Discussion: Should bloggers do research before posting book reviews?

Posted in Blogging, Discussions by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

A question came up for me this week: Should book bloggers do research before posting reviews?

What got me thinking about this topic was a comment I received on a book review I posted several weeks ago. I didn’t love the book, and explained why.

In the review, I stated that the book is apparently a stand-alone. A commenter informed me that they found my statement confusing, because the author had stated in interviews that this book was intended to have follow-ups involving some of the supporting characters. Additionally, I mentioned some elements of the setting and world-building that I found odd or muddled. The commenter again referred to author interviews, which explain why she chose to include some of the elements that I found out of place, and also mentioned that some of this was addressed in the author’s notes at the end of the book.

Note: Because I’d read the book via audiobook, I did not have access to the author’s notes — which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to audiobooks, but that’s a topic for another day!

All this is fine. I appreciate hearing more information and getting other perspectives, and it was good to know that this author’s fans seem to enjoy the book more than I did.

What puzzles me, though, is the implication that I should have known these pieces of information prior to posting a review. This raises a few questions for me:

Do book bloggers have an obligation — to the author or to other readers — to track down answers to questions, Google facts about their books, check out author posts, etc before sharing a review, especially one that might not be 4- or 5-stars? Essentially, is it a reasonable expectation that bloggers do more than “just” read the book before posting a review?

In the case of this particular book, it was by an author I’d read before, but not recently. I thought it sounded interesting, so I grabbed the audiobook when it became available. This isn’t an author I follow on social media or elsewhere.

Before writing my review, I checked out the available information on Goodreads. There was no indication that this is part of a series. I looked at the book’s description on retail sites. Again, nothing to indicate that this is anything but a standalone. Without going out looking for more information, all I could go by was what was in front of me — and to me, that appeared to indicate that this book was a stand-alone.

Could I have learned more if I’d searched for interviews and profiles of the author, or checked out their social feeds? Sure. But should these additional steps be an obligation before writing a review? I think not.

My stance is that the reading experience should speak for itself. Sure, it’s fun to follow authors and dig deeper, especially when it comes to our favorites — to understand inspiration, to learn about what might be next, to get more details on the plot and characters, to get insight into intention, writing process, and more.

But also — that shouldn’t be necessary in order to share my feelings about a book. As a casual reviewer, I see my book reviews as expressions of my reactions and thoughts. I don’t pretend to be a journalist or a literary critic! I certainly don’t claim to have any expertise in regard to any particular book, beyond being an avid reader. In general, my reviews are simply my way of sharing my responses to books I’ve read. And with that approach, a deeper dive isn’t always needed.

What I like to focus on is how I felt while reading: Was I interested? Emotionally invested? Compelled to keep going? Or perhaps, confused or bored, or not blown away? Did the book itself make me want to know more about its subject or author? Or was I content to finish the book, whether I loved it or not, and then put it away?

Personally, I don’t feel obligated to look at media coverage or author reviews before posting a review. I share reviews to express my reactions to the books I read. Sometimes I’ll dig deeper or go looking for more information, especially if a book blows me away or sparks my interest in a new or unusual topic — but more often, I write my reviews based on the actual book content, and nothing else. This may not be everyone’s approach, but it works for me.

What do you think? Do you feel obligated to go beyond the book before writing a review? Why or why not?

Please share your thoughts!

7Mar2015

Blogger Spotlight: Meet Eugenia!

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I have so many wonderful people in my life who are just as crazy about books and reading as I am! I thought I’d put together some reader and blogger spotlight posts to highlight some of the folks who I love talking books with. Getting the ball rolling…

Meet Eugenia! My friend Eugenia is someone I know from real life, an avid reader, and one smart cookie. She’s recently joined the book blogging world, and I’m thrilled to be able to chat with her about her new blog, Jewish Books Are Awesome:

Introduce yourself! Who are you, what’s your background, hobbies, interests, etc..

My name is Eugenia, coming to the web waves courtesy of Shargorod, Ukraine and Berkeley, California. I am a Jewish accountant (one of several in my family’s current generation) working for a Jewish Bay Area organization. I have absolutely no background in literature other than my abundant twenty-five years of love of reading and few dozen essays I had to write in college. I haven’t had an interest in writing books since my teenage years of poorly written poetry. I read. That’s what I do.

Why did you decide to start a blog? Why “Jewish Books Are Awesome?” How did you come up with the name, and what does it mean to you?

I started this particular blog as a bit of a joke initially. I’ve written in diaries for as long as I can remember and I have every single one I’ve written since the age of 13. I experimented with online diaries back in the ’90s and early ’00s with the help of Open Diary and LiveJournal, but those blogs had no real purpose other than spewing out my inner thoughts and experiences onto the world. They gave me an opportunity to share myself behind the anonymity of a computer screen, but eventually life got in the way and I found less and less time to talk about myself. And yet, the nagging thoughts continued. At one point about three years ago, I almost had it when I thought that I could turn my reading obsession into something tangible and started a generic book review blog…..but I got lazy and it never went past 4 entries. It may still live somewhere in the web clutches, but I can’t even find it. 🙂

Anyway, enough history (as if such thing is possible – I LOVE and LIVE history). About six months ago, I was having a silly conversation with my best friend (who is like a sister and is a rabbi!) on Facebook. Prior to this, I had started giving her Facebook community group Judaica book recommendations. She had recently self-published her first book and was telling me about an idea to promote her book. She offered bloggers a free copy of her book in exchange for a special feature on her author page complete with blogger bio and photo. So she says to me, “So it would look something like this – Example: Eugenia, Blogger at JewishBooksAreAwesome.com and provide link to their site.” I being the giant nerd, thought the name was brilliant and for some infernal reason decided to right then and there create a blog with that name before it had been taken. So really, blame my sister.

