I saw something today and I’m really curious what other readers think.

Someone commented on an author’s personal Instagram post to say they weren’t a fan of the new book. The author replied with “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” The person who posted the screenshot felt icky about the author’s response.

Personally, I didn’t think the author was out of line. I don’t really see the point of going onto an author’s own page just to drop a negative comment. That isn’t a review, it’s just putting criticism directly in front of the author for no real reason. Review platforms exist for a reason.

I also saw someone comment back to me about this ‘but sometimes authors don’t read reviews and won’t see it’ and I just always felt reviews are for other readers? I don’t know. And also how is ‘I didn’t like this book’ helpful in any way and why does it need to be seen?

That’s just me. What do you all think? Is it fine to leave negative opinions on an author’s page, or should that stuff stay on review sites instead?

Curious to hear everyone’s take.

Don't hate me but I'm really not liking this😭 it has some aspects that I like but they're so few in comparison to the ones I didn't😭 I don't like the writing, the plot "twists" or conflicts are simply too ridiculous to take seriously (I can give examples in the comments if anyone's interested), the world building is not that interesting, and the message feels so in-your-face. I don't usually mind the lack of subtlitiy, I actually love it in R.F. Kuang's work, but something in how it's executed here makes me roll my eyes😐 I can't put a finger on it exactly but if anyone else thought that as well pls tell me🫶🏽

I'm currently reading a book with lots of Spanish words, and I don't know any significant Spanish. In the forums there's lots of posts saying people are looking up a ton of the words to understand the text. In other book forums I've also seen posts along the same lines unrelated to language, just general "I have looked up so many words; have your dictionary nearby" etc

I basically never look up words. At this point in my reading journey it's quite rare for me to encounter any (English) word I don't know, and even if I don't know it (any language) I can 99% of the time understand the meaning from context clues and therefore feel no need...

Am I just a weirdo for never referencing the dictionary?? How often do you grab the dictionary/Google, and what's a great word you've learned from this process?

Here's a previous club post talking about a similar topic

I am not talking about second hand bookshops I mean like thrift shops with a small book section. I always see and thus would never buy first hand if I wanted to read them… memoirs of a geisha ( all the time) Eat pray love, it ends with us ( 8 copies at one shop) A bunch of Shakespeare plays (always hamlet and Romeo and Juliet) 50 shades of grey ( but not as much any more)

Honourable mention to the shop that had a bookcase of buffy the vampire slayer and Angel books.

What have other people found that you always see?

As one of the closest caretakers of a girl on the autism spectrum, I can’t believe it took me this long to realize Artemisia is neurodivergent. But once I did, it hit me hard.

My girl moves through the world with a completely different rulebook. Noise, textures, crowds; things most people brush off can completely overwhelm her. She gets so excited for activities she’s sure she’ll love, only to end up in tears because it’s too much. Making friends is hard. Trying new foods is hard. Feeling understood is hardest of all.

And she notices how stories rarely make space for girls like her. There are more neurodivergent protagonists now, but often those heroines , though different, or touched by similar struggles, are still seen as charming, quirky, effortlessly endearing.

They’re not the ones who get misunderstood. Who get the weird looks. Who make others uncomfortable just by existing.

That’s why Artemisia’s portrayal moved me so much. She fumbles. She misreads. She faces gossip, awkwardness, and years of feeling out of place... and she’s still the protagonist. She’s still kind, she's still strong, and she's still important.

I’m so excited, because my little girl is going to love this book. I can’t wait to share it with her.