On Not Posting Here on "Just Fine" Books

I post here about a high proportion of the books I read, but definitely not all. In some cases a book is too “light” (e.g., the beachiest of “beach reads”), or just doesn’t seem to warrant a post. And in a few -- very few -- cases, I haven’t posted about a book because it was so good that I thought I couldn’t possibly do it justice! But most often the reason I don’t post is that the book is “just fine,” not great but not at all "bad" (in my opinion – of course many would disagree with some of my opinions.). If the book is good to excellent, or at least has notable or intriguing qualities, I do generally post about it, with pleasure. Occasionally, if the book is very bad or very disappointing, I write about it, because there is a disconnect between what I was expecting (based on reviews, or on my liking of earlier books by the author) and what the book was actually like (again, in my humble opinion). But those “just fine” books are the ones I fairly often don’t write about. Here is a list of some books I have very recently (within the past few weeks) read but have not posted about, for that reason. “Laura and Emma,” by Kate Greathead. “Conversations with Friends,” by Sally Rooney. “Normal People,” by Sally Rooney. (I know that these two novels by Rooney have received high praise, but I just didn’t like them very much.) “State of the Union: A Marriage in Ten Parts,” by Nick Hornby (mildly interesting). “Rules for Visiting,” by Jessica Francis Kane. (I thought I would love this novel about reconnecting with old friends, but it was too low-key for my taste, mildly depressing, and even a little dull.) “Trust Exercise,” by Susan Choi. (I have read a couple of Choi’s other novels, and always end up feeling slightly disappointed with them.) “Nobody’s Looking at You,” by Janet Malcolm. (I have been reading Malcolm’s work for many years, and like it very much, but I had already read some of the essays in The New Yorker and elsewhere, and the topics of others were not particularly interesting to me). “The Altruists,” by Andrew Ridker. (I read this novel less than a month ago and I have already completely forgotten what it was about, so that says something….) “The Other Americans,” by Laila Lalami.” (This novel admirably addresses important social topics, but I just didn’t get particularly caught up in it.) Again, I have to say that in many cases my feelings about these novels are very much a matter of individual taste, and I can easily imagine other readers might value and like them more than I did. I also have to say what I have occasionally said before on this blog and elsewhere: I sometimes feel that it is presumptuous of me to judge these perfectly fine novels when I couldn’t possibly have written them myself, not having the gift for fiction writing. But I remind myself that writers need readers, and that readers need to hear the views of other readers, either to help them decide what to read, or to compare notes when they have read the same books. Thus the necessity and usefulness of book reviews, criticism, literature classes, word of mouth, book clubs, and yes, book blogs!

Try the Search Box

A longtime reader of this blog, M.L., suggested that I point out to readers that they can search the blog, using the small search box on the top left of the blog. Besides searching for specific titles or authors, which would likely be the most common searches, a reader might want to search for a specific genre (e.g., memoir, mystery, campus novel, poetry) or a specific setting (e.g., San Francisco, Manhattan, India). And if you have trouble getting results with this, please don’t hesitate to email me directly to ask a book question, and if I possibly can, I will happily answer.

Blog "Follower" Issues

Google has informed me that it no longer supports “followers” who follow from non-Google sources. If you are one of those who got “cut” as a follower in the past few days (I don’t know if you got any notice of this or not), you can either rejoin through Google, or just continue to read the blog as before, and even comment if you like, without “following.” And you can always contact me directly at vandricks@usfca.edu with questions or comments. Let me take this opportunity to say thanks very much to all of you who read the blog, either as official "followers" or not, and either regularly or occasionally.

On Not Having an Editor for This Blog

In my blogger role here, I write on the Internet, I write when and as often as I want, about what I want, with no word limit, and -- most crucially for my point today -- I don’t have an editor. All of these factors provide me the great luxury of writing what I want, without worrying about limits, especially from an editor. When I write for academic venues -- mainly journals, books, and book chapters -- I always have to keep in mind what my editor(s) (along with peer reviewers of my submitted manuscripts) will think and say about what I write. So there is a delightful freedom when writing on this blog. But the flip side of that freedom is that there is no checkpoint, no one to flag errors, clichés, infelicities, repetitions, omissions, illogical conclusions, and just plain embarrassing writing. There is no one who, with her or his responses and suggestions, will push me to rethink and revise, and who will make me a better writer. I am flying solo, for better or for worse. Luckily the stakes are low; blogs, after all, are (except for those by prominent/famous people with huge readerships) generally not high profile, and mine is no exception. So while I would surely benefit from an editor, the freedom, spontaneity, immediacy, and lack of constraints are counterbalances to the disadvantages, as well as counterbalances to my experiences with scholarly writing. I like having both kinds of writing and experiences. I do want to note that I definitely want and value editors when I am doing academic writing and publishing. I also want to note that I have been very fortunate in the editors I have worked with over the years (too many to list here, but special thanks to Naomi and to Kelly, who edited my books). So this is in no way a denigration of editors, but simply a celebration of a certain kind of low-risk freedom, in my little corner of the vast Internet, to write about something I love without worrying too much about whether it is up to anyone else’s standards (except, of course, those of the readers of the blog, whom I do hope to please, and who have been remarkably generous in their responses).

