Random Thoughts Showing 4,401-4,450 of 17,689

[C.P.]

On another topic, I don't want to discourage you, but I receive recommendations for Elizabeth Chadwick books all the time, even though I have none on my shelf, because GR classifies her novels as historical fiction in addition to historical romance. And she's very popular, of course, even though I only made it through 50% of one before throwing in the towel.

I'm told that this is one reason why people rate books as one star with no review: to get GR to knock it off where a particular author is concerned. Seems a bit drastic, but that depends on how much you hate seeing those covers in your feed.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

That's my situation too. Getting blasted by historical romance because GR doesn't work in sub genres. Historical fiction as a whole genre is dominated by the sub genre of romance so that's what we get hit with. I also get historical fantasy under the guise of hist fic.

Same goes for my War shelves. The shelf, as mentioned yesterday, Vietnam War is a sub genre of Military non fiction. So books recced to me via my Vietnam War shelf are all over the place.
I don't really read WW1 or 2, and yet that's the recs for Vietnam War books because the GR algorithm sees Vietnam books as just a war book and since Military Non Fiction is dominated by WWI and WWII books, war books are being recced to me from those sub genres instead of the sub genre the shelf is named after.

If they want people to click and add they need to get it refined to sub genre.

[Linda]

I may be off on 'a frolic of my own' (derailed thread), but I liked what Paula said about the book review process. Those one or two line reviews saying, "Loved, loved, loved it!" or, "Couldn't put it down!" don't help me decide whether or not to read a book. I look for the reviewer who writes what he thought about the book and why he thought it. I follow those reviewers.
Do any of you run into the "for what it was" problem? If the book is not my favorite genre or not for adult readers, etc., I have trouble rating the book. Perhaps I should add a fwiw note on my reviews.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I always glance at the short reviews. They are helpful if there are limited long reviews, or if i know the person in this group. but it is the longer reviews I like the most.

If I am reading out of a favoured genre and I don't like the book, or only just like it, I will nearly always state in my review that 'this is not a genre I usually read'.
I find when I see other people's reviews and they state it, it is really helpful. To know that the reviewer loved it despite it not being a favoured genre. Or they only just liked it or didn't like it because it is not a favoured genre.
It reveals a lot when someone mentions in their review that it is not a favoured genre.

[Jane]

Terri wrote: "Speaking of how long is a piece of string....that post I just did was a fairly long piece of string...:D
Didn't notice until i had posted it."

Isn't that 'piece of string' long enough to go around the circumference of the earth at the equator? :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

probably further! :D

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

I'm getting the urge to sing the Goodies String Song :p

[Bryn]

String, string, string, string, everybody loves string...

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Bryn wrote: "String, string, string, string, everybody loves string..."

LMAO. My boss gave me the dvd set that has that episode on it for Christmas a couple of years ago. We perplexed everyone else in the office by performing the song, complete with the actions. :D

[Bryn]

I can join in. :D
I have a dvd set too... oops... haven't yet watched. You're put in the mood, Margaret. Down memory lane.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

I love the Goodies. They were such fun. :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

omg! *shakes head*...I had forgotten about the strong song...:D

I think pretty much anything the Goodies did was funny.

[Jane]

My goodness--I just won another one from Goodreads: Tempesta's Dream - A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera!!!! I don't think it's any kind of histfic unless it was set long ago. It'll be fun to find out! I had entered the giveaway because I love opera and want to read the story!!

[[deleted user]]

Congrats Jane!

[Jane]

Thank you, Derek.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Jane wrote: "My goodness--I just won another one from Goodreads: Tempesta's Dream - A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera!!!! I don't think it's any kind of histfic unless it was set long ago. It'll be fun to..."

Congratulations :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Again! wow. Congrats.

[Don]

Congrats Jane!

[[deleted user]]

What shall we discuss tonight? Anyone? Is there anybody out there?

[Mark]

Morning derek.

[[deleted user]]

Good morning to you, Mark.

[Lisa]

Hi Derek. It's daylight here Derek, camping at a place called Marlo! Victoria. Glorious day. Tomorrow very very cold. Hi mark. My husband is horrified that we are camping and I can still manage to be on the internet, hahaha.

[Paula]

Lisa wrote: "Hi Derek. It's daylight here Derek, camping at a place called Marlo! Victoria. Glorious day. Tomorrow very very cold. Hi mark. My husband is horrified that we are camping and I can still manage to ..."

LOL! Theres bno escaping it!

[Linda]

It will follow you everywhere.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I have had a busy weekend shopping (not for dresses or anything girly like that). :) It's over now. Back to reality.

[Bryn]

Shopping for cattle? more your style.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Nearly. :) Shopping for gumboots and work boots (the brown RM Williams style, only for working around the farm) and a drench gun for cattle work. :D
My kind of fun shopping day.

[Bryn]

I have a boot fetish.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

me too. :) I have some nice RM Williams ones, but even buying gumboots and work boots is fun for me too.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I THINK my editing recommendations has worked.
The recommendations within are still bizarre, but at least most of the shelves are the ones I am interested in.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

here's a fun article.

Librarian tattoos.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-g...

[C.P.]

