Just Talking Showing 2,151-2,200 of 3,141

[Nente]

I wonder if they make the ads bigger and bigger because more people are using adblockers, which decreases the ad views statistics... if so, I hope someone smart in the marketing staff realizes they're in the reinforcement loop now.

[siriusedward]

And too much of ads may just achieve a result, opposite to what they want. People being irritated by it and all.

[Darren]

I use Adblock Plus at home - so happy! :o)

at work I still have to suffer ads and like siriusedward suggests, if there's a particularly intrusive one I make a mental note to actively avoid their product/service

I actually had a pop-up break through ABP recently (presumably with their permission) saying that I should remove ad-blocking cos they depend on advertising (not GR btw) - my contention is that they shouldn't've pimped out their site to such an appalling extent in the first place such that I needed to ad-block...

[Kathleen]

Darren wrote: "..my contention is that they shouldn't've pimped out their site to such an appalling extent in the first place such that I needed to ad-block...."

Hear, hear, Darren!

Hey--it may be temporary, but the border ads are gone right now from the book pages. :-)

[Melanti]

Kathleen wrote: "Hey--it may be temporary, but the border ads are gone right now from the book pages. :-) ..."

They will probably come back next time Amazon has a show they want to promote.

(I've noticed that the most obnoxious, intrusive ones are all for things you can watch on Amazon.)

[Wreade1872]

I have a very modern problem, i just started an M.P. Shiel book before remembering he's a convicted paedophile.
Its that new dilemma of can you or should you separate the monstrous artist from the work.

Shiel died in 1947 but the truth only came out in 2008. On the upside at least i'm reading a free out of copyright version so nobody is making any money from it but still.

[Melanti]

My rule of thumb is generally whether or not the author's fiction deals with anything related to his/her crimes, or if I can see his point of view in his/her work.

For instance, back when I'd heard the story of Marion Zimmer Bradley's husband's conviction of child molestation (and read MZB's deposition) but before I'd heard her daughter's story, I was contemplating reading The Catch Trap, which involves a teenager with guy a decade older.. On one hand, I already owned it so it's not like it would benefit MZB - or even Breen, who'd been dead for a decade at that point - but I couldn't shake the question of whether or not MZB had discussed the book with her husband. Could I really stomach reading a book about a underage/adult relationship that might have been influenced - directly or indirectly - by someone who'd been convicted and jailed for sleeping with a 13 year old?

I ended up getting rid of that one and a few others but kept The Mists of Avalon and another series out of nostalgia. Once I heard her daughter's story though, I ended up getting rid of every last one. I just can't see how I can ever read anything by her ever again without looking for hints of things I might have overlooked when I was in high school.


It's just something I take on a case-by-case basis... I'd be willing to read Anne Perry, for instance, if she wrote another genre, but the idea that she writes murder mysteries is a bit... ghoulish, I guess.

[Pillsonista]

Typically, I fervently believe in differentiating between the artist and the work of art, but I also agree with Melanti. It can depend upon each individual case.

I definitely differentiate when the artist's wretchedness in no way taints or is reflected in their work. So as loathsome as Richard Wagner was, there's not a trace of his anti-Semitism to be found in Tristan und Isolde. To quote Clive James paraphrasing Germany's greatest post-war critic, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, himself a Jewish survivor of the Shoah (his parents and brother were not so fortunate), "...Wagner was the biggest anti-Semite in German culture but that Tristan is the best opera in the world."

Not only do I believe that distinguishing between art and artist is wholly appropriate in this particular situation, I believe that it is fundamental to artistic freedom and freedom of expression. And I'll just come out and admit it: I believe that genius matters.

So when I look at an image of a Caravaggio painting, I know that I am looking at the artwork of a man who murdered another person in cold blood. Some of his most famous works, such as his David with the Head of Goliath, are literal atonements for his own crimes: the severed head of Goliath is a self-portrait of Caravaggio himself. But I still think it's a work of genius and should be displayed for everyone to see.

[Luke]

The more whiteness and maleness I cut out of the demographic of creators whom I choose to consume, the less I have to deal with despicable people. It's quite extraordinary.

[Melanti]

Aubrey wrote: "The more whiteness and maleness I cut out of the demographic of creators whom I choose to consume, the less I have to deal with despicable people. It's quite extraordinary."

Uh... Of the 3 examples I mentioned, 2 are female. One was accused of child abuse & molestation, the other was convicted of murder.

[Melanti]

Pillsonista wrote: Some of his most famous work, such as his David with the Head of Goliath, are literal atonements for his own crimes: the severed head of Goliath is a self-portrait of Caravaggio himself. ..."

