fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3526 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3526 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

[Feed The Birds, from Mary Poppins]

__________________________________________________

03.

(Once Upon A Time)

__________________________________________________

04.

[ Dota 2 esport ]

__________________________________________________

05.

[Great British Bake Off, series 3]

__________________________________________________

06. http://i.imgur.com/82bEEum.png
[The Private Report on My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness; linked for nudity/implied porn, illustrated]

__________________________________________________

07.

[We Happy Few]

__________________________________________________

08.

[Stranger Things]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 32 secrets from Secret Submission Post #504.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I...really do not know what to say to this. At all.

Like I can respond to a few individual criticisms but to be completely honest I think you are doing the story a bit of an injustice by drawing a lot of conclusions without reading it all through. Certainly you didn't have to read it all, but it's not fair to definitively say, for example, that the main character has no nuance, or that he had no regrets, when those things are in fact shown later in the story and you just didn't get there :/

Also I don't think the author was trying to be subtle, and I do think the story is very tropey. I think those things are okay, and it's possible to enjoy a story with those qualities (though it's also perfectly okay if it's not your bag).

ETA: to be clear I'm not upset that you made this comment - not at all; I'm glad you did because it generated a lot of discussion! (maybe that's the key? to have someone who hates the book post every month? at least it would be nice to have a devil's advocate sort of thing going on...hmm) I also would like to respond to it in more detail if you want me to but I don't want to come across like I'm resentful of you not liking it (not the case at all) or unnecessarily argumentative. :P

Edited 2016-08-30 23:06 (UTC)

Well, tbh I didn't expect to get any answer at all, much less several.

I mean, I posted the following day and it's a very long, very ranty comment in overly impassioned language. And I used phrases like 'Boo, you bore!' and 'Dishonour on your cow!' and a footnote about magpies as if I was actually afraid of offending the magpies that live in my garden, so I thought it would be obvious that it's not a serious comment. Or maybe the swearing made it look more serious? I don't know.

I was frustrated with a cultural product and love arguing about books, so I wrote those frustrations down in a comment and then sent it off into the world, which is pretty much the purpose of FS. I wouldn't have written anything like this in a 'proper' book review (I wouldn't have reviewed it in the first place) or any professional or educational context.

The sentiment behind the comment is certainly genuine (I do think the book is terrible and the author a hack) but the comment itself is one third snark, one third joking, and one third personal catharsis. And I am definitely being unnecessarily argumentative and unjust on purpose! :D

I certainly didn't expect anyone to bother and defend the book and convince me it's great. That's not going to happen. And I'm not talking about the specific plot or character development, you and the other commenters are perfectly right in that regard (even if I still say that's not what I did or at least not what I intented), I can't judge that. But I can judge the author's grasp on her own plot and characters and how she handles both and her writing on the chapters I've read, because it's extremely unlikely to change in the rest of her book.

For example, the narrative often tried to tell me 'Look at the protagonist, he's feeling strong feelings!' but I simply didn't find it believable, I didn't buy it from what the text shows me. But I'm aware, of course, that lots of other people do buy it. What I mean is that the way how she works as a writer, how she creates and handles characters, plot etc. and how she expresses that in words is subpar to me, and that doesn't really change over the course of a book, no matter what developments the characters and plot go through. (For many writers it sadly doesn't change throughout their whole career, but that's me being mean.)

I also didn't want to convince anyone who liked the book that it's bad. I just wanted to get it off my chest.

Although I am pleased that it fuelled the discussion to some degree. \o/

I find it a bit sad that people seem to be more passionate about suggesting books and advertising* them than actually talking about them.

So, a detailed response is definitely not necessary. Unless you want to rant right back, then, of course, please feel free do so.

_{*The campaign of the user with the rabbit icon and the name that looks like carebear was awesome and definitely created a lot of extra attention.}

I'm having similar feelings about the current book, but I'm determined to get right through it before I post about it because it might suddenly click for me.

You mean Graceling, yes?

Then you are certainly more patient than I am. :) I mean, almost 500 pages, wow. Where are you right now, almost finished or still somewhere at the beginning?

The carebear rabbit user was so cute, hilarious and enthusiastic about it that I really hope it will live up to their expectations, but to me personally the synopsis sounds terrible. Although tbf most synopses sound terrible. Maybe I'll check out a free sample chapter online later in September, but I'll probably skip this month and hope the choice for October will be more up my alley.

Other than still feeling like it's a little unfair to just...assume nothing changes without reading the book...that's all fair, you like what you like I suppose. Nah, I'm not going to go on a counter-rant, because while I liked the book a lot I don't particularly care that someone else doesn't like it :P

Also do you actually have magpies in your garden? That's awesome and I'm kind of jealous.

Fair enough! :)

Yes, I have. Although I'm not entirely sure they live there 24/7, but one of the big trees in the back is pretty much magpie central and their twitter totally dominates the soundscape in the morning. You can hear other birds later in the day as well, but morning is magpie time. I'm also pretty convinced there must be a nightingale around somewhere, even though it's rather unlikely and I'm not that good at telling the different voices of birds apart.

[ SECRET POST #3526 ]

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!