Good, Terri. Glad GR noticed, finally, that you are not a fan of historical romance. ;-)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

C.P. wrote: "Good, Terri. Glad GR noticed, finally, that you are not a fan of historical romance. ;-)"

hahaha! :D
Well...mate, that's was not to say they have stopped sending those my way. They come via my historical fiction shelf. But at least I have eliminated shelf recs like horror and sci fi...

[Jane]

I couldn't get rid of the currently reading, read or to read recommendations so I said to heck with it and pushed the 'hide' button. At least I won't see that nonsense. With Tell the Wolves I'm Home I got all kinds of goofy recommendations.

[[deleted user]]

Lisa wrote: "Hi Derek. It's daylight here Derek, camping at a place called Marlo! Victoria. Glorious day. Tomorrow very very cold. Hi mark. My husband is horrified that we are camping and I can still manage to ..."

Hi Lisa. Don't let your nose freeze up! Is it really called Marlo!, or just plain old Marlo?

[Lisa]

Derek wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Hi Derek. It's daylight here Derek, camping at a place called Marlo! Victoria. Glorious day. Tomorrow very very cold. Hi mark. My husband is horrified that we are camping and I can sti..."

I have posted a photo to my profile for you to see Derek. It is just Marlo, haha, but it is worthy of an exclamation. The Snowy River was once a mighty river here and in places it is awe inspiring, but after damming for, what is called The Snowy Mountains Hydro, she is probably a shadow of her former self. The Hydro scheme was the one of the biggest man made undertakings in our history, and no doubt one of our lasts! Today's trivia!! Lol

[Lisa]

PS nose is defrosting, and in contrast today's forecast is for: snow!

[[deleted user]]

I just wanted to make sure that you could still smell new books.lol

[Lisa]

Derek wrote: "I just wanted to make sure that you could still smell new books.lol"

Lol, Derek, lol.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lisa,
I just want you to know that i am sitting here in 39 degree heat. :[ Only 20mm of rain since July. Hot, dry, awful.

I would like some of your cool weather! Although, I would prefer your snow be rain if it comes up here.

[Lisa]

Oh Terri, see that's why I always end up South, I don't do hot very well at all, haha. I do hope you get more rain though. I wish we could share. As a contrast the cattle here are "knee" deep in mud in some paddocks here. It is such a country of contrasts. It is freezing outside and blowing a gale.

On a brighter note we saw whales today! Mum whale was just plodding along, but baby whale has a serious ADHD condition, ( no offence intended ) but this little fella just kept launching out of the water non stop. Truly a beautiful sight.

Derek I have posted another photo for you, hope you like it.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lisa wrote: "Oh Terri, see that's why I always end up South, I don't do hot very well at all, haha. I do hope you get more rain though. I wish we could share. As a contrast the cattle here are "knee" deep in mu..."

Humpbacks do you think?

It sure is a country of variance. In my state right now over 60% is officially Drought Declared and there is no rain in sight for any of the state any time soon.
We aren't quite drought declared soon, but give it another 4 weeks and we will be.
Drastic times up here...drastic down there too with all those poor cows wallowing in their mud baths. ;)

[Lisa]

Definitely humpbacks! You could tell with "mum". I could watch them all day.

That's not good news Terri, considering we are about to get hotter. Sydney is already in the late 30's and it's only just spring!! Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come. Every year I think " I wonder which state it will be this year", praying that it will be none! But it would seem that nearly every year one state suffers from the heat/fires worse than the others. I have my fingers crossed for rain girl, and let's hope that the weather man is wrong!!

[C.P.]

Terri wrote: "C.P. wrote: "Good, Terri. Glad GR noticed, finally, that you are not a fan of historical romance. ;-)"

hahaha! :D
Well...mate, that's was not to say they have stopped sending those my way."

Too bad, that. It would be nice if GR really wised up, but the recommendations are made by computers, after all. They can get only so smart. ;-)

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Remember our discussion on authors liking reviews? Well I haven't had the author like one of my reviews, but the company that published to book did. :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Margaret wrote: "Remember our discussion on authors liking reviews? Well I haven't had the author like one of my reviews, but the company that published to book did. :D"

lol. Well..um..odd.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lisa wrote: "

That's not good news Terri, considering we are about to get hotter. Sydney is already in the late 30's and it's only ju..."

Much talk about the drought spreading south. As mentioned, QLD is in the grips of it and, as a result, cattle prices have tumbled as masses of cattle are sold off drought affected properties.
I was reading this week that the mass exodus of cattle into abattoirs has eased in QLD (because people have been selling off their cattle or reducing their numbers for 4 months already) and the numbers to abattoirs are lifting in NSW and will start to spread into areas of Victoria.

I think we are all in for a bad ride this year. :(
We also had drought last year and i am hoping that this drought will not be as bad. Last year it didn't rain here from July 2012 through to late January 2013. It was pretty drastic, especially since we are in a high rainfall area.
Then our rain came all at once after January and most of the state flooded.

Crazy weather patterns these last 10 years.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Terri wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Remember our discussion on authors liking reviews? Well I haven't had the author like one of my reviews, but the company that published to book did. :D"

lol. Well..um..odd."
It is a little. Company is Allen & Unwin, who publish Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

hmm. Wouldn't think they would do that. Seems like something the small Indie publisher would do.

[Bryn]

I've seen a bit of that, Terri. Or what I've seen is, publishers that five-star their books... just like an author... Not small publishers either, ones I've heard of. Strange but true.