Can you tell us a bit about your blog? What’s your main focus? What types of posts might we expect to see?

Ultimately I had started a blog because I felt I had something unique to say. As a Jew I am very proud of my people and my heritage and it felt so natural to want to show the world, those who may know a little about us and those who may know a lot, that we are not just characters in news headlines and protests. Jews as a people have four thousand years of culture to offer the world. I wanted to try and offer a tiny slice of that. And what better way to share it with the world than through my love of reading? What better way to show the world that Jews are awesome than through written word?

My focus is specifically Jewish-themed books. These are books about Jewish culture, Jewish history, Jewish art, Jewish characters written by and large by Jewish authors but that is not in any way a requirement. So far I’ve done an even mix of fiction and non-fiction works and would really love to continue maintaining that mix. I noticed that I enjoy not just writing a single post about a book of choice, but often write a mid-read reflection of it as well. Occasionally I do throw in posts about my love of reading in general, I try not to be too partial to memes but sometimes they capture how I feel about reading so much that THEY MUST BE SHARED!

Has anything about blogging taken you by surprise?

I have been most surprised by the amount of work blogging takes. I used to think that I could just pick a book, sit down, read it, and then go right to talking about it. Book reviews are actual legitimate work. I found that I can do most of the above mentioned things easily (though reading a book in one sitting is a bit of a stretch) except the last. It’s rather hard to just get to talking. It’s hard to talk without any kind of a framework because without some form of structure, I feel that the reviews just become babble. No one wants to read a disorganized mess. In line with that, I was surprised by the fact that in order to have a structure in my reviews, I actually needed to take notes. Kind of like where I was in college. Notes about the characters, notes about the events I thought pivotal. And the odd curious quote.

What’s been your best experience as a blogger so far?

I am very easy to please. All it takes is the little WordPress notification at the top of my tablet toolbar and I am happy as a clam. I’m just excited people are giving it the time of day. I knew that with a niche blog like mine it would be a challenge getting people interested, but I’ve had the pleasure of knowing that people on multiple continents have dropped in on my blog. Australia, India, UK, Philippines. How cool is that? It just blows my little heart that people are interested in what I have to say.

What book that you’ve featured on your blog has meant the most to you or had the strongest effect on you, and why?

When one reads books about Jews, one can never escape the specter of the Holocaust. Three Minutes in Poland has had the most profound effect on me and my readers’ reactions to it have reassured me that I was on the right path with this blog and its purpose. I wouldn’t want to turn this particular answer into yet another discussion of the book (ok, I actually would but I don’t think we have time for that so here is a link to the review instead.) But let it suffice that reading about Glenn Kurtz’s doggedly determined search of the people featured in his grandfather’s film shows to me how relevant history still is. They always say “Never Forget” and yet, we are human so we do. Books like Three Minutes serve as more than a testament to the dead, they are reminders of our relevance as a people and how extremely important it is for people to continue to be educated about what could be. One should never ever stop learning.

Tell us about your reading habits – what do you read for fun?

FYI, I do not just read Jewish-themed books. I’d probably lose my mind a bit if that were the case. I’ve been trying to read a non-blog book while reading something for the blog. I have been known to indulge in chick lit though I have my standards. I am a big fan of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner.

What’s your favorite reading spot?

I like to read in bed the most but I have been blessed with the ability and desire to read just about anywhere. In a passenger seat of a moving car, standing on a packed commuter train, walking through a hallway at work, occasionally in the bathroom…..

Do you have any requirements for when you’re reading (music, location, no talking, etc.)?

If I am really focused on a book, I can’t handle much noise. Music generally isn’t a good idea though I can handle talking around me as long as no one is expecting me to fully pay attention to the conversation. I’ve been known as a child to read in the presence of classmates while ignoring them completely.

Besides the books you feature on your blog, what’s your favorite book from the last 12 months?

I’ve really fallen in love with Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. I think I wolfed down all 8 books in less than three months.

LOL. “Wolfed” down. Oh, that’s awesome…

What book do you find yourself recommending most often?

Other than Three Minutes in Poland? You might think I am a bit of a weirdo, but Great Mortality by John Kelly was fantastic. It’s the history of the European Black Death aka the Black Plague that took out millions in the late 1340s and beyond. I am also a huge fan of Mary Roach’s work, especially Bonk. Anything by Lisa See and Jim Butcher. Hands down.

Any books you regret reading?

I haven’t thought much of Jane Green’s and Sophie Kinsella’s last -oh I don’t know- 3 books each? Either I grew up or their story telling ability just went out the window.

