How Not to Criticize a Book Reviewer

As a book reviewer, I obviously give out a lot of criticism so of course I’m equipped to take a lot of criticism.  I keep an open mind and weigh pretty much everyone’s opinion carefully to see whether it has merit or not.  I listen to the feedback my readers give me through polls and comments as well as read articles about how to improve my blog.  Improving my blog is a constant work in progress, if I’m honest so I do like criticism.  However, there are right and wrong ways to go about criticizing a book reviewer and/or their reviews.

Middle SchoolersCriticism #1: “[A rebuttal of my review saying that my 1 star rating was not deserved.]  This was written by an entire class of very exasperated middle schoolers who just finished reading the novel.”

There are a lot of problems with criticizing something this way, but the main logical fallacy is this: [x] group of people liked [y] therefore you should.  This is utterly ridiculous and I would have expected better from the teacher (yes, a teacher said this!) who criticized my review of The Outsiders.  That’s like saying lots of middle schoolers a couple of years ago loved Justin Bieber therefore I should like Justin Bieber.  Anyone with a brain can dispute that logic, believe me.

Quite frankly, I don’t give a crap if an entire class of middle schoolers liked The Outsiders.  This is arrogant of me but I think I have slightly more reading experience than they do, considering I have averaged 200 books per year for well over a decade.  Is my opinion more valid than theirs?  No, but it’s certainly more informed.  In the end, what’s wrong with criticizing a review like this is the idea that one group likes something and therefore everyone should like it.  It’s ridiculous. Continue reading

The Week Ahead (#4)

Last week was a week consisting of generally mediocre books but record-breaking statistics, so I guess it wasn’t all that bad after all.  This coming week should be even better!  This is partly because on Monday I will be publishing my 500th book review.  When I started my blog almost two and a half years ago I never dreamed I’d reach 500 book reviews so this is quite the milestone for me.

Monday

The Memoirs of Cleopatra

  • I’ll admit that The Memoirs of Cleopatra has taken me quite literally months to finish but I’m loving it so much that it’s going to be the book I review for my 500th review milestone.  Margaret George has such an interesting writing style and she’s obviously done her research so even though this is a monster of a book I’m enjoying it.
  • I’ve been sick and grouchy lately which means that I have another rant coming up for Monday.  This one is called ‘How Not to Criticize a Book Reviewer’ and it draws on some experiences I’ve had throughout the 2 1/2 years I’ve been blogging.

Tuesday

The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn

  • A review of The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn.  I didn’t expect to like Giulia Farnese so much but she comes out as one of my favourite heroines by the time Kate Quinn finishes her story.  The ending of this book was quite the surprise, believe me!

 

 

Wednesday

Zombies Vs. Robots

  • A review of Zombies vs. Robots: No Man’s Land by Jeff Conner.  This anthology really isn’t the sort of book I’d normally pick up but the publisher approached me with a pre-approved NetGalley link so I figured I’d give it a shot.

 

 

Thursday

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

  • A book review of Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn.  After finishing The Lion and the Rose I wanted to see how Kate Quinn would handle ancient Rome and I have to say that the results were quite interesting.

 

 

Friday

  • Book Blast: The Replacement by Rachael Wade

Saturday

  • Discussion: Reading Slumps.  Do you ever get those times when you just don’t feel like you have the energy to read?  How do you get over them?

Discussion: Re-Reading Childhood Favourites

In the past few weeks I’ve re-read both Angeline and A Girl Named Disaster, both of which I read when I was quite young and absolutely loved.  Of course books that you liked as a child aren’t usually as good as you remember them, but I was surprised that Angeline was still pretty darn good.  A Girl Named Disaster was sort of a disappointment in that I have no idea how I finished it when I was eleven or twelve because it bored me to tears this time around.

So re-reading childhood favourites can be disappointing, but it can also be a great experience as you rediscover some of that childhood magic.  What I want to know is this: Do you re-read some of your favourite books from when you were a kid?  If so, how did you like them this time around?  Or do you try to avoid re-reading childhood favourites because you have the feeling they’re not as good as they were the first time around?

The Liebster Award (Again)

Liebster Award

The Sweet Review nominated me for the Liebster Award, which means that this is the second time I’ve been nominated.  Normally I’m not too keen on awards posts but it’s been a while since I’ve done a Q&A so I figured I’d just do it for the heck of it.

