Beem Weeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "reviews"

I'm currently perusing that big box of books I've collected and read over the past twenty years or so, with the intention of reviewing them here on Goodreads.

Some are quite memorable, an easy review to post. Others, well, truth be told, I've forgotten plots, characters, or whether or not they were any good.

The cool thing is rediscovering a great read I'd let lapse from memory. In some cases it's as if I'm reading it again for the first time. I think that would be a phenomenal gift to possess: the ability to read a great novel, erase the mind, and read it again. And it would work for amazing movies as well. I'd use it for the Nicole Kidman film The Others. What a twist at the end--which is only a twist with that first viewing. If you haven't seen that film, I highly recommend it. (Yeah, it's a slow build, but the payoff at the end is worth every second invested.)

Anyway, I've read some really fantastic novels over the years--some awful ones as well. I used to order books by the bulk from a catalog some years back. The main thing I learned from that experience is that a hardcover book that sells for $1.99 is usually worth less. I didn't keep those bad ones around, so I won't be reviewing them. And that's a shame. It would have been quite fun to put the screws to truly horrible examples of writing--like the novel that began chapter one with the word "the" used no less that fifty times within the opening scene. (No joke. This scene only covered a page and a half.)

So as I continue digging out those dusty remains from decades past I'll post my recollections on my Goodreads page. Hopefully these reviews will encourage others to give a read to one or more of my favorites. Keep reading--and writing!

I've been blessed with a bounty of good publicity over the last couple of weeks. It's taken a lot of hard work, but it's starting to pay off. Here are the recent links:
http://writerchristophfischer.wordpre...

http://www.prideseries.com/blog.html

http://www.bookloads.weebly.com/ (click on Recently Added Books)

http://www.theindietribe.wordpress.com (click on Top Ten Indie Books)

I am quite thrilled and humbled to see this recent burst of interest in my work. Extra big thank you to author Sienna Rose for her kindness and help in the publicity area. Much of this is not possible without her help.

Interesting work, the book review. Some readers base their next purchase on the words of those who read books for a living.

A good reviewer can help a good writer sell few more copies of their hard work. Conversely, a good reviewer can steer the reader away from a book that may not be up to snuff. But the reviewer is not the final word on whether a book is worthy of a reader's fistful of dollars.

Reviewers are human, known to get it wrong every so often. I've read some books that received high praise, only to personally find them to be quite awful. (I won't name titles or authors here.) And of course, there are novels I've found to be amazing and entertaining despite the poor showing among those we trust to lead us to gold.

I'm certainly not a professional reviewer. I don't even play one on TV. I've reviewed about forty books here on my Goodreads page. They are, if nothing else, my honest opinion concerning a story that I've taken the time to read. Most of my reviews here tend to be positive--though I have read some truly terrible books in my time. The bad ones usually go ignored once I'm finished with them. No sense in wasting my time posting negativity. If asked, though, I'll gladly give the dirty lowdown on any particular piece of work that ripped me off.

I'm a writer, first and foremost. I write short stories, a novel, and once upon a time I even wrote record and concert reviews. If something moves me, I'll share this.

So now we come to my point in this posting. I read the novel Bridge Ices Before Road by Sienna Rose. I reviewed this book right here on Goodreads. I sincerely enjoyed this well-written story. If I didn't, I promise you I wouldn't have posted a review. Sienna is a talented writer, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and comment on her work. So it shocked me when I found a review posted on the IndieReader.com site claiming this novel failed to tie up loose ends, leaving readers hanging. This is simply not a correct portrayal of Ms. Rose's work.

This story pulled all those strands together, and matters were resolved in ways that left me both fulfilled and sad. Sad on two accounts: First, I didn't want this story to end. Second, well, I can't tell you without spoiling a key part of the book.

It just amazed me that two people reading the same book could come to such differing conclusions. I've seen it elsewhere, as well. That's the literary world we inhabit. We're going to have differences of opinion on whether a story is good or it sucks. That's not the issue here. This revolves around whether it ended one way or the other. That's like reporting Dorothy never found her way home in The Wizard Of Oz. Critique the story, don't rewrite it.

Anyway, that's my two cents on the subject. I felt the need to speak up because Bridge Ices Before Road is a read worth discovering. There are no issues with the way the story concludes--just a hint of sadness. I understand reviewers have a job to do, but get it right, good review or bad. And just for the record, I seriously LOVE the IndieReader.com site. I use it regularly to find good reads. They've never let me down--until this particular review. Peace.

