby said about reading about different worlds the meaning wasn’t different worlds full of straight white males with a few distracting women thrown in but different worlds full of women as well as nice men who aren’t ruled by their manhood and POC and people who identify as LGBTQ+. All sorts of people. To live in your world too MrsJ. I remember the who ha when a POC was cast as Hermione in The Cursed Child. Hermione wasn’t black everyone was screaming. JK Rowling came out and said she had never said what colour Hermione was. She had just described her hair which was frizzy and her mind and a few other attributes but never once mentioned that she was white. Hermione could have looked any way you wanted her to. Especially before you’ve seen the movies because once you’ve seen Emma Watson it’s kinda hard to imagine anyone else as Hermione tbh. Anyhoo JK was giving you the opportunity to put yourself into the stories.
Your comment about not seeing stories about people like you keeps flashing through my head alongside a quote I saw on Instagram a couple of days ago. If you don’t see the story you want to read then write it yourself.
I wouldn't say it made me a better reader but it has made me expand my reading. As much as I love the site and being able to organize and look up info on books I do miss the picking a book at random to read. I miss the mood reading. I think it's made me a worse reader at times. I enjoy the book challenges the groups have but sometimes you get so hooked on doing them that it makes my book choices less then great at times. And well reading takes time and reading books so you don't let others down is silly. I have stepped away from many challenges this year, only sticking to a handful that really don't put too much pressure on you.
I wasn't saying that someone on this thread is dismissive per se, but the idea that the author's gender or the color of a character is "taste," I think makes diversity in books to be more of a category instead of a choice. And that's a thought I have a problem with as it leads to gendered and racial separation. I can't speak for all places, but here most book stores already separate the POC authors. Mostly it's Black authors (they go in the African American section no matter what they are writing ) but I have been in stores that go as far as to separate all of them. I've seen Asian sections, Native American sections, etc...That makes me - us - different and othered instead of represented. I don't want to be reminded of or read about racial struggles when I'm looking for some hot SFF. But if I go to my local B&N to pick up the latest N.K. Jemisin, I have to walk past the SFF section to the African American section. There - with all the books on slavery - I can get The Stone Sky, a few other Fantasy books, some Romance, etc.
So, I do think it's a good idea for all of us to be reminded that everyone should a slice of the pie.
Jacqueline wrote: "Your comment about not seeing stories about people like you keeps flashing through my head alongside a quote I saw on Instagram a couple of days ago. If you don’t see the story you want to read then write it yourself."
I tell myself stories in my head all the time. But, I am not and have no interest in becoming a professional author. And I still want to be able to easily get stories written by professional writers that represent more than the typical.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Jacqueline wrote: "Your comment about not seeing stories about people like you keeps flashing through my head alongside a quote I saw on Instagram a couple of days ago. If you don’t see the story you want to read then write it yourself."I tell myself stories in my head all the time. But, I am not and have no interest in becoming a professional author. And I still want to be able to easily get stories written by professional writers that represent more than the typical."
Yeah, that quote seems kinda ignorant, to me. Not everyone is a writer. And even if someone did write the story, it doesn't mean it would ever get past publishers or anything because of system biases.
It kind of reminds me of the "you are responsible for how you feel. No one can upset you if you don't allow it" thing, because it takes responsibility away from the person potentially being a jackass and places it on your for being upset.
Mod
I also think reading has made me more empathic, because I see the tropes now as art imitating art, and have a host of great GR discussions (and personal research, too!) that have opened my eyes to the ways we casually insert harmful narratives into fiction. I do believe I personally have a moral obligation to leave the world a little kinder than I found it, and engaging on tough topics, reading both simply for the joy of it and for the hurt of heartache do help me think these new, kinder thoughts. One of my friends says "we use the words we know," and it's just lovely when I find new words that can say what I intend.
ETA: Or learn that some words I know are not what I intend, so I can stop accidentally causing hurt I don't want to cause.
