What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
HOW THIS GROUP WORKS
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Spoilers are OK in the body of your post, but keep them out of your topic header.
Finally! I hate spoilers. People should also get used to doing this when reviewing. Can you believe that I've actually read "professional" review where the reviewer spoiled the ending? I hate that; it's so frustraiting!
Don't really see how I can give enough information for a book to be located without putting in spoilers... especially if the ending is all I remember.
Kris, Well, it's polite then to put major spoilers in spoiler tags via the instructions at (some html is ok). Members who think they've read the book, and even some others, will click and read the spoilers. So, many members will see the entire posting.
Just in case you weren't kidding...that book is by Frank Robinson I believe. It's called The Dark Beyond the Stars.
(i thought you might be kidding because...you know...lots of spoilers, no cut tags)
Shane, and All,When you are looking for a book, please start a new thread. From the group's home page, click new, and select the UNSOLVED folder and post. Otherwise members here are unlikely to see your query.
I'm going to play Devil's Advocate. When I look in this group's unsolved folders, my assumption is that whoever thinks they can help has already read the book. I think it is fair that when you look, you do so expecting spoilers. Certainly, it's what I expect. Besides, it may be difficult to identify what constitutes spoilers and what does not. And that will vary from person to person.If there are spoilers and its a book you want to read, wait a few months and you may well forget the spoilers from reading other books.
I'd go a step further & say that it's often the spoilers, those odd twists & turns, that make a book stand out in my memory. I'm all for posting them as clues, but I don't belong to this group to find new reading material (although it has happened) just to identify old.
I agree with Jim and Debbie. Spoilers often give crucial info that helps identify the book. I usually visit Goodreads on my iPod, and when people hide their spoilers, I can't access them at all. I find it frustrating and prefer it when people just warn me about their spoilers.
Another one agreeing with Jim and Debbie. I don't really see how one can identify the aspects of a book which make it unique without those being called spoilers by someone. And as Jim says, it's the oddities which stick in people's memories and make them want to find the book again.What I find much more annoying are titles which give no information at all - "I can't find this book" or "what's this book called", particularly given the request in bold that they don't do this! I now have a rule that I won't even open such posts - I'd rather know in advance that it's sci-fi or paranormal or something else I don't read and can't help on, or conversely that it's one of my areas and so worth checking out.
I agree with Hj on the topic names. There are hundreds of generic 'help me' posts. If more than a few days go by - often the time it takes my old, cluttered memory to come up with an idea - I can face looking through a dozen or more for the correct book. I'll usually look through a few, depending on time, but it's a matter of luck. If I don't find the right one, I keep my idea to myself. Not what this group is about, I know, so it makes me feel a bit guilty & frustrated.
Mod
I read through all the threads in the Unsolved folder, and I often discover a book that I want to read. There are many of us who look at threads that we might have no clue about it. There are some things that we probably can agree are "spoilers." The butler did it.
The father was TJ.
The ghost is actually her grandmother.
Giving details is necessary for us to identify a book. Giving away the ending is often unnecessary, and can be marked by the tag so that we don't have to see it.
I agree with Kate. Put enough information in the *subject* so that someone scanning the discussion titles has an idea whether or not it's something they might know. Something like "YA mystery set in farm country."
*Then* put spoilers in the body of the message, but hide them behind the 'some html is ok -> spoiler tags'. Something like < spoiler >The cow did it.< /spoiler > (Take out the spaces to make the tag work.)
Sorry for those who want "spoilers" identified. The fact that this is a group to help people find books they don't remember is really all the "there may be spoilers" warning anyone should need. Including possible endings. When I look for a book and post here, I'm not writing a review. I'm not writing to folks who might want to read the book based on my description. The intended audience of these posts are people who have already read the book and know the ending.
That is the audience I write to. I want to make it as easy for THEM as I can. So, yes, the topic should be meaningful. But requiring them to click on the spoiler tag makes more work for them. And some folks can't do that, depending on the hardware they are using. But I will include best details that I can, which well may include the ending. As I said before, they already know it.
Folks might come in and, seeing my description and think they might like the book but, dang, I've given away the ending? To be blunt, not my problem.
@Debbie completely agree with you! In order to be able to find a book for someone you need to know everything that person can remember.
Also agree that since people are looking for titles of books it is inevitable that spoilers will be posted. How else can someone identify a book? Without spoilers the descriptions would be very generic and fit many titles. Spoilers are what make it easier to help identify the titles.
