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If you write a book review, and no one reads it, is the prose still stunning?
I’ve wanted to talk about book reviews for a while. There are a couple of specific things on my mind, like the idea that book reviews are too positive, or that reviews must be critical, or diversity in book reviews. But, as my son would say, “put first things first*.” Do people even read book reviews?
Book reviews are dead. No one reads them and they don’t sell books.
This statement was (falsely) attributed to Edmonton author Todd Babiak by his former English professor, Ted Bishop. Todd was helping Ted launch his new book Ink at LitFest back in October. A vetern book-launcher, Todd’s advice was to forget trying to get the book reviewed, that he better create something shareable if he wants to get anywhere. And he did; Ted and Todd filmed a cooking-show-style demonstration of how to make your own ink and we served as the studio audience. We even got to use a mortar and pestle! Talk about reader engagement!
I laughed at the thought that no one reads book reviews, but I laughed because it’s true. The only people who comment on book blogs, reviews especially, are other book bloggers. And as for traditional reviews in the newspaper or literary journals? I don’t even read them. I’ve become a reverse-snob when it comes to book reviews; I find a lot of “straight” reviews boring. They’re all plot summary or this:
Lately, I just don’t care about the luminous prose etc. I want to know what a book did to the reviewer. If you cried, or laughed inappropriately, I want to know. I want to hear how a book reflects personal experience.
Despite my own misgivings about book reviews, I still thought Todd made a pretty bold statement, so I went to the source. Luckily Todd Babiak is super nice and accessible, and he immediately told me that he never said those words. Ted exaggerated. He has noticed that a prominent review in The Globe and Mail, though, doesn’t exactly give a book the lift it once did. Things are changing. Todd remembers when there were 19 professional reviewers employed by newspapers in Canada. Now there are just a handful.
There are plenty of people trying to make book reviews fresh and exciting. The National Post runs a weekly feature in The Afterword, where readers get a book to read and then fill out a survey. I did one earlier this year. It’s a nice feature, but it’s not really a review (plus their book choices are weird.) And there are all the almost-review formats we bloggers use: hauls and monthly wrap-ups and so on. But reviews they ain’t.
This isn’t news to book bloggers. James Reads Books blogged about this a couple months ago. I like his challenge to read more reviews, but, should we even need a challenge? Isn’t that why we’re all here?
So, dear readers (who I assume are all book bloggers,) I want to know: Do you read book reviews? Where do you read them: on other blogs, the newspaper, or somewhere else? How are your stats when you post a review?
As for Ink, I haven’t seen that video kicking around YouTube, but I did see a nice review in The Walrus. Maybe there’s hope for the book review after all.
*My son is in Kindergarten and they are learning the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, of which this is one. I have a five year old who tells me to “syngergize” and “be proactive.” This is weird, right?
A Reading Soundtrack: Part IV
Once again, I am inspired by Rory at Fourth Street Review. She mixes it up this time by taking one album and picking a whole bunch of books that fit the theme. I’m doing my usual thing: one book, one song.
The Book: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Song: We Are Shadows by Leaves
Now comes the darkening sky and a cold wind that passes right through you, as though you are not there, it passes through you as though it does not care whether you are alive or dead, for you will be gone and the wind will still be there.
This book snuck up on me. I was skeptical from the get go; there was too much hype. I still think it’s overrated, but by the end, the overwrought quality of the writing fell away and it became as spare and beautiful as I heard it was.
I resisted the urge to pair Burial Rites with Bjork. I’ve already used a Bjork song for one of these posts, for one thing, and it’s just too obvious. So I sought out the music of the one other Icelandic band I know – Leaves. Like most North Americans, I discovered Leaves when their song Breathe was featured on The O.C. Leaves have put out a few albums since then, and We Are Shadows from their 2009 album of the same name is absolutely perfect. Agnes has been a shadow her entire life.
Hold my hand
as we let go
and northern lights
will fill the skies
Until the morning glows
Weʼre shadows, me and you.
