Thursday, April 7, 2011

Do you review everything you read?

Greg over at The New Dork Review recently asked the question about if it was worthwhile or not to review an obscure book he didn't like which kind of lead to a discussion about if one should review every book they read, regardless of their opinion or how obscure the book may be. In an effort to put in my two cents worth, or like 5 dollars worth since I guess my 2 cents are over in his comments (I don't understand money), I thought I'd continue the conversation here.*

Do you feel obligated to review every book you read? Are there any types of books (crappy, obscure, boring) that you won't review?

Personally, I don't feel any obligation to write about any particular book or in any particular format. I started this blog as a means to get back into writing, since I'd mostly let that skill atrophy since college, and I picked book blogging because that was the topic I was most interested in and I figured I read enough I wouldn't run out of topics. I'm not being paid for any reviews so I certainly don't feel any responsibility to review everything I read. All the books are ones I'm reading for my own enjoyment.

Having said this, I do write about all of the books I read. I'm spending my time to read it so I figure I may as well write something, be it that I like the book, don't like the book or the book makes me think of some more interesting topic. Not having something to say has never stopped me from prattling on before, and I'm not letting it stop me now. But this is a personal choice and I admire the bloggers that are able to resist posting when they have nothing to say, even if that means skipping a review.

Going beyond what you do with your own reviews, what do you like to see from book blogs you follow? Do you want bloggers to review everything? Do you want them to only review the books they liked? Do you want them to avoid reviewing obscure titles?

*This is a nicer way of saying "I'm stealing the topic Greg already wrote about over at his blog, and if you want the original you could just go over there and see what he says."

Comments (40)

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I think it depends on how seriously you take your role as a book blogger. If you want to commit to it and place yourself solidly in the sphere - you should review everything you read, absolutely.

I know a lot of people who don't review books they couldn't finish or books they didn't enjoy - this baffles me. The point fo book blogging (for those making a type of "career" out of it) is to spread the word about books - all books. If you found a book to be poor, you want people to know about it, right?

Now, if you are just blogging for fun, and really not trying to inspire people to read and/or to guide people toward meaningful or time-worthy books, then maybe it's not as important.

I do try to review every single thing I read (*qualifier - every book I read - not magazines, etc.) because I want to share with my readers the "good" and the "bad" - and why I felt a certain way.
3 replies · active 727 weeks ago
I just kind of review everything I read for a more practical reason- to have things to write! Especially now I'm not reading as much as I should, even if there's not that much to say about a book, I'll still give it my very best shot!

I haven't been doing this whole book blogging thing for very long though, so I guess if I come across a book I literally don't want to talk about, I might just blog about feminism or something else instead!
1 reply · active 727 weeks ago
I don't really feel obligated to for my blog, but I do review everything that I read. I actually got into this habit when I joined Goodreads - when I log on there and mark a book "read", I always typed out a review at the same time. Now I feel like I can't start the next book until I review the book I just finished - it's a way for me to get all my thoughts about that book out of my head so I can start the next book with a clear head. And posting a review on my blog is just a fun way to do that.

I think the only times I sometimes skip reviewing a book is if it's part of a series and I don't want to ruin spoilers for those who haven't read the first book yet.... but even now, I think I'll just stick a spoiler warning at the top and go for it.

What I don't get is bloggers who only blog about books they liked... it leads to the impression that they automatically like everything they read, which is just phony. Plus, sometimes writing a review about a book you didn't like is more fun that writing about one you do. *evil grin*
2 replies · active 727 weeks ago
I used to feel compelled to write a review for everything I read when I first started my blog. Then I realized it made reading more of a chore so now I read both for fun and for reviewing. I still discuss the books I've read with friends even if I don't review it or maybe write a quick Goodread's review instead.
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
I definitely have good intentions when it comes to reviewing every book I read. It's very rare after investing hours to a certain novel that I don't have some opinion. Like Sarah mentioned above, there's almost a need to write out my thoughts before beginning another book. Maybe that's just the writer in me. However, there are occasions when I read a more "mindless" book (usually to help get myself out of a reading slump) that I won't review.

When it comes to other blogs, I always want to see some negative, or at least critical, reviews. Only writing positive reviews is not only boring but does a disservice to a blog's readers. I think people want to be warned about bad books before investing time and/or money. That's why a lot of bloggers read reviews as well

Also, I absolutely enjoy reading a review about a book by an obscure author. Reading about the more popular new releases that have the biggest push in terms of marketing on multiple blogs can get repetitive. There really is only so much that can be said.
5 replies · active 727 weeks ago
I definintely want to see bad reviews as well as good reviews. Both are important to get to know a blogger's tastes better and to help one steer clear of books that may not be worth it.

