I love Eleni's (La Femme Readers) Question of the Day which today is: "Have you ever been in a reading funk? If so, what have you done to get out of it?"In answer to Eleni's question:
I've been in funks where I get a stretch of book that are just lousy. It's hard for me to quit reading a book I've started and I get depressed when I get a string of them I don't like. Usually, I just keep plugging away in hopes of finding a good one, or, failing that, I get an old favorite and re-read it. That gets me in a better frame of mind and gives me hope that there is another great book out there for me to find.
My question to you is:
Have you ever read and book and didn't know if you liked it or not?
That may sound stupid but... I just recently finished a popular teen paranormal novel and honestly, I don't know if I liked it or not.
Overall I didn't hate it or love it. I did love and hate large parts of it. But I'm not sure I even have an in-between "like it" thing going on. I did like some parts, dislike others... I've never had such a range of strong feelings on a book before. It's like all the emotions canceled each other out and I'm left feeling numb and confused.
The book was weird and now I'm feeling weird.
Has this happened to you? And if so, how did you write the review? I'm really at a loss.
23 comments:
Was the book you just finished Beautiful Creatures, Hush, Hush, or Fallen??? All three of them left me wondering if I liked them or not. Especially Fallen and Hush, Hush!
Thankfully, I rarely review books so it wasn't too bad. I ended up taking Fallen and Hush, Hush and writing a comparison/contrast review since they were both about angels. *shrug* worked for me, ya know.
That's a great idea! I'll try to find something to compare this to. Thanks!
Write a mini review! :) Well all else fails I keep it simple.
It's happened to me many times.Strangely, it happened when I read a very popular paranormal novel, too!I am not a review expert, but I guess you should be honest and write exactly how you feel.If you hated or loved bits of it, you should say which they were and why you hated or loved them.Or just say that you felt weird reading it and explain the reasons.Being open about it and not writing a good review just because the majority of people liked it,is the way to go IMO.
Juju - I always love you're mini reviews!
AtenRa - Honesty is best, you're right. I just feel so strange. Thanks for the advice and support!
Glad I got your thoughts flowing with my question! :) Yeah it totally happens to me all the time. The most recent one was Sing Me To Sleep. Most of the time it had 5 star reviews so I was excited to read it. But blah I didn't like it, it was just okay to me. Nothing special. So don't feel bad it happens all the time! :)
Yes! That happened to me with Hush Hush and Liar, although I think I'm leaning toward not liking in both cases.
Sometimes, I read books I know are technically good, but was kind of on the fence about them or didn't enjoy them. I guess that's when I get confused separating my own opinions from the book's undeniable quality. ya know?
This happens to me all the time. Then I figure, if I can't tell then I must not have liked it very much. Or perhaps I didn't like it, but the writing was good so I'm torn..
Oh yeah - I get this. There are books out there that the writing is good, the genre, but something doesnt mesh.....
This has definitely happened to me before! I start reading a really popular book that is supposed to be excellent, and don't really get into it like I feel I should. I always wonder if I'm missing the point or something. It's strange!
Sometimes, i mean it annoys the heck out me. Than when i have 2 write a review i'm confused and all i can think about is um...blah lol.
The more popular the book, the more confused I get before I write the review. I'm *supposed* to love this book, now what?!?
I'm honest. That's why people read my reviews. They want me to tell them the way I see it. Walking into a book store can be overwhelming for many people, and if there is a book that you only have lukewarm feelings toward, you have to let your readers know. That's just my opinion.
Oh I've so been there with the reading funk. It's worse when the book is almost 500 pages. I've just started reviewing books (as of tomorrow), so I haven't had the problem yet as a reviewer. Not sure how I'm going to approach it. I'm going to learn from you. ;)
Can't wait to see which paranormal book you were reading.
yes!!!!
i have had a heap of books like that recently...im kind of at a lost for feeling when it comes to what i just read...
i hate that feeling! it usually takes me a couple of days to digest what i read properly and work toward an review.
I've had books where I'm unsure of what to rate them. But I can't remember not knowing if I did or didn't like it. Usually by the end of the book I can tell, sometimes I'll be confused in the middle.
I felt that exact way about The Forest of Hands and Teeth, so in my review I said I wasn't sure how I felt, and then I discussed the good points and the bad points.
I felt that way after reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer, and I feel that way a lot when it comes to movies. Usually if I think about them over the next couple days (i.e. I couldn't write a review for The Host til 3 days after I finished reading it) and let them sink in rather than worry about what to say about them I can determine whether I liked them or not, or at least parts that I liked and didn't like.
Well...I recently read Never Cry Werewolf and I exactly felt like this.It was nice,but I can't decide if I liked it or not.
Thank the Book Gods I have never had a string of lousy books but there has been a few where I was like... "Huh...ugh!!"
OMG! bookaholic, Never Cry Wolf was not very great! I fell bad for saying it but it was junk but I finished it. If there were an installment I wouldnt read it.
I think you have to just be honest in the review. Lay it out what you liked and what you didn't like, and that it left you feeling indifferent (which is NOT a ringing endorsment for a book) and let people draw their own conclusions.
ALL The time!!
Post a Comment