Someone on GR recently brought an entry posted on Shannon Hale’s blog to my attention. In Hale’s blog/article she questions reviewers, reviews, the process of reviewing and How To Be A Reader: Book Evaluation vs. Self-Evaluation. She posted some questions at the end, which I felt were beneficial to post here. Again: http://oinks.squeetus.com/2009/08/how-to-be-a-reader-book-evaluation-vs-selfevaluation.html
It only changes my reading experience in that I feel pressured to read the book faster. I don’t feel that reviewing a book is going to change how I feel about the book.
2. Are you rating the book even as you read? Or do you wait until the end to sum it all up?
Honestly, I do somewhat rate as a read, but I don’t write reviews as soon as I finish a book. Typically when I finish a book, I jot down a few thoughts on paper, and then go shower (epiphanies happen in the shower LOL), and think about what I want to say in my review. I then outline the review, and then go and type it out.
3. Does knowing you’ll be reviewing it (or rating it) publicly affect which books you pick up in the first place?
Knowing I will be reviewing a book absolutely does not affect which books I pick up. I will pick up books I’ve heard are good, books which catch my eye, and books which have been pushed on me ( YOU KNOW WHO YOU ALL ARE!!)
Sometimes it does, as I explained about my shower epiphanies.
I only rate books on goodreads, and that is mainly for others, so you know, hey this book is worth reading, or this book sucks. If I see a book on GR without stars, I just assume it’s terrible.
6. If you review a book but don’t rate, why not? What do you feel is your role as reviewer?”
I don’t rate books on my blog. I started a blog, first because I thought Kristin’s was awesome (shoutout to BookWormingInThe21stCentury), second of all, because I wanted a place that was my very own to review books, and do other bookish things, (don’t be sad, I am still in LOVE with GR), and third, to network with other people out there. I’m trying to improve my reviews, if you go back and check them out from the beginning of the year, they were just a sentence, with no qualifiers. Now, I am trying to write about how a book made me feel, why I loved, liked, or hated a book, what the book was about, how I connected with the book, and touch on what the book was about. I think it’s a work in progress and in time, I’ll fit better in the role of a reviewer.
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Stop on by I have an award for you! 🙂
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/award-presentation/
I love GoodReads too! I enjoyed reading this!
~Lindsay
I ALWAYS have epiphanies in the shower. And then I forget them when I get out. :/ I try to write down little notes while reading the book too- but sometimes I forget and therefore just review on the fly.
– Alex
I love how showering for an epiphany is part of your routine. =) I'm going to do this later and I'll come back and leave the link!
I decided to answer the questions.
You can find them here:
http://justanotherbookaddict.blogspot.com/2009/08/saw-this-over-at.html
~Lindsay
I need to answer these questions.. they're great. I loved all your answers and I'm glad that blogging has made you a better reader/reviewer. 🙂
Ooo great post…I'll need to spend more time thinking about it, but in the mean time come check out the award I left you…http://myteatimeisbooktime.blogspot.com/
I commented on this on GR. I will probably do so on my blog too. But until then, I gave you an award. Come and get it. =D