First reads?

[[deleted user]]

Why are you really really picky about it SP? They're FREEEEEEEEE, and if they're terrible it's not as if you are required to finish them. You agree to review it, that is all. If they're good, they'll get read and a good review, simple as that!

[Sarah]

A) I have too many books already.
B)I don't need things I don't actually want to read cluttering up my to-read pile.
C)I would feel obligated to finish and review them even if I hated them.
D)I don't have much reading time as it is, so the time I do have is precious to me.
E)I feel badly that a book I'm not interested in but someone else is would go to me.
F)I feel a twinge of guilt at the resources expended to get a book I don't even want to read to my doorstep.

I'm sure I'm missing some good books among the chaff, but I don't feel like wading through to find them.

[[deleted user]]

Well, I didn't sign up for a book "I don't even want to read", and if I bother to spend my time that way, I have quite a lot of free time to read as I am rarely very busy at work. I am here for 9 hrs all together and I probably, on average, have 3 hrs of work most days. That means that if I don't spend all day gabbing on GR or watching stuff on Netflix I have plenty of time to read all I could want not counting my evenings / weekends.

I guess that puts me in a very different place.

I do have an exceedingly full shelf of books that need reading at home, but I'd add to it anyway...I always do.

[Sarah]

Fair enough! Those are just my reasons. I don't judge.

[janine]

i've signed up for a few first reads on an old account, but never won anything. the selection of books that will ship to the netherlands isn't so great anyway. i have had luck lately winning books on twitter. i have five now waiting for me to read them, which i won in less than two weeks.

[[deleted user]]

I wonder if First Reads should offer the books in e-format? Hmmmm.

Anyone?

[Sarah]

janine wrote: "i've signed up for a few first reads on an old account, but never won anything. the selection of books that will ship to the netherlands isn't so great anyway. i have had luck lately winning books ..."

How do you win books on Twitter, Janine?

[janine]

i follow a lot of publishers and once in a while they will decide to give away books. all you have to do is retweet.

[Michael]

Sarah Pi wrote: "C)I would feel obligated to finish and review them even if I hated them."

I think we're obligated to read them, but I don't know that we have to give them a good review if we really don't like them. If someone writes something and offers it up for feedback and is only interested in good feedback then they have bigger issues to deal with than a bad review!

[Sarah]

Oh, I didn't say I would give a good review. Just that I would feel obligated to drag myself all the way through. If I were reviewing for real, and at volume, I'm sure I wouldn't feel the same way. I read an Orson Scott Card review once where he said the most liberating thing in the world had been the day he realized that he was allowed to put a book down if he hated it.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I had sworn off first reads, but I just saw one go through my queue by one of my favorite authors so I immediately signed up for it, and then I went through the whole list and signed up for 8 more. I may not win any because I still haven't reviewed the last two I won in the fall, though.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Amelia wrote: "I wonder if First Reads should offer the books in e-format? Hmmmm.

Anyone?"

Goodreads employee Patrick said: "We've not found a great way of doing this yet, but if a lot of users want it, I'm sure we'll find a way."

If there are things you'd really like GR to do, I recommend posting them in the Feedback group.

[Michael]

Sarah Pi wrote: "Oh, I didn't say I would give a good review. Just that I would feel obligated to drag myself all the way through. If I were reviewing for real, and at volume, I'm sure I wouldn't feel the same way...."

I was thinking about this and I think we're obligated to read the book but I don't think we're obligated to finish the book if we don't like it.

[Sarah]

Michael wrote: "I was thinking about this and I think we're obligated to read the book but I don't think we're obligated to finish the book if we don't like it. "

I think that's true, but I'm talking about a personal feeling of obligation, not what's expected of us by the site or the author or the publisher or whatever. Probably my own issue.

[[deleted user]]

Won my second book!





Looked cute. We shall see.

Book one arrived yesterday, so far not bad, not great...but, not bad.

[Janice]

I finished reading my second giveaway win. Gothic Prophet: A Den of 13 Novel

It was self-published Christian Horror (whatever that genre is) and so full of typos and other errors. This book screamed out for a good editor and proof reader. The story was so disconnected and choppy, the characters had little development and were emotionally detached, and at the end of the book there was a sermon.

Most of the things introduced to the story were never explained. I guess that will go in the sequels. What blows me away is that there are 10 reviews on the book, 8 of which were 5 stars. There were only two rated at 1 star (mine and another). I suspect they are all friends and relatives of the author who were afraid of hurting his feelings didn't know how to say, "You need an editor."

[Jim]

I just got my 7th, but it may have to wait a week or two before I get to it.

The Coffee Shop Chronicles of New Orleans

[[deleted user]]

Janice wrote: "I finished reading my second giveaway win. Gothic Prophet: A Den of 13 Novel

It was self-published Christian Horror (whatever that genre is) and so full of typos and other errors..."

Maybe they can't spell either?

That seems to be a real problem with self published works...horrible editing. Mind you, the Twilight books had a rubbish editor and they weren't self published. Are editors getting lazy? LG posted an article about that somewhere today...LG?

[[deleted user]]

Jim, Wow! That looks like one packed full of goodness book! I'll be looking for your review. ;)

Seems everyone, so far, loves it except one girl who couldn't handle "too many facts", detracted from the main story.