The Book: Infidelity by Stacey May Fowles
The Song: Habits by Tove Lo
This song isn’t a great fit for the plot. The book is about a woman in a stable but boring relationship who knows she isn’t cut out for the straight and narrow, so she has an affair with a married writer who is all kinds of wrong for her. The song is about a heartbroken woman who’s trying to fuck the pain away. The common thread is recklessness. And sordidness: there’s a great passage in Infidelity about how you begin an affair in fancy hotel rooms and work your way down, till you’re alone in a seedy motel. And Tove Lo is super sordid:
Pick up daddies at the playground
How I spend my day time
Loosen up the frown,
Make them feel alive
Oh, make it fast and greasy
I’m numb and way too easy
I admit, this is another one of those songs I love to sing in the car. Usually alone, sometimes accompanied by my two year old who loves to sing the “ooh ooh ooh ooh” part.
In writing this, I remembered that I don’t own Infidelity. I will probably change that. My last “affair” was much lower stakes than this, seeing as there were no marriages or kids involved, but Fowles gets that sickly sweet feeling just right.
For Caitlin on her 32nd birthday: Books to read in Hong Kong and Minnesota
My sister Caitlin turned 32 yesterday. In four days, she leaves for a solo trip to Hong Kong. It will be her last trip for a while. In a couple months, she’ll marry her American boyfriend and will be a Minnesotan housewife until she’s able to work. This is not the life I imagined for Cait, who up until a few years ago called herself a “freemale,” but “Uncle Tony” is good with my kids AND joins all my readalongs, so he’s worthy.
The hours of travel and coming months of desperate housewifedom mean that I must buy books for Cait’s birthday. But the upcoming move makes it impractical to buy physical books, so I’ve bought a couple Kindle gift cards and compiled these lists:
What to read in Hong Kong
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan: Satirizing the ultra-rich ABC (American Born Chinese) culture in the States, parts of this book are set in Hong Kong and it sounds like a perfect fluffy read for the airplane. Bet these guys don’t fly coach.
- Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop: Based on this review, and because Cait is a sometime food blogger, and this is sub-titled “A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China.” Might help her get ready for some Chinese food that doesn’t include chicken balls.
- The Piano Teacher by Janice Yee: Recommended by Doretta Lau (her own book. How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank The Sun looks pretty sweet,) The Piano Teacher is another novel about rich people in Hong Kong, but sounds quite different from Crazy Rich Asians. It’s got some historical flavour.
What to read in Minnesota
- The Group by Mary McCarthy: A tenuous connection to Minnesota, as the author only spent part of her childhood there, but as Canadians we’re used to claiming anyone we can, so. This is also supposed to be the inspiration for Sex and the City.
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald: because I assume she’s read The Great Gatsby! (Right??)
- Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: Lewis is the first American to win the Nobel Prize for literature, so I guess he must be okay. I admit I know nothing about him. This book is set in Minnesota and is about a woman who moves to another city for her man, so it might be of interest.
Bonus: What to read when you’re getting married
- Love Letters of the Angels of Death by Jennifer Quist (my review): I want everyone who’s getting married, or is married, to read this book. It made me think about my marriage and the concept of marriage and other stuff.
- Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (my review): I make fun of Franzen often here on the blog, but this book is really good. It’s about ‘Murca and marriage and there’s a lengthy rant about the child free lifestyle that I know Cait will appreciate.
- The Bride Stripped Bare by Anonymous: okay, the author’s been revealed, but my edition is by Anonymous. Take this as a “here is what you shouldn’t do” guide to marriage. Disturbing and racy and one of the odder books I’ve read.
We will all miss Auntie Cait in this house, and not just for the free babysitting. She accompanies me to book events and joins me in readalongs and has taught me a lot about vegan cooking, among many other things. I will never repay her for all the drives she’s given me nor all the Maid of Honouring or Baby Showering, but I hope we can keep up with food and books even if it’s through Skype.
-
Henry and Auntie Cait
Currently…
Adapted from Fourth Street Review and further inspired by A Slice of Brie:
Making: Anything Chef at Home tells me to. Especially these biscuits. But especially these brownies, which won me second prize at a community bake-off.
Drinking: Store brand mint tea.
Reading: Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. I’m getting Bonjour Tristesse and The Great Gatsby vibes.
Coveting: Wolford Velvet de Luxe 66 Tights, after reading this article about the best tights. You get what you pay for.
Listening: Whatever’s playing on CBC Radio 2. I like the new Hozier song. I also like Hozier himself. Let’s not dwell on the fact that he was born in the 90s. Also this classical mix for at work.
Watching: Booktube. I’m looking forward to watching the Wolf Hall adaptation with Damien Lewis as Henry VIII. It’s like The Tudors meets The Forsyte Saga!