What are your hopes and dreams for Jewish Books Are Awesome?

I hope people keep reading and enjoying my musings. Now is not the easiest time to be a Jew and I want to continue conveying to people how fascinating my people and our stories are. We are the People of the Book (Shout out to Geraldine Brooks!) and it’s only appropriate that through books I can share our history and culture.

Anything else curious readers should know?

I can read in two and a half languages! I am also a pretty bad-ass embroiderer and a halfway decent crocheter.

Thank you, Eugenia!

Don’t forget to check out her reviews and musings at Jewish Books Are Awesome!

Did you enjoy this post? I did! I plan to continue shining a spotlight on the readers and writers in my life, whenever inspiration strikes (and I can find willing victims). If you have suggestions for future spotlight posts, please let me know! And I’d really love it if you’d leave a comment or two on my chat with Eugenia. Thanks!

30Jan2015

Following, following back, and keeping up

Posted in Blogging by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

When I first started blogging — almost three years ago! — I really had no idea what I was getting into. I was focused only on the “me” parts: I’d write my book reviews and other content, and people would read what I wrote.

Ha! I really knew nothing about blogging, obviously.

Readers don’t magically appear. It’s all about connections. If I want people to visit my blog, I need to reach out and connect with other bloggers. It’s a back and forth — you comment on my posts, I comment on yours; I visit your blog, you stop by mine.

It’s not a quid pro quo, really, just simple networking and connection. We all want visits and views, but people have to know we exist in the first place in order to come for a visit.

Over the years, my circle of favorite blogs has grown and grown. Here’s the challenge: How do I find time to cultivate and nurture my own blog when so much online time is devoted to visiting and reading other people’s blogs?

If people follow my blog, I tend to follow back. (Side note: If you’ve followed me and I haven’t followed back, it’s probably an oversight, so let me know!)

For WordPress blogs, new posts show up in my reader, and I can opt in to receive daily or weekly email alerts. For non-WordPress blogs, I tend to subscribe by email for ones that I really don’t want to miss, or else I’ll follow via Bloglovin’ or Twitter. (Twitter is least effective for me, as I’m not on all that much and I miss a lot).

At this point, with all the blogs I follow, it’s an enormous task to try to read everything every day. I get about 20 – 25 daily emails about new posts. My Bloglovin’ feed is huge, and so is my WordPress reader feed. There just isn’t enough time in a day for me to read all the new posts and still have time for reading books and writing my own blog posts.

I’ve been trying to prune a bit lately, so I’m trying to make sure I’m not following the same blogs on WordPress and on Bloglovin’, for starters. For WordPress blogs that I interact with less frequently, I’m starting to turn off the email alerts. I can still read new posts in my WordPress reader, but that way, the daily list of emails with blog updates will hopefully be a bit more manageable. Plus, there are some blogs that feel like priorities to me — people who share similar tastes with me, or write pieces that I find particularly engaging, or those who I’ve developed a virtual friendship and rapport with — and those are the ones I want to see in my email inbox each day. When I get email alerts for all the blogs, it’s hard to separate out the ones that I really want to read from the ones that I might read if there’s time.

Meanwhile, I’m still thinking about the whole following back thing. If someone is nice enough to follow me, I really appreciate it, and I feel like following back is the right thing to do. And yet, if I see that their blog is focused on a genre that I never read and that our book tastes have no common ground, I’m less likely to actually read their posts.

What’s your approach to following? Do you automatically follow back when someone new follows you? And do you actually read your blog feeds every day? How do you manage to keep up?

I’d love to hear how others handle the challenge of keeping up with other bloggers. Please share your thoughts!

27Jul2013

Putting together a Book Blog Meme Directory page

Posted in Blogging by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

We all love our bookish memes, right? Top 10 lists, cover reveals, teasers, freebies — the possibilities are endless! And it seems like every time I visit a new book blog, I find yet another meme to check out. I thought it might be fun — and possibly a helpful resource as well — to put together a new page here at Bookshelf Fantasies to start listing as many book blog memes as I can gather up.

First of all, what to include?

According to UrbanDictionary.com, a meme can be defined as:

in blogspeak, an idea that is spread from blog to blog

I’ve seen book bloggers use “meme” interchangeably with the concept of a “blog hop”, and that works for me!

So, for purposes of this directory, let’s include any regular ongoing features that encourage bloggers to join in, participate via comment submission or by writing their own posts, link back from their own blogs, and then visit other participants’ blogs as well.

How to add a listing?

If you’re the host of a meme, just provide me with all the details and I’ll be glad to add you!
If you regularly participate in a meme, give me as much information as you can, including the blog host’s link and/or contact information, and I’ll try to make contact and get permission to include them.
If you know someone who hosts a meme, forward this post and ask them if they’d like to be listed!

Needless to say — BOOK BLOGS ONLY! I’m sure there are lots of other fun topics out there, but let’s focus on our bookish loves!

To submit a listing, fill out the info requested on the Contact page. And please leave a comment on this post to let me know what you think of the concept — good idea? pointless? helpful? other?

Happy weekend!