Oh! I've seen that painting, but had no idea about the story!

[GW]

There has been some interesting comments lately on this thread. With the advent of wiki and the www. there is a plethora of information on past behavior of authors. How many of you can honestly say you have staved off reading a classic because of the author's past behavior. It's like not reading a censored book because someone else has deemed it inappropriate 100 years ago. Everyone has to choose for themselves if an author is banable. I think if a book passes my test in 50 pages and I like what's presented I'll read it and judge the merit of the content and look up the author after if I see some perversion in the text. Get involved with your choices for books more. That's why I read mostly classics because countless others have trod the same path before me. A book or art in general should stand by it's merits and not by it's cover.

[Rosemarie]

If we took a serious look at the lives of many authors, there wouldn't be that many who led blameless lives. We need to look at the book as a work of art and remember the times in which it was written. In this case, I am talking about books that have stood the test of time and have something to say to us.

If an author writes a book deliberately to exploit certain situations and basically uses it to gain notoriety and to make money, that is a different thing altogether.

[Newly]

great thread I haven't been able continue reading Lolita. especially after reading about what inspired the story. I haven't been able to get into it.

[siriusedward]

For me, though , some authors should not be seperated from his works regardless of whether the work deals with that specific subject or not.
Like Paedophiles/Rapists are blacklisted authors for me.I mean..however beautiful their words maybe ..you really should not split hairs and read their works. .its a matter of principle..these people does not deserve sympathy or understanding..for me, there are no shades of grey there..the crimimal is not excusable becuase of his pretty and convincing words...
so for me genius does not matter... nope, not if, on the side, children are abused and people are murdered..I especially can't accept the children being abused part...

Its not like they are leading an ordinary, indulgent generally libertine life..harmlessly..they are destroying or have already destroyed the life of many others..how can such genius even be considered..?I can't understand that...I really can't. ..

[Pillsonista]

I don't see how reading a book in anyway reflects my own personal sympathy or understanding.

I own a copy of Mein Kampf and Mao's Little Red Book. I own copies of all of Sade's major works. I've read passages from all of them.

If anything, actually reading these books has enabled me not only to solidify my loathing for what their authors' believed, but it also helped me to build and refine my own arguments as to why I disagree with them so vehemently. I don't need to rely on a general consensus that states the obvious in order to recognize evil; I have my own beliefs, my own reasoning that will stand even if that consensus should change or fail.

And it's not like this is a single, solitary occasion. This kind of learning never ceases; it's a lifelong process. And reading these books will continue to be fundamental to my own personal journey.

But the last thing reading these books did was made me sympathize, let alone sympathize more. They only had the opposite effect.

[Kathleen]

Pillsonista wrote: "I don't see how reading a book in anyway reflects my own personal sympathy or understanding.

I own a copy of Mein Kampf and Mao's Little Red Book. I own copies of all of Sade's ma..."

This is a fabulous comment. You strike all the important arguments. I agree completely.

A story is a story, and I separate it from the author. Whether the story is morally repugnant or not, as you say above, I'm capable of deciding. Whether the author is morally repugnant or not is not really my concern, unless I am on a jury deciding their fate (or have the opportunity to vote against them!).

It is easier to say this about dead authors. If the author is still alive and getting away with something I believe is wrong, well then, that may be different. You may not want to buy their books to support them. But you buy books of all kinds of authors that are doing who knows what, so that seems like an unsustainable stance.

So, I'm back to your earlier comment, Pillsonista:
"Typically, I fervently believe in differentiating between the artist and the work of art, but I also agree with Melanti. It can depend upon each individual case." Yes another fervent believer here.

[Marilyn]

US Kindle deals: Kristin Lavransdatter is $2.99 and Excellent Women is $1.99. For anyone reading the Pulitzer Prize winners, The Orphan Master's Son is $1.99.

[Bat-Cat]

Just curious... isn't July also the time for Long Read nominations - or am I thinking incorrectly.?

[Luke]

Melanti wrote: "Uh... O..."

Are either of them not white?

[Pink]

Bat-Cat wrote: "Just curious... isn't July also the time for Long Read nominations - or am I thinking incorrectly.?"

Haha, you're right! I even counted the months earlier to check and decided it wasn't time to nominate until next month! I'll get onto that now :)

[Bat-Cat]

Pink wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "Just curious... isn't July also the time for Long Read nominations - or am I thinking incorrectly.?"

Haha, you're right! I even counted the months earlier to check and decided it w..."

No worries, Pink. I counted them several times myself and still wasn't sure. ;-)

[Pink]

So did I and still got it wrong!

