In our book club, our more lively discussions are when there are a variety of views on a book, and when at least one member really did not like the book at all. So have those conversations! They will make the book more memorable, or you may rethink some things about the book you didn’t at first get.
I sometimes leave reviews, especially if I felt strongly about a book. I read a couple of reviews if I'm unsure about a book, but I find that my opinion of a book is often so different from the reviews that I'm not sure if they are that helpful. I'll try to read books in all kinds of genres, but I do have my favorites. I've learned to stay away from horror and straight-up romance. I almost never like those. But when our kids were at home, we found that there were lots of different books that we enjoyed for family read-aloud time. So, I'll try lots of different things, and I've found that I've liked lots of different genres. I would never tell someone NOT to read a book, but there have been a few books that I have warned others from based on what I know about the reader and the book. But those are few and far between. Isn't it great when your kids talk about books with you?
Yes! I think it great to give our thoughtful critique of a book to help other readers decide if it’s something they want to pursue reading. Thank you so much for adding to the conversation. :)
I love this! As an educator I’ve always been really conscious about not passing on my own preferences to children and young people - but now I’m a mum that’s even more magnified! And it’s even tougher when he wants to read the same book 20+ times…
Hahaha. I remember those days of reading the same books over and over. It’s really hard as parents to not push our own likes and dislikes on our kids, but it’s rewarding to see them find themselves through exploration.
Such a thoughtful mom, you are! I don't tell people what they will or won't like, BUT when my son was in middle school, he brought home one of the Left Behind books. "You're not reading that crap!" I said. Missed opportunity for a good discussion. Now 36, he agrees. ;-)
Oh how I loved this comment! :) As someone who was raised in a very religious household (but it no longer religious) and had nightmares because of those books and movies, I will allow you a pass on this one. It is a very interesting topic of parenting. Do you use things as opportunities for discussion or do you give a strong “wait till later”… much later. I think as parents we just do the best we can in the moment.
I appreciate this post. I do like to leave reviews, especially for books I have enjoyed. I have also left reviews for books that annoyed me to no end, and I can write those reviews easier because of that annoyance. Books I loved are harder, usually to pinpoint a few things that brought the story over the edge into a truly enjoyable experience.
However, I hope I never tell anyone what to read or not to read. It’s like food: how do you know you like cauliflower if you don’t try it? “Don’t knock it until you try it” is one of my favorite sayings. I will tell why I didn’t like something, and advise a person that if that is also their preference, they may not enjoy it. And why waste time and money on something you will not enjoy? (Unless it’s something that makes an unpleasant job easier. We may not enjoy it, but do appreciate that it serves a useful purpose. Like a vacuum cleaner.)
Lol. Another frequent conversation with my son about trying new foods. Thank you for adding this perspective. It can be easier to share what we don’t like vs what we do like. Sometime a book just feel good… because. We don’t always understand all the why’s that it touched us.
Oh yes, I have had that conversation with my nephews (and niece) and young cousins. Now that my nephews are older, they will say something like “it doesn’t smell appetizing” (usually someone cooking cauliflower… I get it, I felt that same way when I was a teenager many centuries ago) to which I say, “True. However, taste and smell aren’t always the same.”
It’s the same for everyone. Every person does not have the same taste/preferences/ideals/etc. What I cannot stand, other people love. Doesn’t make them right and me wrong, or vice versa. It just means different.
I could not agree with this post more. But it's odd, particularly in light of the conversation we have been having in the DMs. But this is for everybody, because of the recent problem of potential book bans.
For some reason - and maybe I am trying to recapture some of the half-remembered elements of my younger ages - I decided to order a copy of Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows", which I just finished. A classic from 1908, that I am sure was aimed at younger readers, and was from what I understand, well-loved. But I do wonder about the age group, because the language is certainly fairly advanced, and the paragraphs fairly long.
It made me wonder a couple of things. Were the literate youth of that era somehow more literate than that of today? Or was it that the book was aimed at a more middle-to upper-class type of literacy? Was it really a children's book at all?
But I loved it. I loved the descriptions of nature and the comforts of home. You can't not see glimpses of 'The Hobbit' from thirty years later winking through here or there. I also loved that Toad only got 1 year for stealing a car, but 15 for mouthing off to the police! And never today would a children's author dare suggest that problems can be satisfactorily solved by naked force or violence, such as the manner in which in which Toad Hall is reclaimed for its rightful owner with 'stout cudgels'.
It’s definitely interesting to go back and look at children’s books from the past… or at least books marketing to a younger audience. As a side note - those books were so beautifully designed.
