Under Review: One reviewer's reluctance to shred

When I argue something, I’m full-blooded Irish, hot-headed and I’d swear my hair gets redder than usual. My face certainly does.

The problem is, I tend to really argue on things I feel passionately about.

Weird thing is, I don’t like confrontation. I’ve even avoided all Crime Writers of Canada events locally so I don’t have to see anyone from my old writer’s group. Even thinking back over my life and people who’ve really done horrid things to me, I’ve wanted to bitch-slap a few, but it’s a revenge I only take through fiction. From the time I was a teenager, I seriously don’t think I’ve struck back anyone who hit me.

The anger all gets vented elsewhere, or stored. I can argue online no problem, but face to face? Man, you have to really push my buttons.

So, I see the contradictions within me. Opinionated and passionate, but a people pleaser too, more like a dog than a cat, wanting approval from people, wanting to be liked.

Which is likely a big part of the reason I have so much trouble with reviews. Now, I had my first newspaper column when I was 13, so some of it does come from experience, having things scrapped because they weren’t scathing enough. I thought reviews were supposed to be your honest assessment, but not for some publications. Some manufacture interest by fueling the fires of controversy. Best thing to do is attack something popular.

Last year after reviewing some books I said to one of the authors, “Personally, I don't 'do' reviews. I completely don't get the need some people seem to have to go around criticizing things in order to make themselves seem intelligent or important. Even reviews I have read that are positive about the book in question seem to find a way of working in a criticism of someone else.

So that might make me a bit more of a gushing fan on the occasions when my husband coerces me into doing "reviews" for Spinetingler, but I don't care. There are plenty of other people out there eager to tell authors when they've got it wrong. And most of their opinions aren't worth the price of the paper they're written on.”

And I’ll stand by one thing – reviews are opinions.

And we all know what they say about opinions.

But I am now, officially, screwed.

Last July, we were averaging a few hundred downloads per issue of Spinetingler. That’s changed. Now we’re averaging almost 3000. And that doesn’t include online reads.

Every time I tried to extricate myself from responsibilities for the magazine, I got sucked in deeper than ever before. I’ve finally just given up on it. I do have problems – conflicts of interest – and when I see submissions from names that I know even from the blogs and forums, I remove myself from the selection process.

In fact, I haven’t even read some of the stories going into the next issue that are by people I “know”. If I didn’t do the editing on it, I haven’t read it yet.

But that’s a side note, just to say that I try to be fair. I have my principles and I try to live by them.

Which brings me back to my rules for reviews. Until now, for Spinetingler I only did reviews “after the fact”. I’d read a book, really enjoy it and then do a write-up.

I didn’t pick up a book with it in my head that I was going to review it.

With the phenomenal growth of Spinetingler has come the inevitable change. We added the review site. Not that I routinely put stuff up there, but we did it to help promote more authors.

And we’ve had tons of submissions. In two months we’ve had 95 reviews submitted for the review site by 6 reviewers. I must say I’m thankful there are so many people out there passionate enough to take their free time to write up reviews on books.

Along with the review site and the growing awareness surrounding Spinetingler, there has also been an increased interest in me. It might seem funny to you to hear me say I never thought about this as a byproduct, but now, authors and publicists are asking me to review books and if I’ll interview them.

Man, what happened to me just mustering the courage to ask people I sorta knew or really badly wanted to interview, to the point where I wanted to do it more than I was afraid of asking?

You think I’m lying, but it took me 7 months to ask one of my favourite authors and technically, I didn’t ask. I said, “I would ask you, but…”

Lucky me, he said he’d do an interview anyway.

But I’m not casual about doing this stuff. I read a few, if not all, of an author’s works before interviewing them. I read other interviews they’ve done. I’ve done interviews on the fly when I’ve needed to, but in this forum, there’s no call for that. There’s no excuse for me doing an interview unprepared.

So, the requests from authors for me to interview them? Wild. Scary.

More frightening still, I’m getting review copies of books sent to me.

Holy crap, people want to hear my opinion?

Man, I’ve got to tell you, that’s daunting.

See, it’s different when people send me review copies. I’ve got to call it like I see it. And I really hate the feeling of writing a negative review. I can’t help but feel bad for an author that’s slaved over their baby and put it out there…It’s like saying, “God I’m so sorry your lovechild is butt-ugly.”

Other people might feel a thrill to knock someone down a peg or two, but that’s something I feel only about people who’ve really pissed me off. And even then, I haven’t kicked stories by people I’ve had issues with – I’ve just passed them on as per usual.

I know a lot of people would wonder what’s so hard about giving my opinion but even when I critique I feel this pressure on myself to be thorough and fair, to try to be encouraging where I can be while being honest.

In fact, if a well-received book isn’t working for me, I’ll usually try again, because I’m aware of the fact that sometimes, I’m tired, stressed, have been too annoyed with my own edits or whatever, and am just not in the mood and the only reason the book is falling short is because I’m in such a cantankerous state that nothing would please me.

Which is why I am very reluctant to shoot of my mouth with criticism on writing.

This is something I can't feel too casual about, and perhaps that’s what will keep me good at it – that I never lose that gut-wrenching awareness that I’m just one person with an opinion, and that even if a particular style or subgenre doesn’t work for me, it doesn’t mean the whole book is garbage.

Two review copies hit my desk recently. The Forest of Souls by Carla Banks and Rhapsody in Blood by John Morgan Wilson.

And I have to say that reviewing the book by Carla Banks has me unnerved.

Little me at home on the prairies in Canada, reviewing Danuta Reah’s book (Carla Banks is a pseudonym). Not because I got it in my head to do it, but because it was sent to me.

I’m simultaneously honoured and baffled.

Just a few months ago, someone did a critique on a piece of writing and asked me if I agreed with their views. And I said, “What difference does it make what I think?”

I am, after all, only one person with an opinion. But perhaps because I know what it is to slave over my own creation, to put pen to paper and try to breathe life into the characters and make the story engaging, I am aware of the skill it takes just to complete a manuscript.

Never mind publish it.

Recently, Val McDermid said something about reviews (her second comment down on the thread) that really gave me a different way to look at them. I will always be mindful of not wanting to just write a trash review for the sake of being critical and trying to show off how smart and insightful I am.

But I will also bear in mind that a balanced review can be of value to an author, especially given in the right spirit, which is with the goal that should be every author’s – to help them find ways to write an even better book.

Because in this business, there will always be room for improvement. There will always be a new goal to strive for.

And I’m going to see my job as being two-fold – to help readers identify who the book is best suited for, and to try to point the author in the direction that will take their work to the next level.

Which sounds awfully arrogant of me to say.

As though I have all the answers.

What do you guys think of reviews? Do you pay attention to them? Some of them?
How do you choose which books you read?

Thank God – A Joke!
One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass.

Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.

He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to eat grass."

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you" the lawyer said.

"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree."

"Bring them along" the lawyer replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us also."

The second man, in a pitiful voice then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"

"Bring them all, as well," the lawyer answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was.

Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it. You'll really love my place.

The grass is almost a foot high."