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| © 2012 Lili Tufel, All Rights Reserved |
This morning, on our way to school, my daughter said to me, "Mom, I started reading a new book called Hoot."
Immediately, my son interjected. "That book is so boring."
Like the tween that he is, he didn't listen to me and continued, "It's true. My whole class thought it was boring."
In all honesty, that novel is a little boring for my taste so in a way, I do agree with him. But my 10 year-old daughter has wanted to be a veterinarian ever since she could talk. She'd love a story about kids saving a colony of burrowing owls.
But my daughter looks up to her older brother. She values his opinion. It would have been very sad if she put the book down because of his influence. So, I ended up lecturing them both on how people have different tastes in books just like people enjoy different types of movies and TV shows.
This morning's conversation got me thinking. There are certain people who feel the need to criticize books in an effort to "warn others" with their "buyer beware" reviews.
I've come across many reviews on Amazon - for novels that I actually enjoyed reading - that include my son's exact words . This "book is so boring."
Why can't these so called reviewers say something like, "Long descriptions are not my cup of tea," explaining why the book is boring for them?
Instead, these reviewers act like they're middle schoolers, hitting novels with 1-star reviews while adding, "Even my wife thought it was boring."
Seriously, people. Why act like you're in middle school and ruin it for others?