Technically only blogs with less than either 200 or 500 (I can’t pin down an exact number) are supposed to be nominated which means I’m over the top on both counts but I’ll participate anyway.

Rules

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Nominate 11 other blogs with less than 500 followers.

4. Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

5. Tag your nominees & post a comment on their blog to let them know you nominated them.

So thank you to The Sweet Review for nominating me.  Here are the questions and my responses:

1. Why did you start your blog?

I honestly couldn’t pin down an exact reason for you.  One day I just woke up and felt like blogging.  I developed the idea of doing a book blog since I’m a big reader and then I realized a blog would also have other benefits like connecting with other readers and getting free books.  So I guess you could say the idea for my blog was totally random but I’ve stuck with it for nearly 2 1/2 years.

2. If you were asked to pick an event from your life for an episode of a t.v series, what would you pick?

Hmm…that’s definitely a hard one as I’ve had some very interesting experiences.  An event I’d pick for a TV episode would be my scuba diving lessons.  I had a sinus infection so equalizing was excruciating and I must have terrified every little old lady at that resort in Mexico because I’d come out of the water with my face covered in blood.  That’s probably what I’m most proud of: the fact that I persevered through the pain and finally got certified after a week of lessons.  Did I mention I was only 13 at the time?

3. If you could go on a time-machine and live for a year in another time, where and what decade would you go to?

My health is not all that great so I’m not your best candidate for time travel, but if I had to pick a time and place (and language was not an issue) it would be in the court of the pharaoh Hatshepsut during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.  Hatshepsut sounds like an amazing woman so it would be interesting to meet a woman who broke gender norms so long ago.

4. What Divergent faction do you want to be in?

None.  The factions in Divergent are ridiculously unrealistic so I would actually end up being Divergent.  If I absolutely had to I’d pick Erudite.

5. Savoury or Sweet?

In general I’d have to say savoury.

6. What is your favourite WordPress blog? Why?

I follow well over 15 blogs through WordPress so I couldn’t really tell you.  I have many favourites.

7. What is your favourite hobby?

Other than reading?  It would have to be listening to/watching operas.

8. Did you do anything for Sport Relief? If so, what did you do?

Until five minutes ago I actually had no idea what Sport Relief was or that it even existed so I didn’t do anything for it.

9. Would you change anything about your life/personality/looks if you could?

I’m generally happy with my appearance but if I were able to change my looks I’d definitely like my thighs just a bit thinner.  If I had to pick just one thing to change it would be my chronic pain; no one wants to live in constant pain, believe me.

10. What do like most to do on Sunday?

Read, sleep in, watch Game of Thrones or Walking Dead depending on the date.

11. Do you believe in the Afterlife? If so, why? If not, why?

I don’t believe in discussing my religious beliefs on my blog.


Here are my questions:

1.  What is your favourite thing about blogging?

2.  What is your dream job?  Why?

3.  What is one book you’ve always meant to read but still haven’t quite got around to?

4.  If you could swap lives with any person in the world in any time period who would you be and why?

5.  What is the strangest thing you’ve ever done?

6.  What would you say is your worst pet peeve?

7.  Other than English, what other languages are you fluent in, if any?  If not, what language(s) would you like to be fluent in?

8.  If you had a super power, what would it be?

9.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

10.  Why did you start blogging?

11.  What motivates you to keep blogging?

Here are the nominees, all under 200 followers in keeping with the Liebster tradition:

Read It or Book It

Burning the Bridges

Double Shot of Novella

Evilcyclist’s Blog

Mariacfromval

Paddylast Reviews Etc…

Ashley Lauren

Striped Penguin

The Last Bookicorn

 Bookworm Coalition

Booknomnom

Book Blast: The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and author Carol M. Cram are excited to announce The Towers of Tuscany Book Blast! Join us from April 7-13 as The Towers of Tuscany is featured around the blogosphere, along with a chance to win one of three copies of this amazing new novel! Called “a beautifully crafted masterpiece of historical fiction“, “lush”, and “page-turning” Cram’s debut novel will appeal to readers who enjoy a strong female lead who, against great odds, dares to follow a dream. The Towers of Tuscany includes a Reader’s Guide making it a perfect Book Club pick! In honor of the Book Blast we are giving away three copies to three lucky readers, see below to enter.

