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Schola
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1867
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 Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject: Book Blogging |
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Why are they so popular???
This may seem like a total no-brainer to others, but I'm not really familiar with book blogs. Yeah, I know about Dear Author and Smart Bitches, but I don't visit unless I'm searching for reviews of a certain title and am directed to their old relevant posts. (While I'm confessing: I don't even visit the AAR blog!  )
Book blogs finally showed up on my radar recently because of the new FTC guidelines about "reviews" vs. "endorsements"--and I thought that if people were trying to get laws passed, then this must be a real phenomenon!
Anyway, I've made the rounds of a random sample of book blogs, and am still pretty clueless about their appeal. I vastly prefer the message board as a medium for discussing books. I mean, I don't see the point of following a book blog unless the blogger has a unique personality and voice that give his reviews something extra, but so many of the blogs I've seen so far are just so generic.
Not to offend anyone who has a book blog!  I'm sure yours would knock my socks off! 
Well, I've rambled on long enough. Thoughts? 
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"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton) |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4722
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: Book Blogging |
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n/t
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.....must we dream our dreams, and have them too?
-Elizabeth Bishop
"Questions of Travel"
Last edited by xina on Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Claire
Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 1091
Location: around Atlanta
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| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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I don't read a lot of other book blogs. I read DearAuthor occasionally and once in a while Smart Bitches. DA seems to be more for the author community than for readers. I like their reviews but there's too many blogs about other blogs and Amazon/industry issues.
Is AAR considered a blog? I love the message board forum here and how it connects readers and how anyone can start a thread on just about anything.
I think with a lot of blogs and twitter and Facebook, after a while there's just too much of it. For me, that is. |
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Kristie(J)
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 803
Location: Southwestern Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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One of the big reasons I started a blog - quite some time ago now - is I like to ramble on (and as some, like my family, would say) and on and on and on. But I never felt right about doing long-winded posts here. But by having my very own forum so to speak, I can go on (and as some, like my family, would say) and on and on as long as I want to
In addition, I like to talk about other stuff sometimes in a not so well known venue as AAR. An example recently was two other bloggers and I did a week long series of posts on Western Romance and why we all would like to see them make a comeback. Such a thing wouldn't work here.
And oftentimes I like getting more into detail then what happens here.
And then of course, sometimes I just like to hear myself talk - though of course I don't 'hear' myself 'talk' when it's a different way of communication. More of a read myself written.
A lot more of 'me' comes out in a blog then on a message board - if that makes any sense.
And to Claire - no, AAR is not a blog. AAR is a site that is hosted - and costs money (I think but I'm not sure) to have it 'hosted' whereas many blogs are free to set up and with just one or a few people involved in making it tick. I don't understand all the technical stuff involved in running a 'site' but I do know it takes a LOT more time and effort.
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Ramblings on Romance, etc.
http://kristiej.blogspot.com/ |
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Susan/DC
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 1252
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| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:25 pm Post subject: Book blogs |
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| Claire wrote: |
Is AAR considered a blog? I love the message board forum here and how it connects readers and how anyone can start a thread on just about anything. |
AAR as a whole isn't a blog, but it has a blog within it. If you go to the home page there is a link. |
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Schola
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1867
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:59 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, everyone! 
| xina wrote: | | There are a couple that seem to operate without prejudice, but mostly they can't separate themselves from personal opinions. |
Does this mean that you wish the reviews on blogs would be more objective?
I find that I prefer book bloggers who have strong, unique personalities, even if their reviews are a trifle subjective. If I want to get more balanced reviews, I know where else I can go.
_________________
"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton) |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4722
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:48 am Post subject: |
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n/t
_________________
.....must we dream our dreams, and have them too?
-Elizabeth Bishop
"Questions of Travel"
Last edited by xina on Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CD
Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Posts: 529
Location: Somewhere in South Asia
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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I do like book blogs as they often review books which are bit "out there" or out of the mainstream. And it's sometimes good to get different points of view before buying a book.
Yes, they are pretty subjective and at times very much their own insular community, but then that's their right - if you don't agree or with or like them, you are under no obligation to keep visiting. Like with reviewers here or people in general, you pretty easily find out which ones you agree with and which ones you don't.
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"Socialism to help sick people - bad.
Socialism to help billionaires - good." |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4722
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| CD wrote: |
Yes, they are pretty subjective and at times very much their own insular community, but then that's their right - if you don't agree or with or like them, you are under no obligation to keep visiting. Like with reviewers here or people in general, you pretty easily find out which ones you agree with and which ones you don't. |
Yes, well..if you can't respect the attitude or behavior of certain blogs and bloggers, it is best not to visit. Which is why I don't. Good thing there are soooo many other choices in the online romance community. They aren't the only game in town, right?
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.....must we dream our dreams, and have them too?
-Elizabeth Bishop
"Questions of Travel" |
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Schola
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1867
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| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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I'm glad that CD brought up the insular communities that seem to form around popular book blogs. It does seem that everyone follows his own followers and that there are very well defined social circles.
I don't have a book blog, but recently participated in a "book review party" on someone else's. He immediately started following my blog, which was nice of him . . . but I also got the sense that book blog etiquette dictated that I start following his.
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"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton) |
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LFL
Joined: 05 May 2007
Posts: 425
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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I blog for Dear Author (under the name Janine). I've also been posting at AAR on and off for roughly a decade, so I understand the appeal of message boards as well. I think both forms have their strengths and I like to think that it's not a competition.
I totally get that DA and other blogs are not for everyone, and I don't expect everyone to love what we do. I'm cool with that. And it is true that there are some authors who hang out there whom we are friendly with.