Hey indie authors. If you haven't discovered Christoph Fischer yet, I invite you to have a look at his book-review/author-interview blog. If you're an avid reader, this is a great place to find a new book, meet an up-and-coming indie author, and maybe take a chance on a genre you might not normally be interested in reading.

If you're an author, he's the guy you want reviewing your work. But I'll warn you up front: Christoph Fischer is honest with his opinion. There's no sugar-coating his reviews. If he likes the work, he'll say so. If he doesn't like it, he'll say so. He even offers each new review/interview in an email to those who sign up for this service. So click on and discover what indie is all about.


http://writerchristophfischer.wordpre...

So the Feeling Shows by Jo Jenner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


So the Feeling Shows is a collection of short stories by indie author Jo Jenner. Jenner has proven herself quite the talent, creating interesting and believable characters, placing them in unique situations that keep the reader involved.

Each story is connected by the threads of human behavior woven throughout the collection. Jenner's stories touch on love and loss and the misguided ways people often deal with these emotions.

Adding little surprise twists to many of her stories only enhances the joy of reading each piece. I truly enjoyed this collection and the style with which Jo Jenner writes. If you are a fan of good slice-of-life fiction, So the Feeling Shows is one you'll not want to miss.



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Reviews, be they for books, music, art, or movies, are important to the creator of the work in question. A good review alerts other readers that a particular book is well worth your time and money. A good review will help a singer or a band ease from struggle to success. Even in the restaurant business, a good review is often the difference between a full dining room and bankruptcy.

At the same token, a bad review can sink a Hollywood picture before it has a chance to open to the general public. Bad reviews are a part of the creative world that every participant will eventually experience. It’s just a fact of life. There’s no such thing as the perfect novel. Somebody somewhere will find something about your work they just don’t like. Even the Beatles found detractors when releasing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album many believe to be a masterpiece.

A review should be an honest, critical appraisal of another’s work. This appraisal will guide customers either toward or away from that person’s hard work. In today’s world of self-publishing, many books get published that aren’t necessarily ready for an audience. The story may be fantastic in theory but severely flawed in execution. (Pay the extra money for the editor!) But even in situations like this, honesty can be achieved without being rude. Something along the lines of: “I read the story and enjoyed it for the most part. The concept is quite entertaining. It could really use a thorough editing, to clean up the poor sentence construction, misspellings, and wrong punctuation. The author would do well to read up on Point Of View.” Civility allows others to know that, though the story is entertaining, there are issues within the text.

Civility! The Oxford American College Dictionary defines that word as: formal politeness and courtesy in behavior and speech; polite remarks used in formal conversation.

Are we capable of civility in today’s cyber world? There’s this awful thing called a revenge review, where people will post negative reviews of books or music just to draw down a particular work’s rating on, say, Amazon.com. Some people, without conscience, will trash a person’s hard work just for the joy of hurting another.

Recently, I became aware of a reader who actually changed her review of a book after it had been posted for some months. The reason? The reviewer had words with the author over something completely unrelated to the author’s work. This is a childish move, to be sure. But it’s also a dangerous slope to tread for the reviewer. By changing a four-star rating to a one, that reviewer loses credibility with those who read that person’s reviews. To change it after months alerts me that there’s something more going on. Did it suddenly dawn on you that the work deserved a single star rather than the four-star glowing review you originally awarded? Or are you being vindictive and childish because somebody called you out on an issue unrelated to the book in question?

A review should always be honest and from the heart. Once it’s been posted, it should be set in stone—unless the author has made corrections to the work, and the reviewer has re-read the book. To change a review—especially after a period of time—lets others know your word is not to be trusted.

Reviews are important. And even though some authors like to downplay their importance, we know reviews help sell books. It’s a simple fact. So when writing your reviews, be kind—even in your criticisms. If a book needs work, approach your review as a teaching opportunity, sharing whatever wisdom and knowledge you possess. Civility goes a long way—and not just for the author, either.

Should indie authors seek reviews from traditional mainstream sources? If we, as writers, opt for the self-published path, should we still consider sending copies of our work to The New York Times or Publishers Weekly?

Roger Sutton, the editor-in-chief of Horn Book magazine, a mainstream book review publication, recently published an open letter to “the indie author feeling dissed.”

In his open letter, Mr. Sutton does make some valid points. He says there are just too many self-published books flooding the market. Some estimates put the number at around 300,000 indie releases per year. To attempt to review even a portion of these works would prove daunting. Imagine being tasked with the responsibility of combing through that many books in search of just a handful of gems or potential gems?

