Marquise > Status Update

I have a: do not read , likely not read, and did not finish shelves. That way I know I am aware of the book (it’s on a shelf) but also to stay away. Occasionally I will move a book to another spot or back to ‘maybe to read’ or ‘want to read’ but as a general rule I try to leave them where I put them. :)

So . . . just add the books to a dedicated shelf according to the likelihood of reading or not reading them? Without a comment?

I think it's mostly the comments that Barbra Streisand them into stardom. :P Like, I added a B&B retelling in which the "Beast" was turned into a dildo. I couldn't resist mocking it, it wasn't rated or reviewed yet, and then immediately some readers (probably the author's friends or superfans) came after me and reported it, so GR shadowbanned it.

But even without comments, I'm known enough that I have lots of users who do nothing but raid my shelves to add to theirs. So one way or another I bring attention to books that don't deserve it. :(

I'm not sure what else could be done other than making a shelf for them. I have a "Never Ever" shelf for the craziest conspiracy theory books my family recommend me that I can't bring myself to rebut. I do 'review' them, though it's mostly for my personal benefit and luckily no one has raged out on them.

I really can't think of an easy way to track books specifically not to read them. You could keep a bookmark folder of them, but that would require manually checking if a book is in there or not when you come across a new one and that sounds a pain. I suppose you could add them to a shelf without comment, and make a separate update on GR about it if you wanted to share so that people who would report negative reviews would have a harder time seeing it?

I don't know that I'd put 'guilty pleasure' as a shelf to NOT pick up, though! I have a 'Junk Food' shelf for those, lmao.

The Overflowing Inkwell wrote: "I really can't think of an easy way to track books specifically not to read them. You could keep a bookmark folder of them, but that would require manually checking if a book is in there or not when you come across a new one and that sounds a pain. I suppose you could add them to a shelf without comment, and make a separate update on GR about it if you wanted to share so that people who would report negative reviews would have a harder time seeing it?"


Hehehe, I have thought of this too. I did in fact have a bookmarks folder entitled "Absolutely Not" for these books specifically, but as you said it becomes a chore to manually check every single title there, so... Ugh!

My other option? Excel spreadsheets. Same problem, though.

Third option, and likely the best one? A book cataloguing app/site, like LibraryThing, BookBuddy, Fable.... I did try one of them (LT), and its inferface and shelving features were so unwieldy! So un-user friendly it's not funny. :(

So here I am back on good ol' Glitchyreads...

lmaooo, its just a matter of minding our own business ig

personally, i couldnt care less if my fav reviewer has their own kinks

I keep reading journals with an index of what I’ve read. Also all the books that I haven’t read (or next in a series are written on annotation stickers and thrown into a TBR jar for choosing.

Ahne wrote: "lmaooo, its just a matter of minding our own business ig

personally, i couldnt care less if my fav reviewer has their own kinks"

Yeah, basically. But people here don't know how to mind their own business. ;)

I don't care, either. Most of my GR friends have their niche tastes I wouldn't touch, and I don't judge. it doesn't embarrass me at all either, that's not the problem. The problem is the people who come judge and troll you over these things, so the idea is to reduce the chances of that happening by not giving them an in-road/opportunity.

Susan wrote: "I keep reading journals with an index of what I’ve read. Also all the books that I haven’t read (or next in a series are written on annotation stickers and thrown into a TBR jar for choosing."

Not a bad idea... Only that I have a kitty addicted to sleeping and prancing over my desk, and who is at permanent war with my stickies and notebooks. :D

I rely on the most unreliable source I can think of: my memory :)

That and other people's reviews.


Are there that many ridiculous Beauty & Beast retellings? If it's over 100, I'd say it could be a good idea to make a list.

Thibault wrote: "Are there that many ridiculous Beauty & Beast retellings? If it's over 100, I'd say it could be a good idea to make a list."

Too many, oh, too many! I'd say that about 90% of B&B retellings are utter shite, and it's mostly due to: a) horrible plots, b) weird subgenres where the fairy tale doesn't belong, c) authors using the tale as a hook to ensnare retellings fans.

You'd think poor writing would be the biggest issues, but naaaah! It's the talentless writers breathlessly writing sex scenes between a empty-headed college girl and a hairy dude whose only claim to beastliness is never having gone to a therapist for his anger issues. :D

I know in the review section, Goodreads has a section for private notes. I haven't used that feature before, but perhaps you could make a note for yourself in there that it's a never-ever book? I don't think it would appear on a shelf. However, for you to access that note, you probably would have to look for it the same way you look up your reviews. (Again, just guessing - I haven't used the feature. But might be worth playing with to see if it works for you)

Maria wrote: "I know in the review section, Goodreads has a section for private notes..."

Oh, yes! I do use them, especially when I leave a book rated but not reviewed because I don't want to make my feelings about it public.

