"Let people enjoy things" NO.

Some thoughts on people's mental fragility, book reviewing, the phrase "reading is subjective" and being called a negative person for reviewing things negatively.

I am a brutal reviewer. Have always been. I was an English Lit graduate and I learned to review and analyze text the same way most of my teachers did with my essays. They were ruthless, and that ruthlessness always pushed me to do better, to study harder, to pay attention to my words, my flow and the synchrony of what I was creating and consuming. Paying attention to inconsistencies was a natural part of the reading process to me. I could and still can praise something that was done intentionally equally as hard as I can criticize something that was done carelessly.

I joined book communities online and as time passed I stumbled upon a common theme. Some book content creators started saying: I try to make sure my page is a positive place, so I don’t talk about books I didn’t like. And I was also introduced to my most hated term yet:

READING IS SUBJECTIVE

Yes, sure. We are all different people. That’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? I can hate books you consider masterpieces and you might fall asleep just thinking about books I adore. So yes, for all intents and purposes, reading is subjective. The same way you will have a blast watching the Kardashian’s sometimes. It’s fun. It’s hilarious. You had a good time and it’s media you love to consume when you need to brain rot. That still does not mean it’s good.

My major problem with this phrase is that…

TALENT IS MEANINGLESS, then.

If reading is subjective and criticism is just; something that comes from someone who is a meany and can’t let people just enjoy things, then what the fuck is a Pulitzer prize for? Hugo awards? Who gives a fuck. It’s subjective. Oh that author spent years in college, studied every structure known to man and has real real talent? Boohoo. Fuck his talent. It’s virtually inexistent.

Stating that criticism can’t be shared out loud automatically mutes praise. If criticism has no foundation and shouldn’t exist, praise is also meaningless. Rating systems? What are they there for? Remove them entirely. Of course, this is the internet, people will still rate things based on their own enjoyment. But rating systems have purpose.

Critics have existed since the dawn of time. Book critics, movie critics, restaurant critics, theater critics…These people help create a parameter of what it means to succeed in the field you chose. There is such a thing as a shitty novel and an outstanding novel. There is such a thing as bad writing and good writing. There is such a thing as shitty writing that was fun to read and great writing that was boring to read.

But I don’t and won’t go around all day thinking about your feelings.

People are trying to normalize the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”, and I will fight tooth and nails for my space as a reviewer. I am a consumer. As much as I can sympathize with your plea as a sensitive soul and an artist, if you are selling your art, and I am paying MONEY for it, I will review it.

Yes, you have given your heart and soul, sweat and tears and exposed the most intimate parts of yourself to the world.

And I worked 50 hours this week and the 200 dollars that was left on my bank account after I paid all my bills was used for my entertainment on your shitty fucking book, and If I am your profit, you will not silence my scathing review if I feel like my time and money was wasted to spare you from feeling sad.

Is that cruel? Maybe. But that is just how the world works. That is why when people read fan-fiction, they are not allowed to write reviews for it. It seems to be an etiquette that was silently created in the reading community based on common sense.

These people write fanfic for fun. I for once, decided to never charge for my Substack posts. Because I am just talking shit and venting most of the time, and I don’t want you to think you are about to read some masterpiece, because you are not. I am just rambling here.

The publishing industry is to blame for the downgrade of popular books.

With the rise and booktok, and with the publisher’s money hungry stupid souls, we are seeing more and more “fanfiction, wattpad” like writing. I am not saying there is no value to this kind of writing. The popcorn novels, a parade of bad dialogue, childish characters, repetitive scenes, tons of erotica sprinkled in between and the rise of Romantasy, which is fantasy with sex but NO plot and NO world building. You could technically remove the -tasy, since there is none.

Authors are pumping 4-6 books a year (or being forced to by the industry). Rinse and repeat. Finding new and original work now feels entirely like the gold rush. You are digging and digging and wasting hours of your life trying to find ONE book that isn’t just a copy of what has already been done before. (the same has been happening with movies, now that netflix is creating content so people can put in the background while scrolling on their phones)

This also ties back to my absolute hatred of book content creators saying; I read 350 books this year while listening to it on audiobook on 3x, hehehe, here is my review.

Do whatever you want. But as a reasonable human being, I don’t want to listen to your review because my impression is that you are doing this just to prove that you can and not to actually absorb what you are consuming. The community became a rat race like everything else in this capitalist world and I am tired of pretending this is normal.

I would rather watch a 10 minute video of the SINGLE book you read in January then to watch your 30 second reel of the 14 copy and paste romance novels you INHALED for clout.

It’s not only hard to find good books nowadays, it’s also hard to find good book content creators.

OMG YOU ARE SUCH A NEGATIVE PERSON

Excuse me while I lose my shit for a second:

I AM A FUCKING BOOK REVIEWER!!! THAT IS THE ENTIRE FUCKING REASON FOR MY PAGE EXISTING!!!!! I HAVE ONE FUCKING JOB!!!! I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ENGAGING WITH MY AUDIENCE AND CREATING A PARAMETER. IF PEOPLE ARE SMART ENOUGH, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FIND A CONSISTENT TASTE WITHIN MY REVIEWS AND FIND THEMSELVES WITHIN MY PARAMETER, THEY WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT I USUALLY DISLIKE AND WHAT I USUALLY LIKE AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS BASED OFF OF THAT.

BUT THE ONLY WAY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT, IS IF I REVIEW THINGS POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY!!! ONE CANNOT FUCKING EXIST WITHOUT THE OTHER YOU INCOMPETENT SWINE.

“Let people enjoy things”

Because your plea is coming out of your own pathetic need to protect your own ego. The reading community has become a community of ceramic china dolls. God forbid I share on the internet that Sarah J Maas has not published a book worth reading in five years, I am at risk of being doxed, attacked, cancelled and suffocated by 200 teen girls.

If someone sits right in front of me and says, wow, I hated your favorite book. My initial reaction is to say; Oh really? Tell me more. I’d love to hear your point of view. Because I am in fact, an adult. And your opinion of something I love will not change the core of what I love.

I am so confident in what I like and why I like it, that I don’t need your permission to like it. I don’t need your validation. I am capable of pointing out flaws in things I enjoy as well and agreeing with them, without letting that affect how much I adore a piece of media. Here I am once again begging people to find nuance within their shallow brains.

Negative reviews reign supreme in my world.

I could spend hours reading negative reviews of my favorite books. I actually only decide if I am going to pick up my next read after browsing through negative reviews. Positive reviews provide me no value. Anyone can say: “WOW AMAZING INCREDIBLE SPECTACULAR LOVEEEEEE.”

Praise only means something to me, when that same review was capable of pointing out what didn’t work. Praise only makes sense to me when it comes from a level headed person who is willing to analyze the content they are consuming, to discuss, to engage, to explore…

This is my plea to find likeminded people. If you also review books honestly, and is actually stimulated by hearing people disagree with you and debate different point of views for your favorite pieces of media (here I am exposing myself, yes I miss debate club, I was the Queen of debate club in high school and sometimes I will disagree with someone just to see if they have something interesting to say) because I am starving for content out here.

Anyways, if anything I said resonated with you, please follow me on youtube. (I am currently recording tons of reading vlogs)Or goodreads. Let’s bring back reasonable book reviews. Intentional book reviews. Long-winded book videos. Literary analysis just for the few of us who long for meaning in the things we consume. It’s ok to be that way. Type A, INTJ, an earth sign, whatever you want to call this. There has to be more of us out there. Unite. And find me please.

Because if I have to read another whiny comment about how I am hurting someone’s feelings by simply stating the obvious and doing my job as a book reviewer, I will lose it again.