But with regard to reviews and objectivity/subjectivity.... all reviews are nothing but subjective opinions.
Having said that, I can also tell you that our positive reviews have run the gamut from reviews of books by authors who post at DA, authors who have never set foot there (I have never seen hide nor hair of Eva Ibbotson for example, yet I gave The Countess Below Stairs a rare straight A), and authors who have been outright rude to us. I won't name them, but they exist, and we have given some of their books glowing reviews. By the same token, we've given some negative reviews to very nice people, including ones who post at DA.
And then there the times we disagree in our opinions of a book. For example The Spymaster's Lady got A range grades from Jane and Jayne, and a DNF from me. Elizabeth Hoyt's The Raven Prince is another book I couldn't finish but Jane and Jayne adored. If we were basing our grades on how much time the authors spend at our blog, or how nice they are to us, then surely our grades would match. But often they don't.
I like to think that our reviews speak for themselves. Ultimately, though, everyone has to decide whether or not they agree, and I don't mind if we are not everyone's cuppa.
As for good blogs to recommend, personally I really love RRR (racyromancereviews.com). |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4722
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Schola wrote: | I'm glad that CD brought up the insular communities that seem to form around popular book blogs. It does seem that everyone follows his own followers and that there are very well defined social circles.
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Yes, insular describes, very well, some romance novel review blogs. Sadly, I stay very far away from authors that frequent blogs I find intolerable. My own personal choice, but I wonder if I'm not alone in that choice. **shrug**
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.....must we dream our dreams, and have them too?
-Elizabeth Bishop
"Questions of Travel" |
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JaneO
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
Posts: 506
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| Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Schola wrote:
I'm glad that CD brought up the insular communities that seem to form around popular book blogs. It does seem that everyone follows his own followers and that there are very well defined social circles.
Yes, insular describes, very well, some romance novel review blogs. Sadly, I stay very far away from authors that frequent blogs I find intolerable. My own personal choice, but I wonder if I'm not alone in that choice. **shrug** |
I think I must be missing something here. Why shouldn't particular blogs be insular? After all, my close friends aren't necessarily someone else's close friends and vice versa. If a particular blog appeals to some people and not others, what is wrong with that? It seems to me that one of the great advantages of the Internet, and blogs and so on, is that you can find people whose views, interests, etc., correspond to yours, or at least intersect in interesting ways, despite geographic/social/age/whatever differences. A blog that tried to appeal to everyone would shortly become very boring (or would turn into a politician).
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JaneO |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4722
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:30 am Post subject: |
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| JaneO wrote: |
quote]
I think I must be missing something here. Why shouldn't particular blogs be insular? After all, my close friends aren't necessarily someone else's close friends and vice versa. If a particular blog appeals to some people and not others, what is wrong with that? It seems to me that one of the great advantages of the Internet, and blogs and so on, is that you can find people whose views, interests, etc., correspond to yours, or at least intersect in interesting ways, despite geographic/social/age/whatever differences. A blog that tried to appeal to everyone would shortly become very boring (or would turn into a politician). |
Nothing wrong with blogs being insular. I don't find certain ones intolerable because of that. I have other reasons for getting that impression, but it isn't because of being insular. And you are absolutely right that the advantage of the Internet is the wide variety of places to visit. I only have an opinion of certain blogs. Nothing wrong with that either.
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.....must we dream our dreams, and have them too?
-Elizabeth Bishop
"Questions of Travel" |
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Schola
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1867
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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| LFL wrote: | But with regard to reviews and objectivity/subjectivity.... all reviews are nothing but subjective opinions.
Having said that, I can also tell you that our positive reviews have run the gamut from reviews of books by authors who post at DA, authors who have never set foot there (I have never seen hide nor hair of Eva Ibbotson for example, yet I gave The Countess Below Stairs a rare straight A), and authors who have been outright rude to us. I won't name them, but they exist, and we have given some of their books glowing reviews. By the same token, we've given some negative reviews to very nice people, including ones who post at DA. |
This is funny! It's not what I meant when I made a distinction between "objective" and "subjective" reviews--though I can see now why someone from the other side of the fence would think that. I hadn't even known until recently that authors have been participating with bloggers to such a great degree.
What I meant was that some reviews are so "straight" and boring and proper that they might as well have been written by Harriet M. Klausner, but others are full of personality and sass. I consider the former "objective" and the latter "subjective"--and I know what I'd rather read. I want to discuss books with readers who have unique reactions to them, and that is reflected in the Book Blogs I am drawn to.
| JaneO wrote: | | I think I must be missing something here. Why shouldn't particular blogs be insular? After all, my close friends aren't necessarily someone else's close friends and vice versa. If a particular blog appeals to some people and not others, what is wrong with that? It seems to me that one of the great advantages of the Internet, and blogs and so on, is that you can find people whose views, interests, etc., correspond to yours, or at least intersect in interesting ways, despite geographic/social/age/whatever differences. A blog that tried to appeal to everyone would shortly become very boring (or would turn into a politician). |
I see we have more confusion when it comes to terms. When I jumped on CD's term "insular," I was thinking of a reader ghetto in which people only read what's in their comfort zone. There's nothing wrong with that, as you say. Yet just because something isn't wrong doesn't mean I'm not allowed to say I find it flat and boring.
As for blogs that try to appeal to everyone: I can think of one which doesn't seem to try but manages to attract a huge cross-section of readers. I'd say it's because the blogmistress happens to have very catholic tastes and an endearing personality. I can never predict what book she's going to discuss next or what she's going to say about it, and that's what keeps me going back.
_________________
"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton) |
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