Shitsies this blog post thing is hard.

 

You never know if your view (opinion) on a certain matter is going to be taken lightly, blown epically out of all proportion or make people hate you.

 

It’s sad actually, that we as humans can’t discuss thoughts and emotion on different matters and opinions diplomatically; there’s always that one idiot [I can also sometimes be classed in this category (or a bunch of assholes)] that tries to turn it into an argument by enforcing their views as the only God-given right on the topic. Most of the time it turns into a war – one ugly mess of shade being thrown at each other about stuff completely unrelated to what started the topic in the first place. Sad but true.

 

(But in all honesty, no matter how we look at it, it’s not really any one’s fault – bear with me before you start stabbing me, okay?)

 

One such topic that always make sparks and sets wildfires a-blazing, are reviews. (What’s that? Do I hear pitchforks, torches and an angry mob?)

 

But what is a review worth?

 

A lot.

 

Good reviews. Bad reviews. Ugly reviews. All points in between. Reviews that are just there to start up a shitstorm, even those that don’t really makes sense.

 

My point? They all carry weight to them.

 

Ultimately a review is nothing more than one person’s opinion of a book.

 

And it comes down to one simple little word – interpretation.

 

We as humans have one of the greatest flawed designs ever known in existence.

 

Individuality.

(I should mention that in this post I’m using the word to refer not to physical appearance, but opinion, perception and interpretation.)

 

It is both a beautiful blessing and an evil curse.

 

It has sparked wars, death, endless violence, cruelty, hardship, slavery etc, but it has also given us so much. If not for individuality; where would we be today? Still living in the dark ages, believing science is wrong? That Darwin’s views of evolution is some wicked spell of the devil, and blasphemy against God and the church? That the sun rotates around the earth and not the other way around?

It is because people saw the world in their own way, questioning law, religion and the old ways that they saw things differently or looked at them from a different perspective.

 

Our individuality gets shaped by our upbringing, our life experiences, and those who surround us.

 

Our individuality can take on one of two natures; we either agree with our peers; parents, religion, society, governments. Or we stand against them, questioning their views and believes, their rules and their regulations.

 

(The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a very insightful page on Rationalism vs. Empiricism.)

 

But getting back to book reviews and the weight they carry.

 

A book review can say a lot about the reviewer as like a book can say a lot about its author.

 

And I believe this is fairly influenced by one’s interpretation. Interpretation can swing both ways: the way we perceive the words is directly affected by the way the author presents the words.

 

Most reviews are sparked by either the reader agreeing with the author and characters, or disagreeing with the author and the characters because their actions and decisions are not favorable to the reader’s morals, views of life or on a certain subject.

 

And here comes the heart of my blog post.

 

We suck at reviews.

 

We allow our personal dilemmas, baggage, views and beliefs to influence our reading and ultimately shape our reviews in the end.

 

Hello, guilty here too. How many of us would even admit that what I said above is true?

 

So many times I read reviews and it seems more to me we’re sharpening our vendetta knives to force our personal beliefs and views on a book. (Yeah, I have done it too, a lot.)

 

We see something we don’t like in a book and we’re upset, the volcano rumbles and from there on out, no matter what the author or the characters do, they’re just not going to win us back, unless some miraculous miracle stops that damn volcano from erupting.

 

Trust me, I’ve been there, read a lot of books that misinterpret and misrepresent BDSM, and I’m already raising my hackles and sharpening my fangs.

 

Maybe I should provide some examples.

 

A reader rates a book badly based on the fact that it’s a polyamorous relationship and there was no warning about it.

 

A highly religious individual picks up an LGBTQ book and freaks out because the book is about characters that live a lifestyle they condemn as unnatural or is considered sin; thereby they give the book a one star.

 

Or the reader didn’t like one of the characters names, or a pet name that one character gave another.

 

Or it could be for an even more ridiculous reason, like the man’s house was blue- I don’t like blue so I’m giving the book one star.

 

How would that be fair to anyone to base a one-star review on our personal beliefs and values?

 

Because of our individuality.

 

Some people do not believe that LGBTQ people are natural.

 

Some people do not believe in poly etc relationships.

 

Some people do not like the color blue.

 

There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong, however, is judging someone on that belief and trying to force it on others.

 

The big thing here is if we are going to review a book solely based on the actions of the characters and their viewpoints and individuality, we need to give some consideration to the fact that they are individuals, just like you and me, and treat them as another human being. (Yeah, yeah they are fictional, but this principle might just help us look at the books differently. It surely did for me.)

 

There are actually quite a number of reviewers who do this. They state what they disliked in a book but still try to give a fair and reasonable reason assessment while reviewing the book.

 

I’ve even read some good five and four-star ratings of books where although the reviewer completely disagreed with the character’s actions and motivations, they still believed, in the context of the story, that they made sense.

 

So my goal for this year is to give fair and reasonable reasons when reviewing a book, not just based on character actions and the author’s viewpoint but also taking other things into consideration – execution, writing style, and the plot and development of a book.

 

I always try to write my post in such a way so as not to spur arguments, but rather to start a healthy discussion or at the very least, leave readers with questions invigorating their thoughts and stimulating their own individuality.

 

We are all individuals with our own views and our principles in life.

 

This blog post is just one of my own opinions on the subject and does not reflect that of the owners and reviewers of Lovebytes or any other individual.

 

Wulfy.