Objectivity vs. Subjectivity

I know I haven't posted anything new in a few days, but don't worry, stuff's coming up soon. Part of the reason I haven't been posting is because I haven't been finished many books lately. I'm trying to stick mostly to writing posts about books I've just read, saying what they were about, what I thought about them, and what books/anime/manga/etc. are similar.

In my readers' advisory course in library school, I did much the same thing - I read books in different genres, and then I wrote descriptions, listed appeal factors (things that people might like about them), potential red flags (things that people might dislike - a good example is lots of swearing or graphic sex), and read-alikes (books that are somehow similar). A lot of the posts I've been writing would have been frowned upon if I'd tried to submit them in class. Although I think my professor would've liked some of my read-alike (and watch-alike) suggestions, I think he'd frown upon my more opinionated descriptions and discussions.

The problem is that I like actually getting to give my opinions about things I've read and seen, because I'm rarely around people who read and watch the same thing I do. If you don't agree with my opinions, you can comment (in a level-headed, intelligent manner - it's nice to give reasons why you don't agree with something, since that provides the possibility for discussion). Of course, if you don't agree with my opinions, or if you think I'm too opinionated about the stuff I read and watch, you might be wary of my read-alike suggestions - not a good thing, since I'd like even the read-alikes/watch-alikes I suggest for things that I, personally, disliked to be useful for those who did like them. Keep in mind that, although I may like or dislike certain aspects of the books I'm posting about, that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of all those aspects when I'm coming up with read-alikes. I didn't really like Aoi, the main female character in Ai Yori Aoshi, but several of the read-alikes I listed have characters who are a bit like her because she's a big part of Ai Yori Aoshi's draw.

I can recognize the appeal factors of books even if I don't like the books themselves. It's probably better to write read-alike or watch-alike posts as objectively as possible, but it's not always very fun, and having fun is a big reason why I'm doing this. However, I'm going to try to see if I can tone it down some and still have fun - this has been especially challenging with one of the books I recently finished, H.R.H. by Danielle Steel. Technically, the post for this book is finished. However, I loathed the book and am having a hard time toning down the venom - I think my read-alike suggestions are good, but I need to rewrite my description and comments. If I can strike a balance between the over-opinionated venom in my current H.R.H. post and the boring appeal analysis of my The Time Traveler's Wife read-alikes post, then I'll be happy.

I hope I get something new up within the next few days!