Is that really your seventh? Have you read them all?

[[deleted user]]

You've had VERY good luck with First Reads, I'd say, Jim!! I just perused your shelves.

Also, we're pretty compatible when it comes to books:

"Books in common: 49 (11.19% of your library and 16.90% of his library)
Jim 's books not in common: 241
My books not in common: 389
Your tastes are 80% similar for the books you both rated."

[Jim]

I have read them all Amelia, and reviewed them. I am not a very good reviewer, but then I don't pretend to be either.

This last one is a signed copy. I don't remember any of the others being signed.


It does seem that we are compatible with our books.

[[deleted user]]

I don't think I've ever had more than 20 books in common with anyone I have compared...

Speaking of, Janice...Jane Eyre 3 stars? FOR SHAME! (18 books in common 85% similar.)

[[deleted user]]

Scratch that, Jim.

SP and I have 69 books with 81% :)

This is fun.

SP, you need to read The Looking Glass Wars. I haven't gone further in the series, but the first one was fun.

[[deleted user]]

Barb, we have a lot of books in common, but aren't very similar. I found as I scrolled down that was because either you had read it and I had it "to read" or I had read it and you had it "to read". That was true for about 80% of our common books! Heh.

[[deleted user]]

Pretty much.

[Janice]

Amelia wrote: "I don't think I've ever had more than 20 books in common with anyone I have compared...

Speaking of, Janice...Jane Eyre 3 stars? FOR SHAME! (18 books in common 85% similar.)"

No fair! You're set on private and I can't compare. Will have to send you a friend request. LOL!

I stand by my review of Jane Eyre. I'm a Rebecca fan through and through.

[[deleted user]]

Approved, compare away, my friend!

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

Amy, we have 124 books in common, and our tastes are 81% similar, even if we don't agree about Great Expectations. :)

[[deleted user]]

Holy cow, 124!

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

Half of them are probably Pern books. :)

[[deleted user]]

True. Well, at least a dozen or two.

[[deleted user]]

I have my first, first read. Was a little wary . I am really enjoying it. Its a fantacy Rangers Apprentice come Wheel of Time series type story line. Just what I needed at the moment. It is well written (though I am not really a good judge of these things). Flows well, the characters are just the right amount of quirky.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Amelia wrote: "Are editors getting lazy? LG posted an article about that somewhere today...LG? "

The gist of the article was that publishing houses are reallocating resources toward sales and marketing and away from editing. Not surprising, really. Apparently when "Freedom" went on sale in the U.K., the U.K. edition had so many errors that Jonathan Franzen actually got up before a group he was speaking to and recommended that they not purchase it then, but wait until the errors had been corrected.

Even at the major publishing houses it seems that some of the copyediting is farmed out to freelancers.

Of course, self-published is a different category and you would expect to see more typos and stuff there.

[Janice]

Hmph! Typos and errors in published works irritate me. We're just supposed to accept a substandard product?

[[deleted user]]

Gail, that is really encouraging. Jim has had a bunch of them and all but one have 4-5 stars!

My first one so far is going to be a generous three stars, unless it gets much better. I have finished the first story and it was just okay...

[Sarah]

I'll look into the Looking Glass Wars, Amelia. I don't know if I've heard of that (though if you told me they're on my to-read list, I'd believe you.)

ETA: Ah yes. It is on my TBR. I shall get to it if I run into it.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I've lost two back to back giveaways. I think my winning ways are over.

[Jammies]

I'm reading Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution, which arrived last night and is a First Reads book.

[Singing]

Lori wrote: "Britt and Alecia: http://www.goodreads.com/book/explore

Jim, I will certainly do that IF I ever win another! I fear I'm on the Red List."

i can't figure out from the link (i clicked on it) how you sign up for giveaway books.

[[deleted user]]

Singing if you look to the GR tool bar click on the down arrow to the right of explore.One of the options is giveaways, click on that and browse away.

[Shannon]

I wont this book in the giveaways and I can not WAIT til it gets here! It's my first giveaway win! YAY ME! lol

[Singing]

Thank you Gail (i'm still a noob here, only been around a couple weeks)

[Jim]

Have we welcomed you to TC yet, if not welcome!

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Now I've lost 4 successive giveaways. Goodreads hates me!

[[deleted user]]

You had better get those reviews happening LG. Maybe then your luck will change.

[Singing]

thanks Jim! very active group here!
Lobstergirl, it's all about persistence. :)

I just entered about 8 giveaways. considering most of them have 1000 people entered in the giveaway, i'll be surprised if i win any (1 in a 1000? low odds!)- except the ones where they are offering multiple copies of the book.

[Singing]

BTW according to terms and conditions "Winning members are encouraged but not required to write a review of the book they receive. "
but good karma (via reviewing) never hurts

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Singing wrote: "thanks Jim! very active group here!
Lobstergirl, it's all about persistence. :)
"

Oh, I know. I've won a bunch of books, I'm just saying my winning days are over.

I'm on the Giveaways Shitlist.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Gail «Cyborg» wrote: "You had better get those reviews happening LG. Maybe then your luck will change."

I don't feel like reviewing.

[Jammies]

Then that's probably why you're on the shitlist.

Done with my book, review posted, and despite the fact that the author is charming, I am NEVER going to re-read this book.