The illustration definitely were beautiful, as the copy I have has all the originals. I can’t really imagine the characters drawn differently, especially Rat and Mole. But the best forests ever, to me, were those drawn by Jim Watterson, of Calvin and Hobbes fame. They were renderings of the forest or stands of trees, or maybe just wild places, that both you and I grew up with in the regions we come from. Except, they were almost somehow better than reality. They had a magic to them. And as I read the book, I thought to myself, what if he had drawn the backgrounds? The reason I bring this up is that same possibly trying to recapture loss decades on my part, as I recently also purchased a Calvin and Hobbs collection of the Sunday pages. Before my wife passed and I left Winnipeg for good, I had had the full collection of all the books.. I also bought a copy of Robert Lewis Stevenson‘s A Child’s Garden of Verse , which I had had as a child and it also purchased for our book library at home when my wife was still alive because it is a classic. I love the illustrations in that book. Also, the originals. But today, a lot of that poetry would be labeled, night without reason, racist but I remember my first encounter with Calvin and Hobbes very well, like it was only yesterday. I was in my very early 20s and myself, my mother, and my grandmother, we’re on a plane, airborne on New Year’s Eve, coming back to Winnipeg from Mexico. The flight attendant passed out printed copies of the Winnipeg Free Press, And of course I went straight to the comic section. And I read this new comic strip, and immediately knew I was in the presence of something special. In between the first panel and the last it jumped from something new, I’d never heard of up to my new favorite, with the knowledge that it would probably be my favourite for years to come.
I loved your article. I have 3 children and each one would tell me if they liked a book or not. They are all adults now and it is rare if they all like the same book. You are correct that reading is exploration and I am grateful my children approached it that way. Thank you again for a very interesting article.
I LOVED this post Melissa, such a reflective way to think about the transition between the books we are consuming.
I’m not much of a reviewer per se, but more of a Spark Catcher, and want to make more intentional time to capture reading moments creatively… hence my new book club community.
The Universe is paving a way for our world’s to connect, so excited to meet on Friday!😻
Hey! Thanks for coming to the live today. Yes, you have such a creative way to help readers share their thoughts about a book in a way other than words. Can’t wait to chat! :)
OK, so now that I see this, I have to recommend the poe society episode of Gilmore girls to you, if nothing else!
A Tale of Poes and Fire
Gilmore Girls: Season 3, Episode 17
Ok! What would be the best way for me to find that?
In our book club, our more lively discussions are when there are a variety of views on a book, and when at least one member really did not like the book at all. So have those conversations! They will make the book more memorable, or you may rethink some things about the book you didn’t at first get.
They are such great conversations to have. It really helps us expand our views on life in general and see things from outside our own perspective.
Great post. I have also had the experience of finding a book boring in my 20’s that I read decades later and loved.
I love that! What book was it?
The Last Convertible. I held on to it all those years!
OMG! A book lovers dream.
I sometimes leave reviews, especially if I felt strongly about a book. I read a couple of reviews if I'm unsure about a book, but I find that my opinion of a book is often so different from the reviews that I'm not sure if they are that helpful. I'll try to read books in all kinds of genres, but I do have my favorites. I've learned to stay away from horror and straight-up romance. I almost never like those. But when our kids were at home, we found that there were lots of different books that we enjoyed for family read-aloud time. So, I'll try lots of different things, and I've found that I've liked lots of different genres. I would never tell someone NOT to read a book, but there have been a few books that I have warned others from based on what I know about the reader and the book. But those are few and far between. Isn't it great when your kids talk about books with you?
Yes! I think it great to give our thoughtful critique of a book to help other readers decide if it’s something they want to pursue reading. Thank you so much for adding to the conversation. :)
I love this! As an educator I’ve always been really conscious about not passing on my own preferences to children and young people - but now I’m a mum that’s even more magnified! And it’s even tougher when he wants to read the same book 20+ times…
Hahaha. I remember those days of reading the same books over and over. It’s really hard as parents to not push our own likes and dislikes on our kids, but it’s rewarding to see them find themselves through exploration.
Absolutely. He already loves reading; I can’t wait to share some of my favourite more grown up books with him too 🥰
Such a thoughtful mom, you are! I don't tell people what they will or won't like, BUT when my son was in middle school, he brought home one of the Left Behind books. "You're not reading that crap!" I said. Missed opportunity for a good discussion. Now 36, he agrees. ;-)
Oh how I loved this comment! :) As someone who was raised in a very religious household (but it no longer religious) and had nightmares because of those books and movies, I will allow you a pass on this one. It is a very interesting topic of parenting. Do you use things as opportunities for discussion or do you give a strong “wait till later”… much later. I think as parents we just do the best we can in the moment.
I appreciate this post. I do like to leave reviews, especially for books I have enjoyed. I have also left reviews for books that annoyed me to no end, and I can write those reviews easier because of that annoyance. Books I loved are harder, usually to pinpoint a few things that brought the story over the edge into a truly enjoyable experience.
