I started to write a post this morning, but it was a long rant that really wouldn't have made much of a difference in the world anyway, so I deleted it. Then I thought about what else to write about and another ranty topic came to mind. And another. Yeah, there's a lot to rant about in the world.
There's an autistic boy missing from the town just north of where I grew up. So many things wrong with that story, I could go for hours.
There's a college football player who decked a woman in a bar.
Someone else claimed a racial identity that didn't belong to her.
The lead-in for a news story here read something like 'car pulled from lake is now out'. :eyeroll:
And then there was the gal who wrote about how 5-star reviews are all bullshit made up by friends and family of the writer. I could really go to town on that one. I mean, how dare she? Insulting not only my fans but myself - because I write a lot of 5-star reviews... GAH!
You know, it's really hard to stick to my 2014 promise to not let shit irritate me. Irritating shit is everywhere and it seems to be getting worse by the day. I'd stop reading the news, but you know, I'd rather not get blindsided when something stupid happens that might just effect me or mine.
Ignorance is only bliss because you're not aware of the truck headed right for you. And it only lasts until the thing runs you over.
So, like I said last week, I'm trying not to talk about stuff. But it's damn hard. And I may not live up to that promise. There's such a wealth of things to rant about. Poor Hubs has to listen to me rant daily, although sometimes he joins in and we rant together.
Do you rant? In private or in public?
I've been known to scare the dogs because I'm ranting at the TV. *shrug* And yes, there's much to rant about out there. So I judiciously use the the mute button, ignore FB as much as possible, and give thanks my twitter feed scrolls so fast I don't often catch tweets. LOL
ReplyDeleteLife's too short, but like you, I don't want to be blindsided because the people in charge are mostly clueless, stupid, or....nevermind. I have words to write! *shuffles off for more coffee before returning to writing cave.*
LOL, your poor dogs. Yeah, I don't scare the cats. And Hubs is used to me. Mute is good. So is 'Hide' or 'Unfollow' on FB and 'Block' on Twitter. I wish I could turn off the Trending News on FB - that's where I get into trouble.
DeleteYep, life is too short, and lord knows we don't need to shorten it with stress over stuff we can't control. I need coffee, too, but when I get up this early, I try to be courteous by not making it until after 5. Oh look, it's after 5. Yay.
I very rarely rant in public, but poor hubby bears the brunt of my outrage. LOL.
ReplyDeletere: 5 star reviews
I rarely give 5 stars. The book would have to be extraordinary. That said, I've been around long enough to know that fellow authors/friends/family often skew the review rating trying to "help" by rating a book highly.
I don't blame them, but that makes the reviews unreliable to readers unaffiliated to the author. Is it or isn't it a good book, or are they just helping a friend?
I'm not saying some books aren't worthy of 5 stars but I've become wary of books with too many 5 star ratings, especially when the content of the review glosses over what makes it good.
As a reader, I depend on honest reviews, but now I also have to vet whether the review was honest or just a ploy to up someone's ratings.
Ironically, there are also those who try to skew a book's rating with 'one-star' reviews because they hate the author and want to ruin him.
I don't pay attention to those reviews either.
See, there's the difference. I rarely finish a book that isn't at least a 4-star read (I don't write reviews for books I didn't finish) and my friends don't write books I would consider less than 4-star reads - not because they're my friends but because they're good writers which is why we're good friends. I don't leave good reviews just to help them out. But that's me. I expect the same from my reviewers, and if that makes me naive, then I'm good with that.
DeleteAnd yeah, I generally don't put a whole lot of weight to reviews in general when I'm looking for a new book to read. If it looks interesting, I buy it and more often than not, I'm happy with my purchase.
Like most people, I generally do my ranting in private - loud but private. I haven't watched TV for a couple of weeks now, since discovering I could listen to audio books while sewing - such fun. I tend to hide away from the news and only catch the headlines when I'm online. It's not ideal and I really should try & keep up but that usually leads to a rant, sooooooooo...
ReplyDeleteAs for 5* reviews, after reading Maria's comments I might have to review my policy. I don't write many because everybody's opinion is personal and what I like you might hate, but if I really enjoyed a book and couldn't put it down, I give a 5*. You might disagree but thats your opinion - if you see what I mean. Some people are just mean and nasty, rather than honest, so I don't generally bother reading reviews.
LOL, I can totally see you ranting loud in private, Fran. Smart move to cut out the TV. I rarely watch the news on TV. It's the online news that gets me.
DeleteEh, don't change your policy - unless its to review more often. I love reviewers like you - thoughtful and specific and enthusiastic. I can't imagine a review of yours ever steering anyone wrong. Yep, some people are mean just for the sake of meanness. I'm dreading my first review like that, but I'll roll with it.