TezMillerOz

Status

First up, apologies for not posting any reviews of books I've read this month - because I haven't written any reviews ;-) They should come in early March. I'm currently working on a March 2016 Releases post, so that should pop up before March starts.


The Impending Deletion of "Down with This Sort of Thing"

I announced last week that on March 1st I will delete the "Down with this sort of thing" shelf from my Goodreads. (Everything else will remain, so feel free to Follow my profile there.) Instead of closing immediately, I chose a deadline to give people time to collect anything.

Vaguely, but honestly, I said the shelf was not having its intended effect or serving its original purpose. Here are details:

Often when people speak out on various issues in the book community, it's usually the same people speaking out. Which means the same people are taking all the risks, which puts them in the most danger. That isn't fair on them. I know I've been a bystander, just clicking "Like" without putting myself on the line in solidarity.

So I created the "Down with this sort of thing" shelf, its name inspired by a protesting placard from an episode of Father Ted. (An obscure reference, maybe - I'm showing my age ;-) ) That was last year, and this year I've included details to new additions, such as links. With so many books on the market to choose from, notes like these can help readers make informed decisions.

A Booklikes user has long spoken of how these kind of shelves may not have the desired intent because they increase visibility - which explains how some rather questionable books by questionable authors made it to the Goodreads Best Books short-lists. (Really "most popular", rather than "best", but that's another discussion for another time.)

I should've taken heed. Then earlier this month my shelving had a Streisand Effect. "Down with this sort of thing" is basically "things I'm wary of". But instead, not long after I added specific titles to that shelf, a few friends added those same books to their wishlists.

Their decisions may have had nothing to do with my shelving, but I decided it's time for my shelf to go. At the time of writing, you still have a few days (until Tuesday) to grab anything.

To the people keeping their similar-purpose shelves online, thank you. You've helped me make informed decisions about my reading, and I appreciate that.


"Things That Make Me Fry-Face"

What does it mean to "Fry-face"? You may have seen the screencap from a Futurama episode wherein which Fry is unsure if someone is Bender or Flexo. It's since been turned into the popular "not sure if" meme.

My "Things That Make Me Fry-Face" Pinterest board includes things that I find suspicious. (You know the importance of keeping "receipts".) Sometimes I've provided context in the captions, otherwise not. Dates are included when I remember.

Its purpose is similar to my "Down with this sort of thing" shelf - a form of filing system. It's by no means a comprehensive board, but I'm not deleting it anytime soon, and it's deliberately much more low-key compared to the more public nature of the Goodreads shelf.