Friday, August 9, 2019

Saving Readers from Bad Books...

...is probably the DUMBEST thing you can waste your time doing. Why? Because "bad" is such a subjective measure.

I know I say don't look at your reviews. What I looked at were the reviews given by a particular person who gave Zombie Confidential a one-star on Goodreads. And I laughed my ass off.

This person has weird criteria. If it's epic fantasy the book gets a five-star. If it's a classic, e.g. Pride and Prejudice or The Three Muskateers, it gets a two-star. If it has paranormal elements, especially vampires, they give the book a one-star.

Does this person have the right to their opinion? Sure!

However, there was no analysis. No foundation to this person's opinion. People who have given a written discourse while rating books in a similar pattern claim they are trying to save readers from what they deem to be "bad" books. If it's not what they love, then it has to suck.

But you can't make everyone love what you love. And someone isn't an idiot for loving something you don't.

I simply think it's sad people are wasting their finite time on this planet reading stuff they don't like.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, it's amazing what people choose to waste their time on.

    I remember some years ago, a couple idiots were downloading all the free m/m books on ARe and then giving them one-star reviews. Clearly a couple of homophobic assholes. I mean, it's not like you can miss that a book is m/m when the sales blurb talks about "Steve and David" or whoever, you know? [eyeroll]

    Low-star reviews are useful if they explain why they didn't like a book. If my tastes are similar to theirs, I might agree that what they describe is something I won't enjoy. But sometimes I've bought a book because the thing the one-star reviewer was griping about is exactly what I enjoy. Nothing wrong with that. But just, "One Star, This Sucks," is a pointless waste of everyone's time. :P

    Angie

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    1. LOL My question is who do these people think they're fooling. Their agenda is so effing obvious.

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