Most of the time when I am looking for books on this group, I write down everything that I can remember. When this happens it usually is spoilers and its how I roll when I try to remember books. I start to think about the book, like the main characters and the plot and there I go, writing it all down.I'm with everyone who said that spoilers should be expected because that is the only way to find the book. I have a really hard time remembering books if it was a long time ago that I had read them without the spoilers. I mean, I usually mark down on the title saying SPOILERS some where in the title. If people don't like reading spoilers they should just leave that post alone right?
Pretty much, right. And when we remember a book, we might not remember if the bit that we recall *is* a spoiler or not. Maybe it's a bit that's revealed early on.So don't worry about it, Drizzt, others.
Just, if you do happen to catch yourself revealing something you know is a big spoiler, and can add the spoiler tags, please do so.
I don't know if mine has a spoiler or not. I do reveal the end...but so far no one has recognized it so I hate to take out details.
No worries - this group is full of spoilers and anyone visiting us has got to be aware of that.
I hid the spoiler under a warning.
Mod
A good example of a book where people remember different things is Invitation to the Game. If you click on the book in our bookshelf, it shows the people who have searched for it, and you'll get this:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...
and
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
and
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
and
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
and
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Which, as you can see, just from these descriptions, aren't really similar at all. (BTW--good book, I had to get a copy of it to read when the 4th person looking for it posted the search.)
Yeah, I get that. I've had the experience of having someone describe a book to me and they something totally different from it.
Can we edit the opening post to reflect that spoilers are ok? This thread is heavily confusing for new members,
Mod
Lobstergirl wrote: "I changed it to reflect what seems like the consensus people are happiest with."I don't know which book it is. I don't have any idea if what I remember is a spoiler, but no spoilers in the subject line? OK, I'll put "Help, please."
What people are saying is 1) have the subject line meaningful and 2) be forewarned, there will be unidentified spoilers.
Mod
What people are saying is 1) have the subject line meaningful and 2) be forewarned, there will be unidentified spoilers. "
Please don't put "Help, please" as your header. Honestly, that just wastes time and effort because it means a mod or another member will beg you to add info to your header, and if you don't, a mod will probably end up doing it for you.
It's better to put as much info as you can in the header; if you have no idea whether something is a spoiler or not, that's up to your discretion to put it in the header or leave it out. Something that would obviously be a spoiler is, "Turned out Grandma murdered the whole family."
I am searching for a title & author to a book (1960s) about a clergyman who must rid his village church of demon and only exacerbates the situation through his mild manners and amiable personality. The said demons become attached to him and follow him around like pets. There was a sequel to this humorous horror novel and both were later published together. It is an adult story that takes place in a rural part of Britain I think. It is out-of-print. I know that much, and would recognise the title or author if my memory was jogged. Any ideas? Thanks. johnhcoffman2@gmail.com
John - you would do better to start a new thread and not post your question in this one
Can we have ONE simplified tagged masterpost that outlines all the rules and guidelines to posting in this group? All the different threads are confusing, unnecessary, and clutter up the top of the page.
I'm having trouble posting a new topic. It keeps telling me that i need to verify my email before I post. I've signed in and out, I don't know what to do.
Mod
Post about this in Feedback Group - we have no control over this here.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Mod
I agree this needs to be done. It requires mod coordination and discussion (unless someone decides to be a dictator) which is why it hasn't happened yet. Also GR thread system doesn't allow you to pin ONE thread at the top exclusively if you have multiple sticky threads, so every time someone posts in a sticky thread, it rises to the top, above of the READ THIS FIRST post.
Mod
I agree this needs to be done. It requires mod coordination and discussion (unless someone decides to be a dictator) which is why it hasn't happened yet. Also GR thread system doesn't allow you to pin ONE thread at the top exclusively if you have multiple sticky threads, so every time someone posts in a sticky thread, it rises to the top, above of the READ THIS FIRST post.
Lobstergirl, are you volunteering to be a dictator in this case? Fine by me. :) I know you spend a lot of time reminding members of the rules. A concise list of rules and instructions would help us all.
Mod
What about making a rules folder at very top of group and sticky it?
Mod
Mod
Um, I am new here so I'd like to ask a question but I don't really know where to ask. Is it alright to post query from any genre? I mean, would it be offensive if I post a thread searching for erotica or alternative lifestyle romance novels? There's a MM book I wanted to find but I'm not sure whether it's allowed in this group.
Yes, we've had many people searching for M/M fiction. It's helpful to mention it's a M/M book in the thread title.
Mod
We are not a clean group. We are an unclean group.
Okay. Many thanks, Bargle and Lobstergirl.
Lobstergirl wrote: "Bargle wrote: "There's a MM book I wanted to find but I'm not sure whether it's allowed in this group. "We are not a clean group. We are an unclean group."
Hahaha! I love it!