Allison wrote: "I believe it's meant to be encouraging, like the "be the change you want to see" sort of statements. Though in context of discussing diversity I understand how it could also seem discouraging. I am extremely happy that all of my recos come from GR or friends and I can just order them without worrying whether a book by an author who is a woman will be in the Chick Lit section or the YA section or the SFF section, and all the rest." It is difficult when dealing with diversity in something - gender or race - as it does take away the onus from those gatekeepers who created the situation.
Allison wrote: "I am extremely happy that all of my recos come from GR or friends and I can just order them without worrying whether a book by an author who is a woman will be in the Chick Lit section or the YA section or the SFF section, and all the rest."
That is the beauty of ebooks and online shopping. I am still a dedicated DTB reader, so I still visit book stores. More and more I trend towards used book stores, library sales, Goodwill, etc.
Allison wrote: "...opened my eyes to the ways we casually insert harmful narratives into fiction.
I had a situation like this. I bought a book in support of a Romance blogger/author but... when I read it, she had casually inserted the most harmful tropes in Romance that she could find. I left the book feeling...slightly annoyed and slightly ill: I gave her money to do the opposite of what I believe in. And I assisted her in spreading those harmful tropes further. My review addresses these issues but the reviews from most others are all full of squee. In that situation, I hate myself a bit.
I originally joined Goodreads in 2007 because I needed to find a better way to track the books I was reading. I had been keeping a paper journal but it wasn't easy to keep track of what I'd read or how I felt about it. It wasn't until 2012 that I started really making use of the shelf system to keep a list that I could sort by year.I found that I enjoyed seeing what my friends were reading and reading their comments. Then I started joining groups which matched my interests and my to-be-read list grew and grew and grew.
I won't say that Goodreads has made me a more prolific reader since I've nearly always had at least one book going ever since I was a child. I will say that it has made me more thoughtful about what I'm reading and more willing to admit that I loved a book everyone else hated or hated a book that everyone else loved. It's just an opinion after all.
As far as classics are concerned. I feel as though just because something is considered a classic it doesn't mean that 100% of the people are universally going to love it or find it meaningful to them. I despise Jane Austen's books, I don't find them either witty or profound (common review descriptors), I find the characters haughty and obnoxious and romance is one of my least favorite categories. On the other hand I love Dickens, Poe, Stevenson and Tolstoy. Different strokes and all that.
I am making an effort to read more books by female authors and people of color simply because I am interested in seeing all points of view and not just through the lens of white male privilege. I'm grateful that I can get books and ebooks online and don't have to rely solely on bookstores which tend to carry what's popular or libraries which have a broader selection but still have limitations. I'm also slowly trying to read my way through the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die although I have disagreed with some of choices and wondered how they made the list. In my opinion it's just another challenge albeit a bigger one than most.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Mostly it's Black authors (they go in the African American section no matter what they are writing ) but I have been in stores that go as far as to separate all of them. I've seen Asian sections, Native American sections, etc......"There is not a great conspiracy with this. These sections were set up to help sell books and people that tend to read in these sections do not want to go and try and find these authors mixed within the larger selections. Think of it like New Age. It has its own section, but some of the writers write within other genres. They will not bother to look in the other sections if they can find it in their section of preference.
While I agree with the head scratching on the subject not being in the Science Fiction section, it may be there is only a few copies and the writer is known more for being an author of color as compared to Science Fiction. It may be to get people of color to read more science fiction. I have no idea why it is done on any given reason, except it is about selling books.
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Yeah, that quote seems kinda ignorant, to me. Not everyone is a writer. And even if someone did write the story, it doesn't mean it would ever get past publishers or anything because of system biases...."As for system bias, EVERY writer goes through this trying to be published.
What Allison said. Mostly. Honestly I’m the Queen of being misunderstood. And I am having trouble with my American lately. And yes this is a thing. I speak Australian English when I’m in America and people look at me like I have an extra head or something. Anyway the point is a few words here and there and Americans seem to get the wrong end of the stick. Simple words that mean one thing here are completely different to you. Sometimes I have to translate English into English. My daughter doesn’t seem to have that problem when we’re there but Hubby and I do. And I’ve found that younger Australians don’t understand me either. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to explain myself. The other day one young cousin upped me about something that wasn’t what I was saying. She thought I meant but whatever (as in I don’t give a shit whatever) and I said and whatever (and whatever else there is but I’m too lazy to list them right now). Simple misunderstanding but she was one upset girl. I explained...she was happy....