Since the cause of this question is that I want my project to be a sort of curated catalogue of B&B retellings, I don't want to bring attention to two specific types of retellings I've discovered are waaaay too common (and they have a readership, or they wouldn't be written), from which I want to stay as far away as possible and not have linked to my B&B project in any way whatsoever. I thought of making a list for those, but people will come hunt my shelves for precisely those books... and I don't want to help them with it. Let them search for their kinks themselves. :P

Think of it like if you had a website specifically for Snow White retellings and you wanted to avoid and at the same time not bring attention to the kind of retellings that have Snow in an orgy with the seven dwarfs. :D

If I had enough such titles, I would create a semel nimis est shelf. I have generally just avoided such books altogether. When I am in the bookstore I usually read the first few paragraphs before buying; that's often enough to abandon and avoid it. Since you are committed to reading everything in your area of interest, that probably won't work for you.

GR deletes shelves like "attack authors" so I created a shelf of a fictional "Karen's" name to keep track of which authors deserve avoidance. Ha!

I think I have created a section on one of the sites as "might consider" but most likely never will ;)

I have shelves that I labeled something that means nothing to anybody. Like "A Shelf" and I leave my notes about that book in the private note area for my own benefit. No one knows what those shelves mean except me (or anyone I decide to tell). So maybe just label it with a nickname that means nothing in particular and is so boring no one would care, but you alone know what the reasoning is behind grouping them on the shelf. Then people who come to look at your shelves wouldn't know what your opinion is about them and move on. If they see the grouping and like it, well, they would have liked it anyway? (I also have a document that I keep in a folder for any book that the private note area is too small to write everything about the book I want to record, so if it's too small, I write in the private notes "see doc A in Folder X" to remind myself where I put the comment.)

Hmm that's a tricky one. Shelves can't be private I think. Unless you made an alt account just for those and added them there in some generic 'whatever' shelf, but that's too much effort too.

absolutely-not

I have a "will not read" shelf. I wish GR offered a private shelving option, though.

Caroline wrote: "I have a "will not read" shelf. I wish GR offered a private shelving option, though."

Yeah! That's been my wish for long too. Or at least the private tags that only we can see.

People are extremely sensitive. I've seen users here demanding explanations for shelves and tags, as if they were entitled to know, or directly contradicting what the shelf's title says in complete dismissal that those are meant to be for one's own record-keeping and not for them.

Mai wrote: "absolutely-not"

Quite neutral a title, yeah.

Morphing Erebus wrote: "Hmm that's a tricky one. Shelves can't be private I think. Unless you made an alt account just for those and added them there in some generic 'whatever' shelf, but that's too much effort too."

Hahaha, yeah, I have thought of that option but never actually very seriously. I've been accused of having alt accounts here on GR twice in all my years here, which is so very odd to me. I don't even have access to my Cub's (mostly inactive) account here, but I do know some have access to and use their relatives' accounts here.

Cindy wrote: "I think I have created a section on one of the sites as "might consider" but most likely never will ;)"

Very diplomatic! I'm blunter with my shelf names, unfortunately. :D

Or more creative, if we want to look at it positively...

Fred wrote: "If I had enough such titles, I would create a semel nimis est shelf..."


Brilliant! A shelf title in a obscure/dead/unintelligible language or code known only to oneself and a few select mortals... Why haven't I thought of that before?

Thing is, though, once you reach a certain level of online visibility, it doesn't quite matter what you call your shelves.

Hehehe, reading everything in my area of interest would require superhuman energy and immortality. :D I do want to keep track of everything or as close to everything, though. Gotta be selective, because if there's 30 releases per month, I gotta know which of those 30 are worth reading and which I should rather ignore. You wouldn't believe the absurd number of retellings published each month! I knew they were a lot, but not THAT MUCH, SWEET BABY JAYZUS. o.O

Hannah wrote: "GR deletes shelves like "attack authors" so I created a shelf of a fictional "Karen's" name to keep track of which authors deserve avoidance. Ha!"

They delete SHELVES now???!!!

Well, drat, why am I even surprised? There's very heavy and unsubtle author favouritism over at Amazon, so why not here too?

Melissa wrote: "I have shelves that I labeled something that means nothing to anybody. Like "A Shelf" and I leave my notes about that book in the private note area for my own benefit. No one knows what those shelves mean..."

Brilliant! I do have something like that, two shelves entitled X and Y and only I know what that means. Mmmm.... I think this could be the best option. <3

I recently wrote about "wolf porn" at Yellowstone and have an upcoming piece about "bear porn." I "reviewed" the book that will be the subject of that, "Taken by Bear in Yellowstone." The "wolf porn" is more figurative; with a title like that, the "bear porn" piece will be more semi-literalistic.
Anyway: socraticgadfly . substac k. com/p/yellowstone-wolvers-mosh-pit-and

Thibault wrote: "I rely on the most unreliable source I can think of: my memory :)

That and other people's reviews.


Are there that many ridiculous Beauty & Beast retellings? If it's over 100, I'd say it could be..."

I have twice in the past year re-checked-out a book I had forgotten I had checked out and low-reviewed already. I figured what the hell and gave them an even more crushing second review.

Hannah wrote: "GR deletes shelves like "attack authors" so I created a shelf of a fictional "Karen's" name to keep track of which authors deserve avoidance. Ha!"