Smelling: Chicken broth simmering and cookies baking. I’m repressing some powerful emotions tonight.
Wishing: For time alone that doesn’t involve a grocery store or a cubicle.
Enjoying: Fires and hot chocolate. Winter arrived this weekend.
Loving: Getting back to blogging after a month off and jumping right into Novellas in November.
Needing: To figure out how to fit in my introvert-recharging-time. Work is very busy with meetings and presentations, which I find extremely draining. Home is, well, a two year old and a four year old who need constant supervision, assurance, guidance, and refereeing. I’ve taken to waking up at 5am to have some time alone.
Feeling: A bit scattered.
Wearing: Leggings as pants. Come at me, fashion people.
Wanting: To start writing in a journal. I’ve been trying, but it’s a tough habit to form.
Bookmarking: Think pieces on book reviews, as I get ready to write my own.
Aiming: To find a balance between planning and doing, here on the blog, at work, at home. When it comes to things I’m most passionate about, I get stuck in the planning phase. When it comes to things I *have* to do, I just jump in, to get it over with. Neither extreme is working too well.
Novellas in November 2014: Introduction
If you’ve been browsing round the bookish internet lately, you’ve probably heard a lot about what you should be reading in November:
Obviously these bloggers are all wrong. How can November be for anything other than Novellas? Alliteration doesn’t lie.
Last year, I had a blast reading classic and contemporary novellas all month. I even made a video. Maybe this year I’ll do one as a wrap up? It’s unlikely, now that I know what good book videos look like.
Anyway, on to my novellas!
- Tumble Home by Amy Hempel: based on the review here. “Reading it or any of her work is the surest way I know, besides having/watching a baby, to make life separate into moments.” Okay. Let’s see.
- Santa Rosa by Wendy McGrath: local author, local setting, sequel published a week ago, and this month’s #yegbookclub pick. No brainer.
- Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. My favourite novella last year was Bonjour Tristesse. This is another coming of age story set in France, and 19 pages in I’m already predicting 5 stars.
- Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. For the title, obviously.
- Varamo by Cesar Aira. He seems to be the guy to read if you like novellas.
- Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville. I don’t know what it’s about, but the oft-quoted line “I would prefer not to” really speaks to me.
- Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving: it’s the current read on Classic Alice. I love Classic Alice even though none of these actors appear to be college age, and despite the fact that Alice and Andrew would have humped by episode 3 in real life. It’s like if Felicity was even more repressed. At least Alice doesn’t wear those awful sweaters.
This year The Wandering Bibliophile is joining in with two impressive towers of novellas. Perhaps the elusive originator of #NovNov will come out of hiding this month!
Please comment below with your novellas recommendations, reading plans, or favourite episodes of Classic Alice or Felicity. I’m going to have to think about that one.
Authors: They’re Just Like Us!
I was not 100% sure this was satire at first. Via madmagazine.com
I’m noticing a lot of talk about what authors should and shouldn’t do. Don’t respond to reviews. Don’t have opinions about things other than books. Don’t self-promote. These rules really rub me the wrong way. Authors are readers, and often, bloggers and social media users too. Just like us. Why are the rules different?
Confession: I used to be a gossip mag junkie. One of the most inane features in US Magazine is “Stars: They’re Just Like Us!” and in that spirit, I present Authors: They’re Just Like Us!
They like to talk about books!
One of the rules I hear about most is that authors shouldn’t respond to their reviews. I hear (but have never witnessed) horror stories about authors demanding that a negative review be deleted, or calling out a reviewer on social media, and basically being unprofessional. Remember that whole Goodreads Bullies thing?
But sometimes, an author’s response to a review is really interesting! A personal response to a negative review makes for better reading than mindless retweets of positive reviews, right? I have a couple examples, one involving a negative review I wrote:
Dinaw Mengestu is pretty quiet on Twitter, but he went on a multi-tweet rant in response to this review of his latest novel, All Our Names. The reviewer called him out on it, basically enforcing that “no reviewing the review” rule. But those tweets gave me a new understanding about the racial issues in the novel, so I say, rant on Dinaw.
