What the hell is going on? My thoughts on Goodreads

I have to admit, I haven't followed the whole Goodreads fiasco. To be honest, I don't even know what started it other than what little references to it I've seen in authors' and other bloggers' posts. It all seems kind of ridiculous to me.

I'm one of four sisters, all raised in the same house, all within 4 years of age of each other. We are all avid readers. We all had access to the same books growing up. But ... Oh my God ... We all like different books, different genres and different authors! How can this be?

Shhhh. Lean in close and I'll tell you.... We are all different. Thats it. Thats the secret. No two people are going to like exactly the same things, no matter how much alike they are.

So here is my advice...

For reviewers:

If you didn't like the book you read, that's okay. Taste is subjective. You have every right to say so. But explain why, for God's sake. Was it the characters, the world building, the pacing, the dialogue, the genre? Or did it strike a negative cord based on your life experiences? These are all fair and acceptable reasons to not like a book.

However, it is not okay to attack an author personally. If you don't like them for whatever reason, use the good sense your mother gave you and keep it to yourself. That has nothing to do with their book. And giving a negative review to a book because you don't like an author's lifestyle or opinions, is just mean-spirited.  Cut it out.

If you're giving a negative review just because you're a miserable person. and you can leave a negative review...well, that makes you an asshat. Grow up and find something useful to do with your life.

For authors:

Not everyone will like your book. Taste is subjective. Most readers pick the books they read based on their tastes, and they don't really give a shit about the reviews. A large number of them don't even read reviews. I have actually bought books based on negative reviews. Relax. Give readers some credit. We can tell when someone is just being a douchecanoe. Its pretty obvious when someone is just out to attack a book because they can.

Don't do stupid things like post personal info about a blogger who has pissed you off. Use the good sense your mother gave you. Thats not only mean spirited, its dangerous. You don't know what kind of whack-a-doodles might be out there reading your post. Is your offense over some dickhead insulting your book/you so huge that you would want them to be maimed or killed by some unbalanced fan? Seriously?!? That makes you ten times the asshat of the person who posted the review, even if they are a complete asshat to the tenth degree.

Look, life is short people. I'm sitting here tonight trying to wrap my head around the fact that my 17 yr old son has an extremely rare vascular cancer that has no known effective treatment and you're getting all pissy because someone doesn't like you. Kind of puts your temper tantrums into perspective, doesn't it?

Grow the fuck up. Grow a thicker skin. And quit being a douchebag because you can.

The world would be a much nicer place if we all made an effort to take care of each other, rather than trying to undo each other. We are all unique with unique tastes and unique views. That, in itself, is a fucking miracle. Appreciate it.

Karen