However, I hope I never tell anyone what to read or not to read. It’s like food: how do you know you like cauliflower if you don’t try it? “Don’t knock it until you try it” is one of my favorite sayings. I will tell why I didn’t like something, and advise a person that if that is also their preference, they may not enjoy it. And why waste time and money on something you will not enjoy? (Unless it’s something that makes an unpleasant job easier. We may not enjoy it, but do appreciate that it serves a useful purpose. Like a vacuum cleaner.)
Lol. Another frequent conversation with my son about trying new foods. Thank you for adding this perspective. It can be easier to share what we don’t like vs what we do like. Sometime a book just feel good… because. We don’t always understand all the why’s that it touched us.
Oh yes, I have had that conversation with my nephews (and niece) and young cousins. Now that my nephews are older, they will say something like “it doesn’t smell appetizing” (usually someone cooking cauliflower… I get it, I felt that same way when I was a teenager many centuries ago) to which I say, “True. However, taste and smell aren’t always the same.”
It’s the same for everyone. Every person does not have the same taste/preferences/ideals/etc. What I cannot stand, other people love. Doesn’t make them right and me wrong, or vice versa. It just means different.
I couldn't agree more!
I could not agree with this post more. But it's odd, particularly in light of the conversation we have been having in the DMs. But this is for everybody, because of the recent problem of potential book bans.
For some reason - and maybe I am trying to recapture some of the half-remembered elements of my younger ages - I decided to order a copy of Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows", which I just finished. A classic from 1908, that I am sure was aimed at younger readers, and was from what I understand, well-loved. But I do wonder about the age group, because the language is certainly fairly advanced, and the paragraphs fairly long.
It made me wonder a couple of things. Were the literate youth of that era somehow more literate than that of today? Or was it that the book was aimed at a more middle-to upper-class type of literacy? Was it really a children's book at all?
But I loved it. I loved the descriptions of nature and the comforts of home. You can't not see glimpses of 'The Hobbit' from thirty years later winking through here or there. I also loved that Toad only got 1 year for stealing a car, but 15 for mouthing off to the police! And never today would a children's author dare suggest that problems can be satisfactorily solved by naked force or violence, such as the manner in which in which Toad Hall is reclaimed for its rightful owner with 'stout cudgels'.
It’s definitely interesting to go back and look at children’s books from the past… or at least books marketing to a younger audience. As a side note - those books were so beautifully designed.
The illustration definitely were beautiful, as the copy I have has all the originals. I can’t really imagine the characters drawn differently, especially Rat and Mole. But the best forests ever, to me, were those drawn by Jim Watterson, of Calvin and Hobbes fame. They were renderings of the forest or stands of trees, or maybe just wild places, that both you and I grew up with in the regions we come from. Except, they were almost somehow better than reality. They had a magic to them. And as I read the book, I thought to myself, what if he had drawn the backgrounds? The reason I bring this up is that same possibly trying to recapture loss decades on my part, as I recently also purchased a Calvin and Hobbs collection of the Sunday pages. Before my wife passed and I left Winnipeg for good, I had had the full collection of all the books.. I also bought a copy of Robert Lewis Stevenson‘s A Child’s Garden of Verse , which I had had as a child and it also purchased for our book library at home when my wife was still alive because it is a classic. I love the illustrations in that book. Also, the originals. But today, a lot of that poetry would be labeled, night without reason, racist but I remember my first encounter with Calvin and Hobbes very well, like it was only yesterday. I was in my very early 20s and myself, my mother, and my grandmother, we’re on a plane, airborne on New Year’s Eve, coming back to Winnipeg from Mexico. The flight attendant passed out printed copies of the Winnipeg Free Press, And of course I went straight to the comic section. And I read this new comic strip, and immediately knew I was in the presence of something special. In between the first panel and the last it jumped from something new, I’d never heard of up to my new favorite, with the knowledge that it would probably be my favourite for years to come.
I loved your article. I have 3 children and each one would tell me if they liked a book or not. They are all adults now and it is rare if they all like the same book. You are correct that reading is exploration and I am grateful my children approached it that way. Thank you again for a very interesting article.
It so fascinating to see how books are so personal and shaped by where we are at in our life. Thank you so much for reading! ❤️
I LOVED this post Melissa, such a reflective way to think about the transition between the books we are consuming.
I’m not much of a reviewer per se, but more of a Spark Catcher, and want to make more intentional time to capture reading moments creatively… hence my new book club community.
The Universe is paving a way for our world’s to connect, so excited to meet on Friday!😻
Hey! Thanks for coming to the live today. Yes, you have such a creative way to help readers share their thoughts about a book in a way other than words. Can’t wait to chat! :)