Goodreads said something recently about how it was going to create an automated "did not finish" shelf for each of us.

So, using simple cipher, I renamed the "did not finish" shelf I had already created to "cme."

Socraticgadfly wrote: "I recently wrote about "wolf porn" at Yellowstone and have an upcoming piece about "bear porn." I "reviewed" the book that will be the subject of that, "Taken by Bear in Yellowstone." The "wolf por..."

Sounds like the sort of fiction I want to avoid.

Marquise wrote: "Socraticgadfly wrote: "I recently wrote about "wolf porn" at Yellowstone and have an upcoming piece about "bear porn." I "reviewed" the book that will be the subject of that, "Taken by Bear in Yell..."

Oh, by the title, on the "bear porn" book? It sounded like an interspecific rape fantasy, and I'm not that crude-minded of a male homo sapiens. That said, the author has another book, same title, different park, about US Glacier National Park, and another about baking with cannabis. That probably explains something.

Marquise wrote: "You'd think poor writing would be the biggest issues, but naaaah! It's the talentless writers breathlessly writing sex scenes between a empty-headed college girl and a hairy dude whose only claim to beastliness is never having gone to a therapist for his anger issues. :D"

LOL, they clearly know what sells. Though I'm the kind of reader who'd rather read a book that stimulates my brain.

I actually am happy for you that there are so many B&B retellings. Because I know how much you like them. Shame that there are so many duds though. If I were you, I'd just make the shelf. Makes it much easier for you. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it.

Thibault wrote: "Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it."

That's not the point, Thibu. I don't care what others "think." I don't want to bring attention (and thus readers and sales) to those books by virtue of my visibility.

I am already known here as a reference reviewer for retellings, and I have many followers (and growing) that only care about my shelves and what I am reading and never leave me a comment or a 'like', as if I were a glorified Listopia list. I do want to bring attention to B&B retellings, that's the whole point of my project, but do not want to be used for promoting rubbish.

Socraticgadfly wrote: "Oh, by the title, on the "bear porn" book? It sounded like an interspecific rape fantasy, and I'm not that crude-minded of a male homo sapiens."

Meh, I'm not surprised at all. I've seen everything in romance and retellings. I did mention the dildo as "Beast" in a retelling I mocked and got shadowbanned by GR for, after all.

But writing about them doesn't help, Soccy. They won't dissuade people from reading them, they exist because an audience for them exists, and comments like mine or articles like yours will only make them more known. Barbra Streisand effect.

These are kink fiction books, which is legitimate for adults to read. I don't give a damn who reads them and why, I've always been a 'read and let read' type of bookworm, but I do take issue with being trolled over those for labelling them or making fun of them.

Marquise wrote: "Thibault wrote: "Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it."

That's not the point, Thibu. I don't care what others "think." I don't want to bring attention (and thus readers and sales) to th..."

As I was reading this, I thought perhaps the answer is to have a best of thr B&B retellings list and a rest of them list. That might focus your audience on the good ones. If they delve into the rest, they can be guided by your reviews and ratings.

Marquise wrote: "That's not the point, Thibu. I don't care what others "think." I don't want to bring attention (and thus readers and sales) to th..."

That is true, Marquise. You’ve built a niche that people do respect. And for a good reason, you’ve worked hard and with passion to earn that credibility you now have.

Fair point that you don’t want to promote rubbish, especially when that’s the opposite of what you would want to accomplish with that list. How about keeping an offline list? Like an Excel document or even a simple Word document? You could easily search for author, title, and the reason why you put it on the list, without having to share it with anyone.

Marquise, this is from probably a decade ago…they did that before the Amazon buyout, even. I had several friends whose shelves were affected so I brainstormed with friends and we all did a similar shelf name so we would know what it meant and be able to avoid authors who had attacked our reviews.

Now did the authors who bullied readers get reprimanded? Nope, none of the ones we reported!

Hannah wrote: "Now did the authors who bullied readers get reprimanded? Nope, none of the ones we reported!"

Unsurprising, they never pay the consequences.

Thibault wrote: " How about keeping an offline list? Like an Excel document or even a simple Word document? You could easily search for author, title, and the reason why you put it on the list, without having to share it with anyone."

Doable for small numbers, but impractical and too time-consuming for large amounts of books published per month. And I have to do this each month for years to come.

Fred wrote: "Marquise wrote: ".As I was reading this, I thought perhaps the answer is to have a best of thr B&B retellings list and a rest of them list. That might focus your audience on the good ones. If they delve into the rest, they can be guided by your reviews and ratings."

The idea is helping myself, not helping other readers.

Hannah wrote: "Marquise, this is from probably a decade ago…they did that before the Amazon buyout, even. I had several friends whose shelves were affected so I brainstormed with friends and we all did a similar ..."

Also to loathe: authors who vote on their own books. There's a New Testament scholar who has a newly released book, as in, I think official publication was late August. These aren't the types of books that usually have a bunch of advance copies on Netgallery. Well, a month before the official pub date, he 5-starred his book. So, I 1-starred it.