tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post6937154349464436927..comments2024-03-18T16:17:17.012-06:00Comments on Read All The Things!: Discussion: I Review Books, Not PeopleAj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-60511941312763053262016-03-23T18:21:09.984-06:002016-03-23T18:21:09.984-06:00Wow, reading about those reviews you mentioned is ...Wow, reading about those reviews you mentioned is horrifying me! That makes me sad too. You're right that no one deserves that.<br /><br />I think a review for a memoir should be about what you said, the writing and whatnot, not the person. I think it's fair to talk about how entertaining or not or whatever the book as a whole was, but bashing the person personally is going too far. I've never actually reviewed a memoir though. I have one autobiography review in waiting, but it's not even the personal kind of memoir you're talking about, so I'm afraid I'm not of much help with this!Kit @ Metaphors and Moonlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10113986982046115579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-22225463334374093412016-03-23T15:43:10.594-06:002016-03-23T15:43:10.594-06:00Interesting points! I don't read memoirs, but ...Interesting points! I don't read memoirs, but I can see what you are saying. If I were to review one, I wouldn't mention the characters or plot. I totally agree you can't criticize something that is real. It is what it is.<br /><br />Jen @ <a href="http://booksthathook.com" rel="nofollow">Books That Hook</a>Jen @ bthreviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05033876906709771911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-90555266335435354982016-03-14T08:38:30.523-06:002016-03-14T08:38:30.523-06:00Yes! I would hate to be attacked for bad decisions...Yes! I would hate to be attacked for bad decisions that I made a long time ago. Everyone makes mistakes and changes over time.<br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-16688585110929280432016-03-14T08:35:51.362-06:002016-03-14T08:35:51.362-06:00I think the plot and character progression is why ...I think the plot and character progression is why I prefer fiction, too. Characters almost always change by the end of a novel, but that doesn’t happen in nonfiction.<br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-40105503799384415992016-03-14T08:31:39.144-06:002016-03-14T08:31:39.144-06:00I agree. Reading memoirs is a different experience...I agree. Reading memoirs is a different experience than reading fiction. For me, memoirs are a lot more intense because they’re real. That’s probably why I don’t read a ton of them.<br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-30974920778258713712016-03-14T08:29:40.776-06:002016-03-14T08:29:40.776-06:00I’ve heard that Felicia Day’s memoir is really goo...I’ve heard that Felicia Day’s memoir is really good. I’d love to see your review if you read it.<br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-84970504366606981132016-03-14T08:27:07.407-06:002016-03-14T08:27:07.407-06:00I think that’s a good way to do it. I just wrote a...I think that’s a good way to do it. I just wrote a review of a memoir (it’ll be posted in a few days), and I tried to focus on my enjoyment and not on the real people/real events.<br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-77142121471855241702016-03-14T08:24:40.148-06:002016-03-14T08:24:40.148-06:00Interesting. I try really hard not to let my perso...Interesting. I try really hard not to let my personal feelings about a character influence my review too much. I understand that everyone will have different feelings, but mind blowingly stupid characters get on my nerves. It feels mean to call a real person mind blowingly stupid in a review. That’s one of my issues with reviewing memoirs. <br /><br />Aj @ <a href="http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Read All The Things!</a>Aj @ Read All The Things!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-15922673720944589162016-03-13T09:04:34.966-06:002016-03-13T09:04:34.966-06:00I enjoy memoirs, and I have reviewed them. I do re...I enjoy memoirs, and I have reviewed them. I do review them like other nonfiction reads. For me, it is about how the story was told, not who the person was or the decisions they made. I'm sure people would disagree with some of the poor decisions I've made in my life, but that judgement doesn't reflect how a person has grown, the lessons learned, or the changes made. I loved this post - very thought provoking!Lisa @ Reading, Writing, and Random Musingshttp://www.readingwritingandrandommusings.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-42758299127909494482016-03-12T08:54:28.896-07:002016-03-12T08:54:28.896-07:00I have a really hard time with memoirs for just th...I have a really hard time with memoirs for just this reason. I've really only read one in recent years and I struggled with how to rate it - or even talk about it. On the one hand, it was fun and interesting, but on the other hand, the guy did things that make me shake my head and they kind of bugged me. I actually had to say that if it were a fictional book, I would have been frustrated with the lack of character development and a lot of the decisions being made, but since this was a REAL person, I had to cut him a lot more slack. In real life, we don't always learn from our mistakes immediately and change is sometimes very hard to achieve. In real life, we don't always get the "plot progression" that we'd like. It's why I prefer fiction!!<br /><br />Nicole @ <a href="http://feedyourfictionaddiction.com" rel="nofollow">Feed Your Fiction Addiction</a>Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08637114079800138680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-81286054772251206382016-03-10T18:24:13.964-07:002016-03-10T18:24:13.964-07:00I really like memoirs. They tend to touch me in so...I really like memoirs. They tend to touch me in some way. I think because it's real life, real stories. I just review my enjoyment or lack thereof. I try to keep my own opinion about actual events out of it. Great post!Jazmenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14218708787382167027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-27577565831142144992016-03-10T18:13:42.553-07:002016-03-10T18:13:42.553-07:00This is a hard one because, unlike Jen, I definite...This is a hard one because, unlike Jen, I definitely let my feelings about the characters influence my rating. If I cannot stand the main character, the book isn't going to get 5 stars from me. I've actually never reviewed a memoir, so I can't say how I'd handle that. The only one I'm super interested in reading is Felicia Day's You're Never Weird On the Internet (Almost) and I already love her! This really is a thought-provoking topic. <br /><br />Tracy @ <a href="http://wwww.cornerfolds.com" rel="nofollow">Cornerfolds</a>Tracy https://www.blogger.com/profile/10715236765292209452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-7179700210858736702016-03-10T11:33:19.978-07:002016-03-10T11:33:19.978-07:00I guess I look at memoirs differently. I do let fi...I guess I look at memoirs differently. I do let fictional characters thoughts and actions influence my rating of the book because it does contribute to my overall enjoyment of the experience. But with memoirs (which I usually don't love), I rate the book more on whether I think the author's story made a good book and whether I enjoyed reading it. If a memoir jumps around a lot and doesn't really tell a cohesive story, I'll rate it low - but my comments would be on writing style and plot development, not on decisions the author made in their real life. I agree that it's harsh to criticize someone's choices. I do think it's valid to comment on whether or not they wrote a good book from their life experiences.Kate Ungerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11405706702674012331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-3021927560775625102016-03-10T08:31:22.005-07:002016-03-10T08:31:22.005-07:00I think reviewing memoirs is the same thing as rev...I think reviewing memoirs is the same thing as reviewing fiction. I hardly ever let my personal dislike of the main character influence the rating. A lot of reviewers do this, rate a book low, simply because they wouldn't be friends with the characters in real life. I generally don't read memoirs of people that aren't in the public eye / that I don't know, so I don't really have much experience with rating books about the lives of complete strangers. Non-fiction isn't really my thing, but I salute you for trying to read more!<br /><br />- Jen from <a href="http://thebookavid.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">The Bookavid</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14732849096161512735noreply@blogger.com