In Australia we do not have all of these extra sections in our bookshops. We have the usual Fiction, romance, crime, SFF, horror, Kids/YA, Cooking, self help, gardening....no sections for ethnicity though. Everyone is lumped in together. Sometimes we do have a section for Australian authors as well but the bulk of their books are in the proper section as well. Book Thief is in the Fiction section at one bookshop I frequent but it’s also in the Australian section.
I’m sorry if I upset you. It wasn’t my intention. I shall now go away and not do it on Goodreads again. Ever.
Side note...ages ago when we were all discussing the changes in books and Dick and Fanny being changed in the British books I forgot one. You lot “root” for your team. If Dick and Fanny get changed for you lot we want root to be changed too for our children. Nah just kidding. Our kids get a good laugh out of it. Over here (and in England and New Zealand) root means intercourse. I know I’ve had a good giggle with friends on just how far people will go for a sporting team hahahaha anyhoo.....
Thank you Jacqueline. Communication is hard. I always try to give ppl the benefit of the doubt, because, yeah, who knows what they really meant until they get a chance to clarify? And besides which, your voice counts, too. What a sad world this would be if we only had one world English, no regional flavors....
MrsJoseph wrote: "I've seen Asian sections, Native American sections, etc...That makes me - us - different and othered instead of represented..."
Good point. I happen to agree with you.
But bear in mind the intention is probably to serve buyers interested in more diverse reading, regardless of genre.
In any case, have you talked to them? Most businesses appreciate customer feedback, as I'm sure you know. If the local store manager isn't responsive, is there a higher level you can talk or write to? If they're not responsive, vote with your wallet; don't shop there, and write a review in Yelp or TripAdvisor.
I feel like I'm lecturing you. Not my intent. Just a reminder to all of us, myself included, that we do have a voice. :)
MrsJoseph wrote: "But if I go to my local B&N to pick up the latest N.K. Jemisin, I have to walk past the SFF section to the African American section. There - with all the books on slavery - I can get The Stone Sky, a few other Fantasy books, some Romance, etc."WTF. I'm assuming this also makes no sense to others. But then...
Jacqueline wrote: "In Australia we do not have all of these extra sections in our bookshops. We have the usual Fiction, romance, crime, SFF, horror, Kids/YA, Cooking, self help, gardening....no sections for ethnicity though. Everyone is lumped in together. "
That's what I'm used to. It's probably a combination of effects here - a historical monocultural society which quickly transitioned into an almost microcultural society. There wasn't much time in between to develop a market for separate Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Greek, Irish, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Indian, Iranian, South African, Sudanese and other sections in our stores.
Papaphilly wrote: "There is not a great conspiracy with this. These sections were set up to help sell books and people that tend to read in these sections do not want to go and try and find these authors mixed within the larger selections. Think of it like New Age. It has its own section, but some of the writers write within other genres. They will not bother to look in the other sections if they can find it in their section of preference.While I agree with the head scratching on the subject not being in the Science Fiction section, it may be there is only a few copies and the writer is known more for being an author of color as compared to Science Fiction. It may be to get people of color to read more science fiction. I have no idea why it is done on any given reason, except it is about selling books.
I call shenanigans on that. It's segregation, plain and simple.
There is NO REASON to separate SFF non-white authors from the rest. It's certainly not because it makes any kind of sense.
If you were looking for the new Jemisin, would you bypass the SFF sections to go look for African American literature?? No, you wouldn't. In fact, you wouldn't be able to FIND the book unless you A) knew she is black (which shouldn't be her only defining characteristic) and that she's been shelved with only other black authors or B) you speak to an employee. So, if you're not a person who likes to speak to store employees (like my husband), you'd leave without The Stone Sky.