Many self-published works are just plain awful, Mr. Sutton claims. This statement, unfortunately, holds some manner of truth. While he specifically points to children’s books, Mr. Sutton certainly isn’t out of line in stating this as fact. Though I’ve not read many children’s books in recent years, I have come across my fair share of poorly written books in need of serious editorial repair. Some, I would even say, should never have been written. I won’t post a review—good or bad—of those rare, truly-awful stories.

Sutton also points to the fact that many self-published authors have no sense of audience. Again, I’ve experienced this first hand. I get offers to review books fairly often. “I’ll send you a free copy in exchange for a review.” I find these requests in my DM box on Twitter, my message box on Goodreads, and in my email accounts pretty much every day. I’ve accepted some, usually those that grab my attention with the blurb. Most, though, are genres I don’t read: Sci Fi, romance, vampire/werewolf/witch stories. A quick perusal of the books/genres a reviewer has read will let an author know if this person might be interested in reading your book. I wrote a historical fiction novel that I would never think to send to a reviewer that specifically targets the science fiction market. This is just a simple common sense move.

Finally, Sutton claims self-published authors don’t know the market. This is true. But does anybody really know the current, ever-changing market that is the publishing world? Many of the articles I’m reading tell of a shrinking market, of book stores closing, and mainstream publishers struggling to maintain the vast kingdoms they spent the past century building. Every one of us that has published a book understands the biggest obstacle we face is in marketing our work to the world. We don’t have a ready-made audience we can tap into with best-seller results. Most of us lack the big budget needed to get our work before the eyes of hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of readers. I can’t afford to advertise my novel in Writers Digest or Publishers Weekly. I can’t even afford to advertise in my local newspaper on a regular basis.

The point is mainstream reviewers don’t care to review indie books. The Washington Post receives about 150 books a day, says Ron Charles, editor of the Post’s Book World. These books have agents and mainstream publishers backing them. They’ve also been professionally edited and marketed. The Washington Post and other mainstreamers won’t even look at an indie book. I learned this the hard way when I wasted money and time in sending over fifty copies of my novel to some of the biggest newspapers and publications in the United States. That was over two years ago. To this date, I have not heard a single word from any of those publications.

My advice in searching for reviews for your work: Be genre specific. Seek out those reviewers that prefer to read the genre in which you write. Forget mainstream reviewers; most are still snobbish when it comes to judging indie books. If you’ve chosen to go the indie route for publishing, follow that same path when marketing your work. There are many amazing indie review sites that have built solid reputations for offering fair and honest opinions of self-published books. As the indie publishing industry grows stronger, so too will indie marketing and reviews. All of us want that mainstream recognition; just don’t lose your sense of worth if it doesn’t come. Write on and have fun!

Eclectic: Beyond the Skin by Queen Of Spades

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Eclectic: Beyond The Skin is another collection of works by the wonderfully talented poet/author Queen of Spades. Queen offers her unique observations on all those things that make people human. She explores relationships and the issues that either corrupt or strengthen them.

Topics range from tribute to a loved one to the pains of infidelity to a new understanding of Paradise. Self-doubt on one page gives way to inner strength on the next. Queenie's style is rhythmic and to the point.

The poems themselves are arranged into sections titled Epidermis, Dermis, Hypodermis, and Deep Tissue, which is a short story called Misfortune.

Each section, every poem, contains a quiet power designed to open eyes, leading readers to see a piece of themselves within this work. I am able to connect with certain aspects of these personal creations, and anybody who has ever lived and loved and learned will too.

This is a book I will surely return to whenever the mood strikes. I highly recommend this collection to anybody who enjoys tight prose and fantastic imagery. Queen Of Spades is truly a gem to be discovered.



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Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events by Stevie Turner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Full disclosure, I took part in this book, being interviewed by Stevie Turner some years ago. That said, this is an incredible collection of intimate conversations with authors. Each has a story to tell. But these aren't the fictional tales or memoirs for which the authors are known. The stories here speak on sexual abuse, near-death experiences, battles with addiction, depression, and other obstacles life lays at our feet.

Everybody has a story to tell. Often it is the biggest obstacles that lead us into the very breakthroughs needed to move us to the next chapter in life. All of us, as human beings, suffer from various issues at points in our lives. These issues need not destroy us. I have learned more about myself from the very things I've suffered than from and other means.

These are not just issues meant to be feared; these become part of our journey through life. The old adage "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" is something every human must fully realize in order to live life to the fullest. Much solace can be gained from the experiences of others. This collection offers a variety that will surely connect with most who choose to get a copy and read.



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