What do you do when you don't like the book?

the problem of badly written, badly edited books just doesn't arise with Harlequin publications, there are at most ten typos in the worst case analysis, and a lot of those were the spellchecker not spotting something because it was a valid word, just the wrong one in the context.

when you get the badly written/badly edited gripe out of the way, it comes down to "I didn't like it" which is a perfectly valid opinion once you've pointed out that the reason you didn't like it is because it hit your personal hot buttons, it didn't resonate with you or you were in a bad mood at the time, none of which is the author's "fault" but then it's not yours either, it's just one of those unhappy rather than happy serendipity things

I just wrote a review explaining that the author did her job too well and that meant I couldn't read the book properly or take time to enjoy it (it inadvertently sent me into a reading slump - I had a day off with no monsters and I haven't even finished my second book of the day ) In cases like that all you can say is that people who like that kind of thing will find it excellent

Another part of my problem at the moment is that I'm suffering from blog burnout , I'm not sure I could even be enthusiastic about one of the Brothers, however they may be just what I need to rerev my engines

Some days you have it, some days you don't, you just have to hope that the days you don't are few and far between

Hugs

Sadhbh

only another 265 to go and then we can talk about burnout

or another 2104, depending on which count you want to start from

Try saying it wasn't to your tastes, put in the cover blurb, then rant away. Sometimes I find that I want to read a book after reading a negative review -- it might be that one person's pet peeve is another's guilty pleasure.

 . . . that, or to give fair warning to anyone who would otherwise have to suffer through a piece of dreck.

I think I've read three stories (two books) this year that I just absolutely could not stand. I've read multiple books by all three authors and it wasn't up to their standards.  So what I did with those authors was to refer the reader to the books that I loved by them.  I tried to be honest (maybe too honest in those cases) about what I liked and disliked about the stories. Its been a good year for me with books. No real wallbangers other than the two aforementioned books.

Realistically, we are not going to love every book we read. But if we finish the book I believe we should be honest about why we didn't like it. I'm not fond of the use of telling the reader what the conflict is and then repeating it 4 or 5 times throughout a book. (I would rather be shown the conflict.) I read a HSR recently that used this technique and it felt like it was being used just to take care of the higher word count. But then I just finished a HR by the same author and she used the same technique -- shorter word count. Yes, I mentioned it in both reviews. I would rather see more character development. This is my preference and I will state that in a review. It is really rare when I can't find something positive to say.

I'm actually finding it harder to come up with new and different ways to say. Wow, great book.  There are some mighty fine authors writing for H, S, and M&B.

can't stand, that's life! So there will be perfectly good books that
I won't "get" because the author is on someone else's wavelength, not
mine. Fine too. There's an author who writes under three different
names and I only like her work under one of them, when the reception is
bad, you get interference on the line, you do the best you can but you
can't do more!

Hugs

Sadhbh 

blogger and a not voracious reader, so I'm covered"

she'll edit it out again but I think she meant "reluctant"

Strange as it may sound, in actuality there's very few I don't really like.  In the Four (going on Five) months of this year already, there is only one Harlequin Imprint I "put down" as I didn't finish reading it.  Most of the time my mindset is more like, "well,,,this book's really not my cuppa, but I know it would be Robs, or Kates, or Lynns, etc."  I usually still read the ones I "don't like", for when reviewing it, or speaking of it, I'll know what I'm talking about.  I've still yet to find a total washout with absolutely no redeeming quality at all! Even if only "five pages of description seem lovely to you", MENTION THAT IN REVIEW! If we are going to be honest (tactfully) about books, we also need to mention the good stuff!

I've had two books recently, one this year and one I think at the end of last year, where there wasn't one single description, etc. that I enjoyed.  I didn't trash them but I'm also not going to lie to make up something was good that wasn't.  And yes, Cady, because I review for a review site I keep in mind that anything I write can be read by an author so that helps with keeping it respectful but also honest. 

Cady, great topic. I often wonder about this.

I don't read a lot of books I really don't like. I don't know why. It may being the way I select books or the way I read or what makes a book a great read to me..

That being said, I have read books I don't like sometimes. This year I have read 2. One I told why but I have not reviewed it yet. I plan to read the second book before I review it in a formal public way but I have blogged it. I said what I think she did well (and it was well-done) and what bothered me. The second book I probably won't blog because it is not a Harlequin book and I am sitting here swamped with books and if i don't get to my Medieval Historicals I soon, I am going to scream inside!

eHarlequin is a nicer environment than many other internet places. One thing that really disturbs me deeply is the tenor of reviews on places off eHarlequin when people have this obsessed fan or foe thing happening with authors. It seems to be more about personalities than the books themselves.

I feel the best reviews give me a glimpse of the reviewer and how they are reading....what excites them or lacks for them about a book and then I have a good context within which to judge he meaning of heir review for me and how I read. Here, I feel I know readers more. I have read reviews by several people where our number ratings were quite different.... and yet we actually had very similar thoughts about what was going on inside the book so comments are more helpful to me than ratings. Other reviews I have been able to see from the reviewer that what is important to them is not what is important to me and I can tell that from the review. To me that is a good review too. I also try to learn from the times that someone has a different reaction than me to try to make myself a better reviewer. I think 2 people can have different opinions of a book without either being right or wrong but I do try to learn how others read.

I used to be a stick it to the end reader...but with so many books in my tbr causing me worry(that i won't ever get to them)...i've gotten better at putting books aside that aren't holding my interest enough. Often the books i put aside are just the wrong books for my mood, and when i later pick them up, i often really enjoy them.

But for the ones that would never have worked for me, and which i managed to finish,  which thankfully are few and far between...i have a really hard time writing about them here.  Trashing them here doesn't sit well with me either, so if i can't think of a decent way to quickly sum up my thoughts, i leave it blank. Maybe not the best thing to do, but certainly the least stressfull one for me.