Should we just do away with SFF sections entirely? I can go get the new Scalzi book in the Caucasian American Literature section. Maybe pick up the Hugo nominated The Three Body Problem in the Asian Literature section?
I have spoken to people - employees and managers, etc - and they all say basically the same thing: well, the author is... (insert race here). Or they say the "the book isn't selling well and IDK why it's there" (from lower level employees).
Of course, it feeds into the self-fulfilling prophecy that minorities don't read and buy books. And therefore there's no need for TradPub to pick up that minority author with the minority characters.
Jacqueline wrote: "In Australia we do not have all of these extra sections in our bookshops. We have the usual Fiction, romance, crime, SFF, horror, Kids/YA, Cooking, self help, gardening....no sections for ethnicity though. Everyone is lumped in together. Sometimes we do have a section for Australian authors as well but the bulk of their books are in the proper section as well. Book Thief is in the Fiction section at one bookshop I frequent but it’s also in the Australian section.I’m sorry if I upset you. It wasn’t my intention. I shall now go away and not do it on Goodreads again. Ever.
Side note...ages ago when we were all discussing the changes in books and Dick and Fanny being changed in the British books I forgot one. You lot “root” for your team. If Dick and Fanny get changed for you lot we want root to be changed too for our children. Nah just kidding. Our kids get a good laugh out of it. Over here (and in England and New Zealand) root means intercourse. I know I’ve had a good giggle with friends on just how far people will go for a sporting team hahahaha anyhoo.....
"
I'm not upset! But as I get older I realize that I have to speak up, that's all.
Re: side note - IDK about others, but I prefer the natural language of the author. I recently read a group of Romances by Australian authors set in Australia. It was...strange for me, to say the least. It was an odd position - seeing the world not focused on the US in the least as in most of the books its a side note or not mentioned at all - but I liked it. It's good to be reminded that no woman (or country!) is an island, living unto herself.
Mod
Jacqueline, don't be discouraged, my spouse reminds me constantly that people can't see the pictures in my head, so ignoring pronouns and proper names tends to confuse people who aren't my sister. She gets it, I'm not sure why this is so difficult for others ;-)
Papaphilly, those are some large assumptions you're making, and some curious theories you're hinting at. Would you like to bring those thoughts to either the Race and Literature or Are We Sexist threads?
If we'd like to tie in these two things, has how GR shelved things helped you become a better reader? Or do we hate these wishy washy shelves with the heat of a thousand suns?
I hope my bias isn't showing ;-)
I don't think GR's 'shelves' do much for me. Sometimes I'll read a blurb and wonder "is this more horror than SF?" or "is this more juvenile than YA?" and I'll check the 'shelves' aka community-generated tags. But I appreciate that my experience of GR generally leads me directly to particular titles, letting me bypass most genre distinctions (or knowledge of author's background, for that matter), and focus on the quality and qualities of the book itself. Which means I do believe I read 'better' books than I would if just randomly browsed bookstores or libraries.
I usually use GR's shelves when I don't know what to read. It's a good way to find a book that I will like without doing much research. It is particularly helpful when it's a niche genre, or obscure sub-genre. It's also nice when you see other books you have already read on the shelf, so you know you have a chance of liking whatever you choose.
GR has probably pushed me to read a bit more than I otherwise would. I think I'm also less likely to read a lot of books by the same author, though... I'm much less likely to delve deep into an author's backlist than I would have before GR, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Beth, I've noticed that I'm more likely to try to read everything by an author, because the list is so easy to find. But it's a bad thing, because of two main reasons. 1. less time to read other authors and their perspectives and 2. more time reading second-rate stuff, because seldom does an author consistently do great work.I think probably you should continue to explore freely!
No, I wouldn't say so. After a low point when my children were little, I started my way back with a book a week group on my former homeschool forum. Then a FB friend of mine made a post about Shelfari that showed when I went to FB (I am not a regular over there due to the politics and the fact that some people share so many links and videos that it bogs it down). I did have a membership here with a different email I wasn't using, and only moved here in a big way when Shelfari shut down and my main groups from Shelfari ended up here.I lost my scifi group from Shelfari, which I had enjoyed, because I didn't' care much for the platform it moved to but so far I really like this one as well. I like that not all hardcore scifi, people read other things and there is no dissing the variety of stuff people read. Plus, its a friendly group that is easy to get involved with.