[Wreade1872]

What are these medal/badge things i keep seeing on some peoples profiles are these given out by goodreads or whats the deal?

[Loretta]

Wreade1872 wrote: "What are these medal/badge things i keep seeing on some peoples profiles are these given out by goodreads or whats the deal?
"

Thanks for the question Wreade1872. I want to know the answer too.

[Melanti]

Those are Netgalley badges.

Netgalley is a service that distributes electronic advance reading copies of books, and it's not affiliated with Goodreads.

Basically, you can create a profile on Netgalley and explain where you post reviews of books - be it here on Goodreads, Amazon, a blog, youtube, an actual professional reviewer or librarian, etc.

Then you browse around and if you see a book you want to read/review, you request it. The publishers look at your profile, decide if they think you're what they're looking for in a reviewer, and if you are, they'll give you a copy of the book.

You're supposed to read it, review it where ever you like to review books, then submit a link to your review.

Some of the bigger publishers really only give books to professional reviewers or librarians, and others are more liberal with their free copies.

The only place I review is here on GR but even given that, I've landed some great books. Salman Rushdie, lots of Alice Hoffman, Patricia McKillip, Eowyn Ivey, etc.

For the really curious, here's the list of available badges and what they mean.

[Wreade1872]

Melanti wrote: "Those are Netgalley badges.

Netgalley is a service that distributes electronic advance reading copies of books, and it's not affiliated with Goodreads.

Basically, you can create a profile on Netg..."

Ahhhh... cool thanks for the info :) .

[Loretta]

Melanti wrote: "Those are Netgalley badges.

Netgalley is a service that distributes electronic advance reading copies of books, and it's not affiliated with Goodreads.

Basically, you can create a profile on Netg..."

Thanks for the information Melanti. No badges for classics? Maybe one needs to be created! ☺️

[Melanti]

Well, it's a site for new releases, so there's very few classics available.

Open Road Media is the only publisher I've seen on Netgalley of that primarily does reprints/classics and they don't bother with putting the classics up on Netgalley.

As a side note, Open Road is one of the picky publishers that only want professional reviewers & big name bloggers. They never let me read their books. Boo!

[Loretta]

Melanti wrote: "Well, it's a site for new releases, so there's very few classics available.

Open Road Media is the only publisher I've seen on Netgalley of that primarily does reprints/classics and they don't bo..."

Right. And I'm not into new releases much, if at all. Oh well! I don't need a badge to know how many books I read/reviews I write.

Sorry that Open Road doesn't allow you to read their books. Big picture? Does it really matter in the big scheme of life? I'd say no. 😊

[Melanti]

Loretta wrote: "Big picture? Does it really matter in the big scheme of life? I'd say no. 😊l..."

Nah. Doesn't matter. I think I've only requested that one from them. I just bought it the next time it went on sale so it worked out fine. Open Road has tons of sales, so they're still on my good side.

With Netgalley, I tend to just stick to requesting books from authors I've enjoyed in the past. There's nothing worse than being semi-obligated to read something by someone who can't write. Of course, that means I've only gotten a couple dozen from them in 4 years, but that just means we both have standards.

[[deleted user]]

Kathleen wrote: "Pillsonista wrote: "I don't see how reading a book in anyway reflects my own personal sympathy or understanding.

I own a copy of Mein Kampf and Mao's Little Red Book. I own copies of all of [autho..."

I agree Kathleen. It is said Byron was a despicable man as well. But that has never factored in when I read Manfred which is amazing by the way or his other poems.
But I will confess that I found it hard to continue Lolita as well. Every case is different I guess.

On another note, is it just me or English translations of many books in Slavic literature are shockingly few? Forget good translations, I find it difficult to get even available ones on the net or in libraries.

[Loretta]

Melanti wrote: "Loretta wrote: "Big picture? Does it really matter in the big scheme of life? I'd say no. 😊l..."

Nah. Doesn't matter. I think I've only requested that one from them. I just bought it the next time..."

Well then Melanti, it's all good. 😊

[Tonia]

Kt wrote: "It is said Byron was a despicable man as well. ..."

I wasn't familiar with his history until reading Lady Byron Vindicated: A History of the Byron Controversy, from Its Beginning in 1816 to the Present Time by Harriet Beecher Stowe - he was awful.

I have found that my new knowledge of him has made me too angry to read anything of his right now - that may change over time, but my feelings are quite raw at the moment. Emotions aside, I also think I would spend too much time looking for hidden clues as to his real state of mind whilst writing.

