First of all, I'd like to thank the wonderful Kate Walker for mentioning this blog on her own blog as well as for dropping by, Anne McAllister, Michelle Styles, Lee Hyat, Margaret McDonagh and Lidia for leaving comments and welcoming me to blogland. I'm so sorry I've not been able to reply sooner, but it's been a week from hell with a family crisis to start off my week and a million and one things to do afterwards!
Whenever I had a spare minute, I'd see what was happening in blogland and needless to say, this week I was shocked, appalled and aghast by what was happening over on the I Love Presents blog. Apparently, a bunch of readers thought it amusing to stir things up and ruin for other genuine fans what I'm sure is going to be a favourite blog for many readers by making asinine comments about books which they haven't read and by attacking personally writers whom they've never met.
Now, I'm well aware that we are all different people with different beliefs, morals and opinions and that we've all got our likes and dislikes. We won't all like the same books nor will we all like the same authors - and thank God for that as wouldn't it be pretty boring if we all did? I don't object to a reader who has read a book from cover to cover and made constructive criticisms about said book, but what I do object to is readers who haven't read a book making stinging remarks about it when they haven't got a clue whatsoever. Everyone's entitled to express their opinion, true, but there's a world of difference between expressing one opinion and being nasty and bitchy about it and sadly, it seems that there are some readers who opt for the latter.
I've never written a book myself, but I do know that novel writing requires patience, skill, passion and intelligence so it makes my blood boil when I see readers cowardly insulting authors' books on a public messageboard or readers'forum whilst they are hiding behind an anonymous screen name. What's even more galling to me is when readers make assumptions about writers. I once read a post by a reader who said that as Sadie Author had written a couple of books about adultery then she must be an adulteress! The same poster called another author immoral because she included a spanking scene in her book! Aren't we supposed to be enlightened and intelligent women who can tell the difference between fact and fiction? I mean look at Ruth Rendell or Minette Walters, in their books they have characters tortured and viciously abused and then brutally murdered - so do they have bodies cluttering up their attics? Of course not! Do Science Fiction writers have spaceships in their garages next to their cars? No, they are just imaginative and intelligent; qualities which some readers are in desperate need of, I think!
Have a lovely weekend!
4 comments:
Hi Julie
We've been thinking - and blogging - along the same lines today, so we obviously share very much the same opinions on some of those posts. Comments on books you've read are one thing - declaring a book appalling when you haven't even had it in your hand is quite another.
I hope the family crisis has now eased up and things have been sorted out after it.
Have a restful weekend - it sounds like you need it.
Maybe read a good book?
Hugs
Kate
Well said, Julie, I agree with every word you said. It would be a dull old world if we all liked the same things. We all bring different experiences, likes, dreams and fantasties to the books we read and some will suit us, others won't. That doesn't meant that the writers of the books that don't appeal to us personally are not intelligent, hard-working, deserving of respect and much-loved by other readers. No one has the right to slag anyone off - especially when they haven't even read the book they are purporting to comment on. It is lazy and ignorant and plain rude.
I hope you are feeling very much better now. Sorry to hear about the family crisis, I hope that everything works out well.
Have a good weekend.
Love,
Mags
Julie
Hope all is well. Family crises are no fun at all. They leave you drained and scattered and exhausted. So hope yours resolves and things ease up.
I thought your post was spot on, but I would go a step further and say that if a book has been published, the time for "constructive criticism" is past and it is simply then a matter of do I, as a reader, like this book or not. If not, okay. Then I don't necessarily plan to read more of this writer. If it's an author I ordinarily like, I will probably take another chance.
But to carp about the story or the events or the characters, and to take swipes at writers, is not useful at all. If a person doesn't like what an author writes, she shouldn't buy that author's books. That way she votes with her money -- and that's what publishers pay attention to, anyway. Sales are the bottom line.
Hello Everyone,
Luckily, my family crisis has eased up and been solved, so thank you all for your heartening comments - and for dropping by my blog! I love reading all your comments.
Kate,
I read your post and agree wholeheartedly with what you said. I was furious that so called readers of the line where taking pot shots at a book which they've not read. A poster suggested that if they didn't like a book they would refrain from mentioning it by name or author - which I agree with especially due to some readers' insatiable propenisty to cause trouble. The blog is called I love Presents and clearly if you don't, find somewhere else to air your views.
Mags,
Lovely to see you here! I've always believed in the old adage that variety is the spice of life and these days, we're so lucky that the romance genre has broadened into many sub genres, Harlequin/M&B publish a variety of lines every month so there's plenty to choose from. Some may like a particular line and others may not and that's understandable, but just because you don't like a certain book/line/writer/ it doesn't mean that you expect everyone to have the same reactions.
Anne,
You hit the nail right on the head. If you don't like Writer X, then don't keep on carping on about her, just stop buying her. It doesn't help anyone if you go on and on about how bad a book is as we are all different and thus a book I might like, might not neccessarily be liked by everyone.
Lidia,
Things seem to have calmed down on the Presents blog which is a relief as as you said it has such potential as it has a great mix of established and newer writers popping in and writing thought provoking posts.
Thank you so much for looking forward to my reviews. On the Presents blog, some people have taken issue with some of the reviews on Cata. I made my point that I don't think it's right to denigrate on a public forum a website just because you don't agree with their views. I don't expect the whole world to agree with everything which I say, but I do expect my opinions to be respected, just like I respect everyone else's!
Have a lovely weekend, everyone, and I do hope that the weather where you all are is better than the bitter cold and rain which we have here! So much for sunny Malta!
Love,
Julie
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