Alli the Book Giraffe

Hello readers! I made this post earlier in the month about my Bookish opinions, most of which were topics floating around the book community. And, I’ve been slowly making a list of more.

You guys really loved that post, so I knew I had to make a part two. Let me know if there are any other topics you’d like to know my opinions on!

If you missed part one, CLICK HERE.

Trigger Warnings:

I feel like this has always been a big topic in the book community. I actually used to write them after every time I even mentioned a book. But, it got very tedious, and I found an alternate.

If you read indie authors, they will include the trigger warnings in the actual book. But, traditionally published books have not followed behind them. I even heard NetGalley were planning on adding them a few months ago, but haven’t just yet.

I actually put a user on Goodreads at the bottom of all my posts that you can add who has trigger warnings in the review section.

I just don’t get how some people say that trigger warnings are somehow censorship. Everyone is different and has been through different things. It is better, in my opinion, for someone to avoid a book that they know will trigger them instead of reading and hating that book.

I go out of my way to make sure I don’t ever read body horror because it really messes with my brain. It gives me the heebie-jeebies and I will not enjoy any book with it. But, some other people may have issues with reading about things they’ve been through like SA or homophobia.

I absolutely think everyone should feel safe wherever they are, and that includes books.

Slow VS Fast Readers:

I am so SICK of this discussion. But, so many people who are slow readers just hate on fast readers. I am a fast reader. I can read faster than anyone I know. But, I’ve also been a reader for 18 years now.

I’m also the type of person who loves consuming a book as quick as possible because my favorite part is getting to the end. Why are they also acting like we are getting a test at the end of the book? I care more about the experience than memorizing the whole story.

I also have ADHD, so my memory is atrocious. I have to go back to the synopsis of the book on Goodreads just to tell you guys what the characters names are in a book. Because those names will leave my brain once the book is over, unless it’s a series or something.

Storygraph VS Goodreads:

This has been a hot topic lately. A ton of people have moved over to Storygraph recently from Goodreads. Some people even use both.

I totally get the appeal of Storygraph. Many people join to stick it to Amazon.

The thing that made me want to talk about this was when I saw someone say on Threads that anyone who prefers Goodreads is a racist. Like?

Apparently you can add diversity and stuff on Storygraph. But, I’m just sticking with Goodreads because I joined it in 2012. That’s 12 years of being on Goodreads. I’m just a creature of habit.

I recently did join, but I’m not sure how much I’ll use it.

What do you guys think? Do you prefer Goodreads or Storygraph, or do you use both?

Asking Indie Authors to Pay For Reviews:

There is this trend on Booktok and Bookstagram where people are going into the DMs of indie authors and asking for paid reviews. The entitlement is off the charts.

I had an indie author tell me that a Booktoker (I don’t know who) asked them for 200 dollars to just show the book in a 10 second video. Not even for a review or anything.

Number one, it’s illegal to pay for reviews. But two, it’s really unhinged to ask an author to pay for a review who probably writes as a second job. I get influencers are trying to make money, but they don’t need to exploit indie authors to do it.

---

This post was created by Allison Wolfe for www.allithebookgiraffe.com and is not permitted to be posted anywhere else.

Where to find me: https://linktr.ee/Allithebookgiraffe

Add this user on Goodreads for all your trigger warning needs: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/86920464-trigger-warning-database