Bad Book Reviews
I read two or more hours daily and write a review for almost every book. Most of the books I choose are pretty good, but occasionally, I come across a stinker. When I do read something subpar, I never write an uncomplimentary review. The main reason is karma. Bad things immediately happen to me when I send out harmful waves. Another reason is my personality does not like publicly criticizing people. The world is hostile enough without my help. Finally, I felt the sting of a bad review, which is especially painful when the criticism is valid.
We would only have good reviews if everybody followed my bonkers moral code. Yeah, it’s not going to happen. There will always be the urge to spread hate; a negative experience leads to people venting.
Another reason is that there are hundreds of books/movies/TV shows to experience, and when I find one I do not like, I stop reading/watching. Life is too short to waste time on something awful. So I do not get too invested in a bad book. What about paying for a movie in a theater? Yes, I am thinking about Stealth and Thin Red Line. Four hours of my life that I will not get back. I wrote a bad blockbuster review for those moves, but that company is gone, and my review went into the void of surplus hard drives.
Let’s examine a recent book I started to read that had significant issues: The Mammoth Book of True War Stories by Jon Lewis. I made it to page 20. It had a bland writing style, boring stories, glaring errors, and the formatting was all over the place. However, the more significant problem was that the “War Stories” were battle descriptions with a random name tacked on. I was expecting a personal account as told directly by the soldier.
I chose to read this book to enjoy several war stories like the ones my Uncle Al told me from this time in Vietnam. Here is one I remember: He was driving along a dirt road, came across kids making faces, hit a land mine, and went flying. Afterward, the kids laughed, which confirmed they knew about the mine. My uncle swung his rifle around and pointed it at them. The kids looked scared to death, and at the last moment, he decided not to shoot.
An earth-shattering story? No. Does this story contain a plot? Not really, but it was a perfect story because Al shared it with me. That is the kind of personal connection I expected out of the book, and it failed at every level.
Should I have blasted the Mammoth Book with a scorching bad review? At least give it one star. In my younger days, I would have written an angry, misspelled mess and sent it to every corner of the internet. I am no longer that person and have remained silent. I read the book reviews for this article, and they confirmed my negative opinion. A helpful precaution that I did not follow: Check the reviews before paying for a book.
There is a flip side to my philosophy. How will people know if a book is terrible when people like me do not leave negative reviews? I have read bad reviews of fantastic books and excellent reviews of worthless junk. People will always tell it like it is or are delusional.
I will admit to leaving three out of five-star reviews like: “While the writing had significant issues, the story was excellent.” Is there hope for a one-star review? If authors keep writing Mammoth Books of Worthless Junk, you bet!
You’re the best -Bill
April 08, 2020 Updated January 04, 2025
We would only have good reviews if everybody followed my bonkers moral code. Yeah, it’s not going to happen. There will always be the urge to spread hate; a negative experience leads to people venting.
Another reason is that there are hundreds of books/movies/TV shows to experience, and when I find one I do not like, I stop reading/watching. Life is too short to waste time on something awful. So I do not get too invested in a bad book. What about paying for a movie in a theater? Yes, I am thinking about Stealth and Thin Red Line. Four hours of my life that I will not get back. I wrote a bad blockbuster review for those moves, but that company is gone, and my review went into the void of surplus hard drives.
Let’s examine a recent book I started to read that had significant issues: The Mammoth Book of True War Stories by Jon Lewis. I made it to page 20. It had a bland writing style, boring stories, glaring errors, and the formatting was all over the place. However, the more significant problem was that the “War Stories” were battle descriptions with a random name tacked on. I was expecting a personal account as told directly by the soldier.
I chose to read this book to enjoy several war stories like the ones my Uncle Al told me from this time in Vietnam. Here is one I remember: He was driving along a dirt road, came across kids making faces, hit a land mine, and went flying. Afterward, the kids laughed, which confirmed they knew about the mine. My uncle swung his rifle around and pointed it at them. The kids looked scared to death, and at the last moment, he decided not to shoot.
An earth-shattering story? No. Does this story contain a plot? Not really, but it was a perfect story because Al shared it with me. That is the kind of personal connection I expected out of the book, and it failed at every level.
Should I have blasted the Mammoth Book with a scorching bad review? At least give it one star. In my younger days, I would have written an angry, misspelled mess and sent it to every corner of the internet. I am no longer that person and have remained silent. I read the book reviews for this article, and they confirmed my negative opinion. A helpful precaution that I did not follow: Check the reviews before paying for a book.
There is a flip side to my philosophy. How will people know if a book is terrible when people like me do not leave negative reviews? I have read bad reviews of fantastic books and excellent reviews of worthless junk. People will always tell it like it is or are delusional.
I will admit to leaving three out of five-star reviews like: “While the writing had significant issues, the story was excellent.” Is there hope for a one-star review? If authors keep writing Mammoth Books of Worthless Junk, you bet!
You’re the best -Bill
April 08, 2020 Updated January 04, 2025