More than anything, however, I prefer reviews that are personal and give us a little insight into the blogger's life. Otherwise I find reviews kind of boring.
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
I write about everything I read - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mostly because the ugly books are sometimes the hardest to write about in an open, honest manner. Also, I tend to forget some of the not-so-great books that I've read, and if I DON'T write about them, there is a better chance I'll try to read them again.
2 replies · active 727 weeks ago
I do review every book I read - or have so far since I started blogging - and in a way I do feel responsible to do so. Not in the sense that my readers expect it, but in the sense that I expect it from myself. I tend to write longer reviews of books I enjoyed and shorter reviews of the books I didn't connect with. Either way, I like to say a little something.
1 reply · active 727 weeks ago
To be honest, I enjoy reading more then I enjoy reviewing. I like writing about books and reviewing them, but I enjoy reading more. So if I don't review everything I've read, it's because I haven't had the time to or other things have taken precedence. I can read in short bursts, I can't review the same way. Sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to review everything. I'm not sure I understand this feeling of obligation of reviewing everything I read. Who's gonna know if I don't? Does anyone really give a shit if I DON'T? I doubt it. And I definitely don't care if someone else skips a review here and there.

One more point, I read a lot of things that I would consider to be outside my primary blog focus. I review mostly literary fiction and some non-fiction, with the occasional YA. But I read some stuff that just doesn't fall in those guidelines and I don't think would be of much interest to my readership. Why waste the time reviewing something that few people are going to read anyway? I don't flatter myself in thinking that everyone's going to read every review I write.
3 replies · active 727 weeks ago
This topic has generated quite the discussion. Lately I've decided that I can pick and choose the novels I want to discuss. With less and less time to devote entirely to blogging, I've decided that some books just didn't require the analysis that I felt others deserved. If reviewing every book (especially if you're a voracious reader balancing work, volunteer work, reading, blogging and social obligations) it's ok to skip some once in a while.
I think responsibility to review is only relevant if you're talking about someone who has a book blog but never blogs about books. For the most part it's what you want out of the blogging experience and, of course, to fulfill any expectation you've created with those that follow your blog.
I'm up for most titles. I like being introduced to new authors through the bloggers I trust.
I 've noticed that sometimes reviews don't really generate much discussion. Sometimes that gets me down when I'm thinking about reviewing a certain title. However, I know I'm guilty of doing it too.
1 reply · active 727 weeks ago
I do write about every book I read (and even those I don't finish). The whole point of starting my blog was for me--as a reading journal. I wanted a place to write down what I think about the books I read. If others are interested in what I have to say about the books, then that's a bonus.

It's also been extraordinarily helpful to me. With my middle-aged, aging brain, I would, in the past, see a likely-looking book, think it sounded interesting, take it home and discover that I'd already read the darn thing. I remember more when I actually write about it.
1 reply · active 727 weeks ago
I'd like to review everything that I read, because, as you said, I'm taking time to read, so why not throw in my opinion. However, I find I'm stymied in this effort by time. I read a lot more than I'm able to post about and, as such, only a percentage of the books I get through make it on to my blog. Also, some books just leave you me with not too much to say. That, in combination with the time factor, results in some being left out.
1 reply · active 727 weeks ago
I review everything that I have finished reading...like it or not. I don't like only seeing positive reviews on blogs, because, one can't possibly love everything they read IMO
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Ever since I started my blog I've reviewed every book that I've read, though as you know my blog has only been up for a little over 2 months. But I really enojy reviewing books because it acutally helps me think more about the book I just read. I usually finish the book, let it sit for a few days without writing anything, maybe talk to friends about the book, then I sit down to write my review. That's become my process and I think as a result my reviews have gotten better and so has my understanding and appreciation of the books in general.

But I definitely do not understand bloggers that only write about books they liked. I need to see all sides and won't trust them as a reviewer if they just love everything. And personally I think some of the reviews that are the most fun to read (and sometimes write) are the ones where they didn't like the book. For myself, I find that sometimes I have the most to say when I found the book to have a lot of problems.
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
I review most of the books I read but not all. I tend not to review everything I read for school. Sometimes I'm just glad to be done with a book and don't want to think about it anymore! Though that happens rarely.
1 reply · active 726 weeks ago

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