When I first started writing this blog I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I looked at other writer’s blogs and my publishers had some ideas. One suggestion I received from a couple of sources was to review books.
I never was entirely comfortable with that. Even though I clearly state the reviews are my opinions, who am I to give one? I’m not an expert. All I know is what I like. Fair enough, but should I really put that out there in a public forum? The second thing is that I would never, ever want to hurt someone’s feelings...the author, or his or her fans.
But I went ahead with the reviews, trying to compliment as I was critiquing, which I never had a problem with… until last month.
Someone gave me some books I really did not like. (Scores of friends and family recommend books so I’m not identifying anyone here.) When I say I did not like, I mean I really didn’t like: not the setting, not the characters, not the plot, and not the writing style. I tried to like it. I started book one twice to make sure. I gave it to my husband who said the same thing. It was bad enough to return the books saying they were not for me when I knew this person loved them. I couldn’t bring myself to review them on my blog.
Because no matter how much syrup you dribble over a critique, if you diss someone’s woo no matter how nice or fair you believe you are, it can feel like you are questioning their taste.
I have recent experience with this over my (gasp) Twilight infatuation. Someone will say something nasty about the books and then a quick, “oh…you like those. I forgot.”
I have found myself in the odd position of defending these books. What I realized was that I wasn’t so much defending Twilight as I was defending my right to like whatever I want without my literary acumen questioned.
So. I’m not going to review books unless I totally fall in love with a story. From now on I’ll leave critiquing to the experts or for people who love to do it. Neither one will ever be me.
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