The Towers of TuscanyPublication Date: January 23, 2014
New Arcadia Publishing
Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Genre: Historical Fiction

Set amid the twisting streets and sunlit piazzas of medieval Italy, the Towers of Tuscany tells the story of a woman who dares to follow her own path in the all-male domain of the painter’s workshop. Sofia Barducci is born into a world where a woman is only as good as the man who cares for her, but she still claims the right to make her own mistakes. Her first mistake is convincing her father to let her marry Giorgio Carelli, a wealthy saffron merchant in San Gimignano, the Tuscan city of towers. Trained in secret by her father to create the beautifully-crafted panels and altarpieces acclaimed today as masterpieces of late medieval art, Sofia’s desire for freedom from her father’s workshop leads her to betray her passion and sink into a life of loveless drudgery with a husband who comes to despise her when she does not produce a son.

In an attack motivated by vendetta, Sofia’s father is crushed by his own fresco, compelling Sofia to act or risk the death of her soul. The choice she makes takes her on a journey from misery to the heights of passion—both as a painter and as a woman. Sofia escapes to Siena where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her.

The Towers of Tuscany unites a strong heroine with meticulously researched settings and compelling characters drawn from the rich tapestry of medieval Italy during one of Europe’s most turbulent centuries. The stylishly written plot is packed with enough twists and turns to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.

READ AN EXCERPT.

The Towers of Tuscany

Praise for The Towers of Tuscany

“The Towers of Tuscany is a delightful escape to the Siena we all love. Carol Cram has crafted a delicious story about a strong woman torn between her secret past, her love of painting and the forbidden charms of her rich patron. Hard to resist and highly recommended!” – Anne Fortier, Author of The Lost Sisterhood and the New York Times bestseller, Juliet

“Carol Cram’s lush descriptions and intriguing characters bring this dramatic tale of medieval Tuscany to life. If you love Italian art, a feisty heroine, and a page-turning plot, you will adore this novel.” – Deborah Swift, Author of A Divided Inheritance

“The Towers of Tuscany has all the elements of a wonderful historical novel?a talented, frustrated heroine, a treacherous, feckless husband, and a promise to a dying, much loved father who orders the heroine on a dangerous mission. Carol is a first rate storyteller. The research is well done. Every chapter displays a fine knowledge of painting technique of the 14th century, and customs and mores of the age. The details of dress, fabric, food, are flawless. The clever dialogue and fast pace make the novel zing along.” – Roberta Rich, Author of The Midwife of Venice and The Harem Midwife

“Sofia will set your heart racing as she attempts to find what we all, in our own ways, strive to seek: love, resolution, and artistic freedom. The legacy of this story will leave you yearning for more.” – Cathleen With, award-winning author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls’ Prison

Buy the Book

Amazon (Ebook)
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
IndieBound

About the AuthorCarol Cram

Carol M. Cram has enjoyed a great career as an educator, teaching at Capilano University in North Vancouver for over twenty years and authoring forty-plus bestselling textbooks on business communications and software applications. She holds an MA in Drama from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Carol is currently focusing as much of her attention as she can spare between walks in the woods on writing historical novels with an arts twist.

She and her husband, painter Gregg Simpson, share a life on beautiful Bowen Island near Vancouver, Canada.

Author Links

Website
Blog
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, April 7
Literary Chanteuse
Bibliophilia, Please
Cheryl’s Book Nook
A Bibliotaph’s Reviews
Confessions of an Avid Reader

Tuesday, April 8
Mari Reads
Peeking Between the Pages
History From a Woman’s Perspective

Wednesday, April 9
Reviews by Molly
Susan Heim on Writing
Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, April 10
Passages to the Past
Book Lovers Paradise
To Read or Not to Read
Curling Up With a Good Book

Friday, April 11
Words and Peace
The Mad Reviewer
Historical Fiction Obsession

Saturday, April 12
Book Nerd
Layered Pages
Princess of Eboli
Kelsey’s Book Corner

Sunday, April 13
West Metro Mommy
The True Book Addict
Caroline Wilson Writes

Giveaway

To enter to win one of 3 copies of The Towers of Tuscany please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open internationally.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on April 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter on April 14th and notified via email.
Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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