My One Thousandth Post!

To celebrate the occasion of this, my one thousandth (yes, 1,000th!) post on this blog, I want to say how much I truly enjoy writing the blog entries, and how much I treasure the chance to share my ideas and feelings about books, authors, reading, bookstores, libraries, and related topics with you. I would like, too, to thank everyone who “follows” this blog, who has commented on it (on the blog itself, in separate emails, on Facebook, in person, or otherwise), and who reads it either regularly or occasionally. Thanks very much also to those who have contributed guest posts. All these “conversations” and connections among booklovers about books and reading mean so much to me. (Thanks too to the Internet for making possible this thing called a “blog”!)

On Keeping a Book a Secret: A Small Dilemma

Writing this blog, like all activities, has its unanticipated small (very small, and fortunately very manageable) dilemmas. For example, sometimes I read a book and decide it would be perfect for one of my friends or family members for a birthday, Christmas, or other occasion, or "just because." (As regular readers of this blog know, many of my gifts to others tend to be books.) I also plan to write a blog post about that book. But if I know that the recipient in question reads my blog, I don't want to post before I give the person the book, in case they go out and buy or borrow the book themselves. The solution, of course, is simply not to post about the book until after I have given it to the person. This is not a problem, but sometimes it involves waiting days or even weeks before being able to post on that book. In that case, I usually write the post while the book is fresh on my mind, and save it to post a little bit later. (I am smiling a little as I write this, thinking that if this is the biggest problem I have all day or all week, I am extremely fortunate!)

Problems Commenting on This Blog?

Dear readers,
Some readers have told me that they are unable to comment on this blog. Mostly people who are "followers" (becoming a follower is easy!) have been able to comment, but not always. I am checking into this, as much as I can with my rather limited technological adeptness, but in the meanwhile, you are always very welcome to comment directly to me by email; I very much appreciate and enjoy hearing from you about the blog and its topics. My email address is: vandricks@usfca.edu. That address is also listed in my profile on the blog. Thanks for reading the blog!
Stephanie

StephanieVandrickReads' One Year Anniversary

It has been one year today, January 24, 2011, since I started this blog, StephanieVandrickReads. I have very much appreciated and enjoyed having this place to write about what I have been reading, about favorite authors and books, and about reading-related topics. I also appreciate very much and thank everyone who has read the blog, and those who have responded, either by commenting on the blog site itself or by contacting me by email or otherwise.

To mark this one year anniversary, I am listing here my most treasured authors, the ones I go back to and re-read over and over, the ones who give me the most sustenance, pleasure, and food for thought. I do not claim that these are necessarily the "best" authors, although many of them would in fact be on most "all-time best" lists. And there are, of course, many, many more writers whose work I have liked very much. But those on this list form the core of my love for reading; these are the authors I personally feel most connected to, and most grateful for. My life would be far poorer without them.

In no particular order, here is the "short list" of my twenty most treasured authors:

-Jane Austen
-George Eliot
-Elizabeth Gaskell
-William Thackeray
-Charlotte Bronte
-Thomas Hardy
-Edith Wharton
-Willa Cather
-Virginia Woolf
-E. M. Forster
-Elizabeth Bowen
-Barbara Pym
-Alice Munro
-William Trevor
-Carolyn Heilbrun
-Penelope Lively
-Anne Tyler
-Carol Shields
-Mary Gordon
-Gail Godwin

I dedicate this one year anniversary post to my dear friend of almost forty years, C.

Short Hiatus for the Holidays

StephanieVandrickReads will go on a short hiatus (perhaps 4 days) for Christmas. I wish my readers very happy holidays! And I thank you for reading this blog and allowing me to share my book-related thoughts and experiences with you this past year.

200 Blog Entries!

I can't quite believe that I have just posted the 200th entry on this blog! Thanks very much to those of you reading it, whether regularly or occasionally. And please do tell your reading friends about it.