Mod
Yes, we're not a horribly smelly, filthy group, just a bit dingy.
Bargle wrote: "Yes, we're not a horribly smelly, filthy group, just a bit dingy."Yup!
Lisa wrote: "If at all possible, when you post, please do not put spoilers in your topic title.Also, if you remember sufficient details about a book for people to find it without using spoilers, please try to..."
What is the current obsession with Spoilers? Who invented the term Spoilers? If people read a review, do they not want a person's opinion of the book or just the touchyfeelygood parts?
If you don't want to encounter spoilers, don't read reviews.
Spend your dollars and buy a book and read for yourself what happens, instead of relying on others opinions before venturing out to spend your money. When did the world become so precious about oh dear, now I know something...oh well I'll just cry and say You Spoiled It For Me. Spoilers is another wrap-yourself-in-cotton-wool way of not wanting to know but wanting to know because you're reading a review aren't you?
People somehow need to read reviews instead of reading the cover of the book before they feel safe to buy and read the whole thing in case they get a shock?
"Having Said That, Let Me Say This..." (to quote that famous Prime Minister)....I like to discover a plot, the characters, the ending, what happens, throughout a book for myself, instead of being told in advance. I agree with that. However "hiding Spoilers" should be an unnecessary concept, as should "Spoiler Alerts" in the first place ... because if you don't want to know, don't read reviews. Just buy the book yourself and don't listen to reviews previews or watch previews of movies, just spend your dollars and enjoy discovery for yourself.
I agree that People should not give the secrets of a book away, whether in the title or in the body, and people who purport to "write a review" but proceed only to repeat what's on the cover notes or the publisher's synopsis, are not writing a review, just repeating what's already written by somebody else. That's not a review. People just want to gab on, and it can be fun expressing our views on what we read and view. Thanks for the discussion.
CriminalRepurcussions wrote: "What is the current obsession with Spoilers? Who invented the term Spoilers? If people read a review, do they not want a person's opinion of the book or just the touchyfeelygood parts?If you don't want to encounter spoilers, don't read reviews...."
Ehhhh, I don't get worked up about spoilers.
I think it's fair for people not to want to know what happens before they get to experience it for themselves. I don't think it's ok for them to berate anyone for giving away the details if they go looking for info about the book. But wanting to come into a story without foreknowledge of the details is their choice, as long as they're willing to take the steps to preserve that for themselves rather than putting that burden on others. And spoiler alerts are a fairly simple courtesy to make that easier to accomplish for each person depending on their preference.
I do wonder if the people who are rabid about not knowing "spoilers" beforehand (and will pass by a book they feel has been "spoiled") are the same people who won't ever reread a book.
But I'm not sure if you're in quite the right place for sparking this discussion and you might find more fertile ground in another spot. Since this thread is about something a bit more specific and group oriented, rather than spoilers in general. It's perfectly reasonable to ask that the posters try to keep spoilers out of thread titles here, since there's no way to anticipate what books are being discussed in this group. And it wouldn't be fair (or at all helpful since we'd lose their input) to exclude spoiler-sensitive people because they couldn't avoid them here other than by avoiding the group entirely.
Yep, we're all different. the topic itself, the invention called "Spoilers" has become enormous and people are scared of encountering a Spoiler and the fact that they need an "alert" makes it all a bit squeamish and in my view an unnecessary new generation thing. Why not just avoid reading comments by others and read for self and make up own mind. Book cover notes can entice or not entice, self-sufficient. That's all. We're all entitled to comment if we happen to see something pop up to comment on, and I saw a comment to comment on in this very place, which was right at the time.
Thanks.
The other day I came across a spoiler for a book which included the death of the hero. And yes I was ticked off. Just because I was looking for a better symposis then the book blurb supplied doesn't mean people should give a way huge key points. As it was with me, I was reading reviews for a book which I already had read, so knew the ending. But the reviewer compared it to a completely different book and gave a way the ending to that novel, one that was also in my to reads list.
It does spoil things. It's common curtesy to say before hand that you're giving away a spoiler.
Who likes to go to a movie and know the whole thing before they watch it?
Also, if you remember sufficient details about a book for people to find it without using spoilers, please try to avoid them, especially in your first query post.
By the way, check out the (some html link is ok) link at the top right of these comment boxes. We now have the ability to mark as spoilers only parts of our posts. Please use the spoilers html for what other readers/members might consider spoilers for your books.
One of the pitfalls of this group is that sometimes reading spoilers is necessary for members to help find books, but not always. Please use your judgement and post spoilers only if either that's all you remember about a book and/or if you feel they're necessary for others to know what books you are searching for.
Thank you!