Today I will be out and about at the Festival of Books in Los Angeles! I’m hoping to stalk meet some authors and I’ll be there tomorrow as well, listening to cool discussions! I may even see my friends, co-bloggers The Reader’s Antidote, Nite Lite Book Reviews and Elegantly Bound Reviews. Be sure to check out their sites to see how they answered the following discussion question:
Do you write negative reviews? Why or why not?
Tricky question. I do write negative reviews, but it takes a lot for me to write one. I usually try to find something that I like about the book- whether that’s a quirky character, a fun side kick or a good setting.
That said, there are some books that I review that are just so disappointing, I do write a negative review. Granted, my negative reviews are much nicer than some I’ve seen. And if you met me in person, and asked me what I thought about a book I didn’t like, I might be way harsher in person that I would be in a blog review. Mostly, it’s because 1. I do try to find something redeeming about the book and 2. I take very seriously that people read my reviews and may be influenced by them. What might not be my cup of tea may be someone else’s favorite book so I’m hesitant to discourage strangers on reading something that they may find interesting or love.
That said, obviously I’m a reviewer and I want to let you know if it’s awesome/go get it now/buy a million copies or if it’s Lindsay Lohan hot mess/plot-less/throw it across the room.
So I do write negative reviews, but always under the idea that I may be panning someone else’s favorite book. And no one wants to hear their favorite book get a horrible review.
How about you guys out there? Do you write negative reviews? If so, how negative?
I do write negative reviews, but I make sure to do it tactfully. I know how much work it is to write a book, and one single book is not going to be loved by everyone!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Totally agreed. Good point. It is a lot of work to write a book and I think as long as it’s done tactfully, it is fine!!! Thanks for commenting!
My negative reviews tend to be for super-popular books, and I don’t think the not-my-cuppa line is a cop out on our part; I think it’s something reviewers (especially if we’re doing it in a non-acedemic, non-professional capacity). I’m not out to tell an author they’ve completely failed and should stop trying. I just want readers to be able to help readers make an informed decision whether to buy, borrow, or skip a book.
On the other hand, there are a lot of negative reviews I just don’t write because I can’t get myself to finish the book, and I don’t think it’s very fair to review something you haven’t experienced fully.
Oops didn’t finish my sentence. I think not-my-cuppa is just something reviewers should admit to. I’ve read and loved plenty of books based on negative reviews other people wrote. Obviously they were my cup of tea. 🙂
🙂 Totally. I think it’s good to explain why you don’t like a book but it’s important to understand that someone else might! Great comment!
Yeah I go for the not my thing but might be yours line a lot because it’s true. There are so many things I did not like that others love. And so many things that I love that other people just don’t get. So I try to explain why I didn’t like it in a pretty tactful way. The only thing that really gets me is bad grammar type stuff because that should just not be in a published book. Now that stuff will really irritate me.
Yeah, Grammar stuff can be tough!
I find most books I read have some good parts so I try to be fair in my reviews. I also do not like a lot of negative reviews. If I find some probllems in an ARC, I try to adv ise the author.