At the risk of being misunderstood as a self-righteous snob, I’m taking the plunge with writing this article which explores something that’s relatable to many readers and reviewers. There are certain self designed rules I’ve imposed on myself with what I read and what I review. Some people might say that I’ve never done a negative, pessimistic review that attacks a book, and there’s a good reason behind it.
Unlike many literary readers, I’m the type of guy who reads to be entertained and also to be educated on a certain level. But, mostly, I read for escapism as the real world is usually screwed up on a regular basis and that’s normal for most people. Escapism in media and entertainment, literature included when considering genre fiction, is a heroic and virtuous endeavour as it uplifts, comforts, inspires, amazes, and entertains the readers and thus lightening the burdens of their regular life. It’s just like watching a movie or a TV show, listening to music, eating sugary foods, consuming a narcotic vice, watching sports, playing video games, watching content on any online platform, but with this little dying thing called literacy involved. Reading exists to open up parts of the mind to something more, something better, and to ignite hope when it’s hard to find.
I’ve always been the type of person who read the text books of the subjects that interested me, though most of its contents were not a part of the academic syllabus, and I’m also the type of person who’d never touch the text books from subjects that didn’t interest me though they were necessary reading for my academic exams. Yep, I sound like a nutcase. But I’m a reader and a writer, the kind that’s not forced into it. I’d back away from any activity when it’s forced and try my best to live in the moment. Yep, that sounds problematic. I read in a wide variety of genres, but I have my favorites. So, my reviews can seem flooded with a certain theme.
Good fiction is usually therapeutic, like a cathartic experience that’s necessary at times. They’ve always been an integral part of human societies and every civilization has had its foundations built on fictions. That’s because stories and their narrative(experience) hit a part of the human psyche that is tough to reach in our practical life. Any story that does the trick is worth the recommendations in my perspective. And any writer who finishes a manuscript and has the courage to put it out into the world is heroic in doing so, and deserves respect for it. But, as a human being, I have my own biases and my own interests, along with my disinterests. This gives me my own prejudices, and that’s something I do not want to have inflicted on anyone’s hard work. Like I’ve previously mentioned, I don’t force myself to read something that I don’t like and read whatever I feel like reading at the moment.
This sort of an undisciplined reading habit makes me avoid many things and keeps piling many books on my to be read list. Though I’m currently in my twenties, I’m a mortal, and I know that I’ll never have the time to read everything that I already want to read. This makes me selfish and greedy with what I prioritize in my reading and I try hard to manage it without wasting my time on things that I wouldn’t like. I know it makes me sound like a jerk to some people, but time waits for nobody, not even for a lunatic who calls himself Kronos. Plus, let’s factor in the issue of me being a slow reader with focus problems on any average day. So, despite these problems of my unfocused mind, my limited time to read in my lifetime, and my ever growing to be read list, I’ve placed an unwritten code of morality on my reviewing to prevent myself from doing anyone harm.
Firstly, I don’t review a book if I don’t like it. That makes sure my reviews are honest and prevents me from disrespecting any writer’s hard work. Sometimes, I stop reading within the first few chapters if a book doesn’t interest me at the moment and start something that I’m actually in the mood for at the time. When I am completely disinterested in a book, I realise that it’s not meant for me, and stop torturing myself with it. A story, genre, or a style that I hate just means that it’s meant for someone else who is wired differently when compared to me. If I have nothing good to say about a book, then I chose to say absolutely nothing about it.
Secondly, it’s just a hobby. I’m not writing reviews for money and I may never do so. Whenever any of my reviews brings positive cheer into the day of an author who finds my review of their work, then I feel proud of doing something heroic. I know from experience that any words of encouragement and positivity that’s received from strangers about our work can light up our day for writers. Reviews do more than keep writers happy, as they do help in sales, and nobody writes commercial fiction as a work of charity. Writing is real work, and it has to be appreciated as such. Reviews, mainly positive reviews, do give moral and emotional support to writers, and help to keep them going when they have dark days.
I’m not the type of person who’d put someone down in order to lift myself up. I put myself down on most days just to flex my deranged sense of humor and I can put many people down indiscriminately without lifting myself up at their expense. So, I stick to positive reviews that recommend a book to like-minded readers who are actually interested in it without pandering to those who expect me to read something that I’m not interested in and to write a negative review about something I enjoy just because that’s what critics are supposed to do.
I’ve always been winging it and will always be doing it. I don’t have a fixed schedule for my reading and reviewing as I’ve kept trying until I figured out that it won’t work. I don’t chase the latest releases even in the genres that I like. I never read and review books that are exclusively from big name writers or underrated small name writers, as I like to keep mixing things up. I don’t always stick to the same genre, though a pattern can be noticed. I try to pump in some of my humor into my reviews without disrespecting the book or the author while still portraying exactly what to expect in the book so as to not mislead anyone who reads my reviews. Sometimes, I take an advance reader copy from the author or the publisher, but reading the book before that time of release stresses me out, and so, I’m rarely doing it nowadays.
Though there’s no rules in this game, I try to keep my reviews true to the voice of my thoughts and keep it as a form of expression that helps me connect with like minded genre readers. Do I make mistakes? Absolutely! But I don’t waste many hours checking my review hundreds of times without ever putting it out. There will always be mistakes, but that won’t put a frown on any writer’s face when I’ve brought some positive attention to their work for a day or two. So, again, at the risk of being misunderstood as a snobbish nutcase, I can state that my act of reviewing is personally fulfilling and even has a slightly heroic silver lining to it.