tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post8017328110091933832..comments2024-02-15T12:33:16.624-05:00Comments on Amber Skyze: Guest - Larissa LyonsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05244564493291133822noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-52555320287038224422011-07-24T09:27:27.096-04:002011-07-24T09:27:27.096-04:00Hi Larissa, great post. And what a hot topic! I no...Hi Larissa, great post. And what a hot topic! I nodded my head in agreed with your point that perhaps authors should only review books in genres other than what they write. In this scenario, they become true readers, instead of editors. Lots to think about!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-89657979254073868562011-07-23T19:11:00.752-04:002011-07-23T19:11:00.752-04:00Hi Tessie & thanks for sharing your input. &qu...Hi Tessie & thanks for sharing your input. "remaining silent is taking the high road" - I like the way you worded this. And yes, when done right, even those 2-3 star reviews can provide valuable insight. Similar to what you mentioned, I like the way RT reserves its "G" (gold) rating for a select few. It carries more weight that way.Larissa Lyonshttp://www.larissalyons.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-2541704308231585292011-07-21T21:35:50.915-04:002011-07-21T21:35:50.915-04:00In my opinion, no matter who the reviewer is, ther...In my opinion, no matter who the reviewer is, there is never any reason to be nasty or insulting. Constructive criticism is acceptable, but if one really dislikes a book, remaining silent is taking the high road. <br />"Stars" vs. words - shouldn't the top number rating be reserved for a very, very select few? I've read many books that I really enjoyed, learned from as an author, will re-read, but are they the best ever? To what standard are they being held? <br />I've received reviews ranging from 5 stars to 3. When someone 'gets' my stories, despite their flaws (yes, I know they exist!) I consider those the best reviews.Tessie Bradfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08146162930127530489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-67876586432570459892011-07-21T11:22:36.741-04:002011-07-21T11:22:36.741-04:00Good morning Marie and Linda. Thanks for chiming i...Good morning Marie and Linda. Thanks for chiming in with your thoughts. What you both stated is the direction I've been leaning: leave a casual review or high-star rating for books I positively love and simply remain silent on those I'm not nuts about.<br /><br />Linda, you raise an interesting point with regards to a three-star review. I recently received one but the comments were glowing; it almost seemed a contradiction. That leads to the question: do starred reviews that try to quantify someone's opinion work? Especially since everyone has their own thoughts about what each individual star rating means. I've seen a couple of sites stop giving any type of number of stars, kisses, etc. but as an author, I actually like to get those.<br /><br />I definitely don't think there's a clear-cut answer which is why I appreciate everyone's opinion.Larissa Lyonshttp://www.larissalyons.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-88812977013761775252011-07-21T08:42:47.468-04:002011-07-21T08:42:47.468-04:00When I first joined Goodreads, I didn't rate a...When I first joined Goodreads, I didn't rate any book I read. But then I'd get so excited whenever I saw that someone else had rated one of my stories, I felt like maybe other authors like to see ratings on their books too, so I started.<br /><br />Of course, I can't give low scores because I know how much it hurts to see those. Yet if I do a three-star I feel like I need to add a review, telling what I liked about the story then describing what wasn't my preference so other readers can judge for themselves if that matter is something important to them or not. If I think it's really that bad, I wouldn't rate it or even claim to have read it. <br /><br />I don't know if this is the right or wrong thing to do; hopefully it doesn't offend anyone.Linda Kagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00259042112816376940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3813931369346468387.post-7825608631640785982011-07-21T04:52:22.494-04:002011-07-21T04:52:22.494-04:00I totally understand the statement that writers ar...I totally understand the statement that writers are readers first. I would consider myself a reader who writes at this point in my writing career. In my opinion, writers shouldn't write formal reviews. I believe if they read an excellent book, they should promote it on their blog or website. The situation becomes murky when they don't like a book. You can choose not to say anything or promote it because in reality we know that we won't like everything that we read. I think it can be a conflict.Marie Rose Dufourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02919200697291374700noreply@blogger.com