It kind of made me a more frequent reader. It is fun to make reading challenges and readathons and I found this all in Goodreads.
Goodreads has definitely made me a better reader. I tend to stay in my comfort zone on books, and it's helped me find books outside my comfort zone that are now on my wishlist :)
Selton wrote: "Goodreads has definitely made me a better reader. I tend to stay in my comfort zone on books, and it's helped me find books outside my comfort zone that are now on my wishlist :)"I agree, with Selton. I now have a TBR list, with a lot of variety. Goodreads has also kept me accountable, with my daily reading habit.
Using Goodreads has focused my novel reading. Before Goodreads, I would pick novels randomly. Now I have the reading challenge and a bookshelf of books that I want to read. The negative is that I found out how many books I have missed over the years and their's not enough time to catch up. But try I will.
No, I can't say that it's made me a better reader; I have been a voracious reader since I first learned how to read!! I remember that the Bookmobile coming to my school was one of the highlights of my year. I would spend all of my paltry allowance money at the bookstore, too. But I will say this about goodreads: l trust the reviews on here more so than any other site. Plus, the bookclub is such a nice perk! I can geekout on books with people who are of like mind.
I'm glad Gary and Michelle has revitalized this thread. In the year's span, I have the [current] feeling that GR does NOT make me a better reader.
GR has made me:
-more inclined to read the genres I normally read (hidebound)
-less patient
-more frustrated
-suspicious of [a lot of but far from all] authors
-scared to let people know my real name or see my photo
It's not all bad, however!
GR has also given me:
-"internet" friends who turned into real friends
-people who care and encourage
-tons of new authors and books and sub-genres
-major information about the publishing industry (how it works,etc)
I recently started playing Dungeons and Dragons. Yes. Me. At my age I often find myself sitting at a table looking around at male faces that are much, much, much younger than I.
And I am having a ball.
And I would NOT be able to say that without GR. One of my GR friends plays/DMs D&D and he encouraged me (over and over) for years to give it a try. Finally, with all of Mike's encouragement, I gave it a try. And everyone was welcoming and nice and willing to teach. And GR gave that to me (via allowing me to make such good friends).
It definitely has encouraged me to read more. I have always read a lot but now I am reading with a goal in mind. I want to make my reading challenge for the year. I have enjoyed reading the reviews but I find as an older reader, I am sometimes at odds with them.
I don’t know. Yes and no. It has definitely made me a better GR reader. I really enjoy the bookclubs and reading about what others are reading and their reviews. My “Want to read” shelf has enough for 3 lifetimes I think! There are times when I think I’d read more, if I didn’t spend so much time on GR interacting with others who enjoy books and reading as much as I do. That said, GR has made me spend more time considering and reviewing the books I read. I write something about all of them and sometimes when I update my progress. I like reading my own reviews a few years on as well. I used to keep a list with a rating, and when I finished it, but no reviews. Now I’ve added all the books from that list and many of the books I read as a child, but I haven’t reviewed most of those, just every book read since I joined GR in 2008.
So you see, in some ways GR has distracted me from actual reading, but on the other hand, I’m getting a lot more out of what I am reading because of GR.
And MrsJoseph, I love that you started playing D&D. I have had a longing to for quite some time but have always thought I missed that boat about 35 years ago. 🤪
I like MrsJ's idea of a "plus and minus" list about GR's effects on my reading. So I'm stealing it!Plus:
- reading more, having reading as a major hobby
- finding other readers with common book interests--these are very hard to come by IRL
- having moderated forums to discuss specific books on
Minus:
- dopamine addled behavior whether purchasing, hype, or refreshing GR to see notifications
- scrolling through the feed and/or composing posts or reviews rather than actually reading (don't think too hard about how meta this is)
I just read that sleep can be evaluated by Quantity, Quality, and Satisfaction. Three measures of "Better." I've maintained since I joined GoodReads that it's made me a "better" reader... but let's think about it on those new-to-me metrics.Quantity - yup. Of course, learning about all the titles my GR friends are enjoying, and being a member of groups that have BotM discussions, makes it far too easy to drop everything else to get more reading in.