[Pillsonista]

Tonia wrote: "Kt wrote: "I wasn't familiar with his history until reading Lady Byron Vindicated: A History of the Byron Controversy, from Its Beginning in 1816 to the Present Time by Harriet Beecher Stowe - he was awful. "

I'm not saying this in defense of Byron (he doesn't need anybody to defend him one way or the other, and frankly there's not much worthy of defending but the poetry- which is everything, imo), but that book is a piece of propaganda, not an actual history.

If Byron was awful, that did nothing to damper Lady Byron's obsession with him, despite the fact that he was well preceded by his reputation, even before the publication of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. After all, when the future Lady Byron first met the poet, he was already having a well known affair with Caroline Lamb, the wife of her cousin William Lamb.

As a woman living in pre-Victorian England, it's understandable why she wanted, even needed, to take steps to preserve her reputation, but that doesn't make it factual history. She had a very formidable personality in her own right, and whatever Byron was or was not, Lady Byron was not a victim anymore than we are all "victims" of the times in which we are born.

[Laurie]

The GR app is getting a pretty significant upgrade. What do you all think?
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...

[Ella]

Laurie wrote: "The GR app is getting a pretty significant upgrade. What do you all think?
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1......"

I think anything better is good - so long as it's faster and actually usable from my phone. The current GR app drives me nuts w/ the way it returns to places I don't need to be. It was great when I kept my personal library here - the scan feature, but II no longer keep track of my owned books here, so I haven't done more than try and give up in a while.

I will be trying the new one with great hopes for better compatibility between my Samsung & GR.

[Aprilleigh]

The app is far too slow to be useful to me as it is now - there's no point in upgrading if the new version doesn't correct that.

[siriusedward]

I dont use the app..I use the chrome ...I found the app too slow ..

[Luke]

The alternative Nobel for Lit:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...

Thoughts?

[Pink]

Aubrey wrote: "The alternative Nobel for Lit:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...

Thoughts?"

Hmm, the Nobel prize is obviously problematic, hence why the drama with this year's award, but this seems like a completely different sort of prize with the public voting for their favourites. I noticed there are 47 authors on the longlist, which is a lot, but I can't find a complete list of who they all are.

[Jim]

The literary equivalent of voting for the USA major league baseball all star game?

[Laurie]

Pink wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "The alternative Nobel for Lit:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...

Thoughts?"

Hmm, the Nob..."

Here is a link to the voting website, so you can see the complete list. I have no idea who many of the authors are. Lots of Swedish authors since the nominations were by Swedish librarians. The criteria is that the author must have written at least two written works, one in the last ten years. Only two works is ridiculous to me. This seems like a popularity contest since the general public can vote.

https://www.dennyaakademien.com/nomin...

[Pillsonista]

Aubrey wrote: "The alternative Nobel for Lit:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...

Thoughts?"

Well, this is downright embarrassing. And here I thought it couldn't get any more awful than the Nobel Committee's own track record, with very few exceptions over the years...

But I would be wrong. Not for the first time, not for the last.

EDIT: And this all but confirms that Ismail Kadare will die without winning it. To be fair, that's far better company to keep than the vast majority of those that have been awarded the prize, but it would be nice to see his work get the kind of prominent recognition it deserves.

But instead it's going to go to someone like Neil Gaiman or Elena Ferrante... LMAO. Well, the art we get is the art we deserve.

[Joseph]

Hello Everyone...many of you know I've been working on reading the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time for several years now. Well, I completed that personal "quest" a few weeks ago. Here is the link to my Quest Wrap Up (comments on the blog always welcome). http://100greatestnovelsofalltimeques...

[Pink]

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. Anything where the public can vote turns into a popularity contest, which doesn't always result in the best books.

[Joseph]

Pink wrote: "Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. Anything where the public can vote turns into a popularity contest, which doesn't always result in the best books."

Oops...I had the wrong url Pink. This is the right one: https://100greatestnovelsofalltimeque...

My list of 100 Greatest...is a composite of 6 other lists, and only 2 of the six were "voted" on by the public. My point is, I think it's a pretty scholarly list.

[Laurie]

Joseph wrote: "Pink wrote: "Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. Anything where the public can vote turns into a popularity contest, which doesn't always result in the best books."

Oops...I had the wrong url P..."

Congratulations on finishing your challenge. I enjoyed your varied best and worst lists.

[Pink]

Joseph, that was a very comprehensive and fun to read wrap up of your 100 greatest novels challenge. I liked the different categories you considered as best or worst, such as sad ending in a good or a bad way. Congrats on getting through all of the books!

[Melanti]

Congrats, Joseph! I know you've been working on that list for quite some time now.