CindySR’s Comments (group member since Aug 08, 2021)

CindySR’s comments from the Retro Reads group.

Jackie wrote: "No, I never vote.

I know I read The Pigman decades ago (I think high school so that would be the 1970s) but don't remember it.

As for what I liked best in 2025 that will be tricky, mostly becau..."
My memory is also mush so to have a book I read in the 70s stay in my mind is unusual. It was a very sad read, maybe that's why.

I read some newly published books, and if I see them on the Choice awards I will vote for them.

My Retro GR Award goes to (drumroll please!)
The Pigman by Paul Zindel

It's one of those stories that I read in my youth and never forgot. I re-read it this year and it still gets to me.

Two questions this month.
Do you vote in the GR Choice awards?

If there was a GR Choice Award to give to any retro books you liked best in 2025, what are those books?

Tadiana's thread is enlightening!

Time for a shopping trip for baby clothes, so cute!

Cindy Lou Who here, I second the motion!

Why misunderstandings happen online

Lack of non-verbal cues: Written communication is missing the tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language that clarify meaning in face-to-face conversations.
Assumptions: Readers make assumptions about the sender's intent and tone based on their own perspectives, leading to misinterpretations.
Speed and brevity: Social media platforms encourage quick, immediate responses, which can lead to hasty messages without careful consideration.
Negativity bias: The mind's tendency to interpret ambiguity as negative can cause readers to assume the worst intention behind a comment.
Echo chambers: Algorithms can show users content similar to their own, creating an environment where people are less accustomed to different viewpoints and more likely to misinterpret them.
Sarcasm and humor: These can easily be misunderstood in text, even if they are intended to be harmless.

How to avoid misunderstanding online

Be mindful of tone: Avoid sarcasm and humor in posts, as they can easily be misinterpreted and cause offense.
Be clear and concise: Draft your comments and reread them to ensure they are clear before posting.
Ask for clarification: If a comment is ambiguous, politely ask for clarification by saying something like, "Do you mean...?".
Use emojis carefully: Emojis can add tone, but be aware that their meanings can also be misinterpreted. For example, the "dashing away" emoji is often mistaken for farting.
Be cautious with sensitive topics: It's often best to avoid highly explosive or sensitive topics, as they are more likely to generate misunderstandings.
Take a break: If you are getting into a heated or confusing situation, it is sometimes best to take a break from the conversation.

Sarah wrote: "So I don't understand why you ask me about blank pages and then get mad at me ..."
Hi Sarah, I just want to assure you that neither Carol nor I will ever get mad at you or yell at you. Sometimes it is easy to misinterpret meaning and tone on the internet, I've done it often enough myself. I promise no one is mad at you or yelling.

Now that you mention it, my client does write fiction and opinion on her tumblr blog.

I am reading A Good Horse right now, the religious aspect in it is weird.

copy/paste from Google AI:


Goodreads doesn't have a specific 2-review-per-day limit, but
it does have daily limits to prevent spam and abuse, such as review-bombing. These limits are set in place to stop users from posting a large number of reviews or adding many books to shelves in a short period, which can skew ratings or be used for malicious purposes.

Deterring spam: The limits are a preventative measure against spam and other forms of abuse, as a high volume of reviews from a single user can be a sign of automated or malicious activity.

Preventing review-bombing: These limits are part of Goodreads's effort to combat review-bombing, which is when a book receives a large number of negative reviews in an attempt to damage its rating, often by fake accounts.

Changing limits: The exact daily limits are not publicly disclosed by Goodreads and may change over time to adapt to new threats.

User experience: Some users report being temporarily blocked after adding a large number of books or reviews, even if they are not spammers. The best practice is to add a few a day to avoid hitting the limit and to wait 24 hours if a temporary block occurs.

Hi Sarah. As a part-time "job" I am a companion to an autistic adult woman. She has also been diagnosed as Schizotypal personality disorder. She loves animals but especially primates and insects. She is extremely intelligent and will research any subject she is interested in. Unfortunately she does not read fiction.

I love horses too! Have you read any Jane Smiley ?

If you would like a way to keep your personal yearly book pool reads organized, make a GR shelf for them. Mine look like this:

book-pool-2023 ‎(6)
book-pool-2024 ‎(9)
book-pool-2025 ‎(7)

2024 was a good year!

I keep looking at my 2026 book pool pile wanting to start it right now!

#2
book number 7
Silver Canyon
finished 11/3

2 stars
an early work, not his best

Sarah wrote: "Can I join on to read some of the books listed here?? I see some of these are at my library (although so far I only looked at the top two rows of the book covers)..."

Read as many as you wish or not at all. The Book Pool is not a "challenge" although we do keep track by the year for fun. You might like to check out the books from previous years to find titles interesting to you.

Sarah wrote: "I often read such old "weird" (unpopular) books that I actually need the help of a librarian to either add page count, the cover image of the edition I have or else to add the entire book.. like wi..."

weird & unpopular = RETRO! 🤣

Sarah wrote: " For example I don't like "smutty" scenes yet many read books for that exact thing...."

So true. Years ago I decided to read Outlander since everyone loved it so much. I managed to read the whole thing, just to say I did, but I almost vomited.

Georgia and Sarah, welcome!

Susan in NC wrote: "I have not, but as Carol suggested, if that includes comic collections, I was a huge Peanuts fan growing up, and loved Bloom County in high school (and it’s resurrection during trump’s first term)."

Comics for sure. According to the internet Watchmen is the most famous graphic novel and it is about superheros.

Jackie wrote: "I have yet to read a graphic novel but maybe I should try - bust out into something new?"

They are a quick read!