Emily Gould, as far as I know, hasn’t responded to anyone directly, but does a little vague tweeting, and highlights an important issue in how female authors are reviewed:
Shane Jones‘ response to this article in 3 AM Magazine about literary citizenship (i.e. authors give positive reviews to other authors, in hopes of getting a positive review in return) made me laugh. The “negative” review also made me want to read his book, The Crystal Eaters.
https://twitter.com/hiShaneJones/status/491625210966048769
Earlier this year, I published a very middling review to Corrie Greathouse‘s Another Name for Autumn and my heart stopped when I saw this:
I bravely favourited this sub-tweet and Ms. Greathouse and I ended up exchanging emails over the next few days and talked about reading and reviewing and all sorts of stuff. I can guarantee I will read her next book.
They use social media!
Another hot topic is should/how should authors use social media. Book Riot wrote about Diana Gabaldon’s bad behaviour on Facebook; it was so bad, apparently, the author will no longer read Gabaldon’s books. I can think of several reasons not to read her books (sorry Kristilyn!) but how she interacts with fans on Facebook is not one of them. The article takes issue with this statement in particular: “I don’t owe you anything but a good book,” and I ask, why does she owe you anything but a good book? She’s an author, not a publicist or a marketer or a publisher, she’s a person who’s bound to get irritated and snappy and perhaps didn’t express herself very well (irony) but in the end, I totally agree. I think it’s great when authors are social and accessible, but they can and should use their own social media accounts how they please.
Oh and by the way, Ms. Gabaldon joined a conversation on one of my fav blogs, Rosemary and Reading Glasses, and was perfectly reasonable and kind while responding to criticism.
Some of my favourite authors on Twitter, who are probably not doing it right:
- Jennifer Weiner. I don’t even like her books that much, AND she live-tweets The Bachelor, but I find what she’s trying to do for genre fiction and chick-lit fascinating.
- Margaret Atwood. She spouts off about the environment and flirts with twitter celebs half her age, but hey, she’s Margaret Fucking Atwood so I’m pretty sure she can do what she wants.
- Joyce Carol Oates. I’m not sure if she is bat-shit crazy or the most epic of trolls or what.
- Roxane Gay. I didn’t even know she was an author when I started following her. She was RTd into my timeline constantly for her social commentary. Come for the social justice, stay for the Ina Garten live-tweets!
- Stacey May Fowles. Another one I followed for the social commentary, only later realizing she was an author. Her tweets are an interesting mix of books, feminism, and baseball. Her book Infidelity is great too.
They promote themselves!
Credit: rangizzz via Shutterstock/Salon
There’s a whole lot of vitriol towards self-published authors these days. This post about one blogger’s decision not to review self-published books is making the rounds, and while it makes some good points about how to be respectful and properly pitch a book, the premise is flawed. Poor pitching is not the sole domain of the self-publisher. I’ve received some painfully bad pitches from major publishing houses, and reviewed some wonderful self-published books and ended up having great relationships with the authors.
I’m seeing a lot of bloggers high-fiving each other for not accepting self-published books and it’s weird because blogging *is* self-publishing. I mean, you should have whatever kind of review policy you want, but why be smug about it? You may be missing out on something really good.
So authors, keep being you. Seeing you reading your own reviews, spouting off on Twitter, and promoting your work is much more entertaining than seeing celebrities performing menial tasks.
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors You Own The Most Books Of
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I am aware that it’s Thursday. I was inspired by sporadic book blogger Brie at A Slice of Brie.
The topic at hand is Top Ten Authors We Own The Most Books Of, which is making me twitchy even though I know ending a sentence with a preposition isn’t necessarily bad, and anyway, it’s a title, not a sentence.
I had a guess going into this, and a quick inventory of my physical bookshelves confirmed it: David Adams Richards is the winner!
1. David Adams Richards (8): Crimes Against My Brothers, Mercy Among the Children, River of the Brokenhearted, Friends of Meager Fortune, The Lost Highway, and Nights Below Station Street. Not pictured, but pretty sure they are kicking around: The Bay of Love and Sorrows and Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace.
The guy has a way with titles. I went through a major DAR phase in the early aughts. Mercy is my favourite, but they’re all good. He keeps churning out a book a year, so I don’t know if I’ll ever catch up and read them all.
2. Douglas Coupland (6): Hey Nostradamus!, All Families are Psychotic, Miss Wyoming, Girlfriend in a Coma, Generation X, Eleanor Rigby
I haven’t read Eleanor Rigby yet and a couple of these are misplaced, so there’s still some work to do. If you have my copy of Generation X, please let me know!