Quality - yes. Because of group discussions and reading reviews, I am becoming a more careful reader, which has made it possible for me to read and appreciate "harder" books and even some classics.
Satisfaction - yes, Knowing that my to-read list is limitless and thus being able to DNF at will means that I'm seldom stuck... I can read & reread reviews at will to decide whether to read/ continue an unsatisfying book.
So yeah, define "better" to suit, and I bet most of the ppl above who said 'no' would actually mean 'yes.' ;)
Ok, defining better as 'easier' would be a no for me. I have to work hard to maintain my eye health and, as I see above, I am reading so much that I need to enlarge the font at a younger age than I should/ would otherwise.
Mod
I've said it before, but I like lists so here's my updated response!
Pros:
-Read more broadly than I would if I was left to my own devices
-Remember what I've read so that I can pick up without re-reading/discuss with people as it comes up
-Find new-to-me authors in genres I already love
-Get pushed to try things in a timely fashion
-People to talk to if I have concerns or questions about content that help me either prepare for things that would upset me, push me to keep reading, or allow me to DNF and move on with my life.
-Group/buddy reads that help me see things I missed, make connections, explore themes and provide counterpoints which enriches my understanding of what I've read and often provides new appreciation for what I've read
-This isn't reading related, but I don't talk to a lot of people during the day, so this is a good social dose for me!
Cons:
-I'm totally victim of the dopamine rush
-I'm more concerned about hurting people's feelings when I don't like something they like
Diane wrote: "I don’t know. Yes and no. It has definitely made me a better GR reader. I really enjoy the bookclubs and reading about what others are reading and their reviews. My “Want to read” shelf has enough ..."Diane, I felt the same way, lol! That's why it took Mike so long to convince me to give it a try. I won't lie, I am probably either the oldest person at the table or close to it. And a couple of weeks I found myself at a table where I was the only adult besides the DM.
Well, if basing on Quantity, Quality, and Satisfaction, I'd say:Quantity - I read a lot more than I used to (and I already read a lot)
Quality - The quality has its ebbs and flows. Its ups and downs. Sadly, ebooks, the self-publishing revolution + programs like Kindle Unlimited and/or the cheap to free prices to publish that Amazon has means that there are a LOT of pretty terribly written books out there masquerading as good stuff.
Then you add in the pushiness of being in groups dedicated to ONE genre or sub-genre...and you find yourself reading things of questionable quality. I've started reading some recommended books that were basically unreadable.
Back before ebooks and GR, most of my reading was done analog...which means they were TradPub books. TradPub isn't quite as good as it used to be, however. The advent of the speed at which the SPA can publish + the Big6's belief that their client is the BOOK SELLER instead of the BOOK BUYER + the Big6's desire to try to compete with companies like Amazon have caused a lot of terribly written, terribly edited and terribly thought out to get published.
Satisfaction - this also ebbs and flows. Right now I am extremely unsatisfied by the majority of the books I've read lately. There have been some serious GEMs but I've run across just as many (no, more) stinkers.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom (other topics)The Stone Sky (other topics)
The House of the Stag (other topics)
The Sheep Look Up (other topics)
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
N.K. Jemisin (other topics)Andre Norton (other topics)
C.J. Cherryh (other topics)
Ursula K. Le Guin (other topics)
Elizabeth Moon (other topics)
More...
It hasn't changed my reading and I barely bother reading reviews, but so many books I've read over the last two years (most of which I enjoyed) have come directly out of recommendations/group reads in this and other forums on here.
And touching on the diversity angle, a lot of these I would never have picked up or even encountered (Australian bookshelves not being the most diverse in the first place) without this prompting.