3-6. Then there are a bunch with 4 titles each:
- Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, Maddaddam, Cat’s Eye
- Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, Emma (I do “own” the other two, but they were Kobo freebies.)
- Emma Donoghue: Room, Slammerkin, Astray, Frog Music
- John Irving: The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Hotel New Hampshire, A Widow for One Year (another collection I’d like to add to)
I don’t think 2 or 3 books really counts so I’ll stop.
I’m not much of a completist! I was surprised not to see Irvine Welsh or Edith Wharton (I apparently don’t own The Age of Innocence, which is not okay.) I’m pretty relieved not to see anything embarrassing; sorry Brie (I only own two Sophie Kinsellas, thankyouverymuch.)
So? Who’s the most popular on your book shelf?
The Shore Girl by Fran Kimmel
My rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads
Synopsis:
Rebee Shore’s life is fragmented. She’s forever on the move, ricocheting around Alberta, guided less than capably by her dysfunctional mother Elizabeth. “The Shore Girl” follows Rebee from her toddler to her teen years as she grapples with her mother’s fears and addictions, and her own desire for a normal life. Through a series of narrators–family, friends, teachers, strangers, and Rebee herself–her family’s dark past, and the core of her mother’s despair, are slowly revealed
The first sentence in the synopsis is bang on. Rebee Shore’s life is fragmented. So was my reading experience. So is this review.
I’ve been paralyzed for six months in writing this review. The reasons are uninteresting, but most come down to the fact that I don’t quite know what to make of the book. I enjoyed it, but my reactions were a little strange. Like how I didn’t cry while reading, despite many tragic circumstances, but cried suddenly and heartily upon finishing the last page. Because I was going to miss the characters? Because I had a bad feeling about the main character, Rebee? I think it was supposed to be a optimistic ending, but I had this sinking feeling…
I can tell you now that I’m all grown up, that I don’t need a mother to keep me safe. That might be a lie.
A Reading Soundtrack: Part III
I was inspired to do a third soundtrack (check out Part I and Part II) by Rory at Fourth Street Review. Her literary mixtapes immerse the reader in one book through a whole album’s worth of great music. Check out her latest Literary Mixtape for Bonfire of the Vanities, which is such a great book and one that I will never ruin by watching the movie.
My approach is different. I like to pair one song with one book. As it happens, these are all books I’ve read but have yet to review. Hopefully this will hold you over till I get it together.
The Book: The Monk by Matthew Lewis
The Song: Take Me To Church by Hozier
She sealed his lips with a wanton kiss; ‘Though I forgive your breaking your vows to heaven, I expect you to keep your vows to me.
This is a perfect pairing because both author and singer are super young guys who need to calm down a bit. Matthew Lewis was nineteen when he wrote The Monk in 1796. It is one of the craziest, Gothic-iest books I’ve every read, and I read a lot of crazy Gothic books. Hozier is a 24 year old Irish singer in heavy rotation on CBC Radio 2 and his song Take Me To Church is super overwrought, in a good way:
If the Heavens ever did speak
She is the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday’s getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
‘We were born sick,’ you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me ‘worship in the bedroom’
The only heaven I’ll be sent to
Is when I’m alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen
They both strike me as that one guy you dated in high school who was super intense and complicated and listened to a lot of NIN (or whatever decade-appropriate band you want to insert there.) And both apparently have some issues with religion.
The Afterword Reading Society: All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu
I mentioned The Afterword Reading Society on the blog the other day and was inundated with questions (two people asked me questions.) I’ve experienced some confusion myself, so today, to paraphrase Weird Al, we’re going to dig deep and peel back the layers and find out what goes on in this secret Society.
First of all, The Afterword is The National Post’s book section, and they describe The Afterword Reading Society like this:
Books coverage generally focuses on writers; this is a page about readers. Specifically, it’s about the readers we ask to respond to a new novel each Tuesday. If you’d like to read with us, sign up at theafterword.ca
When you sign up, you will receive weekly-ish emails, either inviting you to read the next selection, or, to answer another bookish question. Those emails are signed off by Afterword editor Mark Medely, who assures me that they randomly select 25 people to read each week’s book, and do not just taking the first 25 to request, as I suggested – after months of trying, I finally made it when I happened to be in Gmail when the email arrived, and clicked through within 5 seconds.
SUCCESS!
Reading in Bed 