Interesting


What Does ‘Age Appropriate Books’ Mean?

Reading books, and letting your kids read books, is a very personal choice. Children develop at different speeds and have different experiences which influence them.

A lot of books for younger readers are classified for certain ages and then up to certain books being ‘adult’ books.

But what does it mean to read an age appropriate book?

First off, you have the writing style and word choices. There is certain vocabulary that certain ages just do not know. That’s part of schooling and development. I don’t think you’re going to see many 7 years olds reading Jane Austen – but you may!

Next, you have the topics and themes that are in the books. I’ve touched on this with other posts in the past, but certain themes shouldn’t be in certain books. Children’s books shouldn’t be over violent, over graphic with their topics or over sexualized. The kind of violence you see in kids books may be bullying versus an adult book which could be murder! Romance in kids books is holding hands, maybe kissing for younger adults and then adult books having the horizontal tango.

But you, or others, may say “well, I don’t mind my child reading adult books with adult themes.”

I want to be clear, you are welcome to that opinion as as a parent you have every right to parent your child. However, one thing to consider is what is considered safely understanding something as well.

Children are developing. They are learning right from wrong. They are learning what being a ‘good’ person is.

I heard from a fellow Bookstagrammer that younger boys were reading Haunting Adeline, you know the book about stalking and some very dark things, and there was a concern that it would color them. Color them as in make them think that these things were okay because the book was so popular.

You sometimes see adults on the Biker side of Instagram reading some of our darker books and being like “You guys like this?” Liking something in a book and wanting that actually in real life is different. Knowing what is okay and what is not is the important line.

Younger readers may not have those skills yet. To be honest, there’s plenty of adults who don’t either. But when you are young, you are impressionable and so being a bit more careful is useful.

Books for younger people address topics in different ways and use different language. It’s not always because they can’t know about things, but because it’s presented in a way that they can understand.

So absolutely, if your child reads above their level that is fine! But certainly have them read books with themes that are appropriate for their ages. Or at least consider the impact of what they are reading. Some children’s life experience have them exposed to certain things before others. That’s okay! But doing it in a healthy way, with healthy conversations, is important.

Make sure that if your children do read those kind of books, especially if they have access to Amazon Kindle Unlimited (where a lot of these books can be easily access), that they know that they can come to you with questions to understand what they are reading.

Kids are naturally curious. I know that I was and we have to do our best to protect them. Books are one unrestricted way that they can access information – I know I used to sneak adult books in the library because no one would know! So creating a safe space and letting them know that they can ask questions about anything they read creates a healthy reading environment in a world full of potentially ‘unhealthy’ books.

What do you think about all of this?


Book Covers: Are They Misleading? 1

This post is my thoughts & opinions on what I am seeing.

Book covers are a very important part of a book. They look gorgeous on your bookshelf, can be used as marketing tools and (for some of us) are the reason that we buy a book.

But one thing I’ve noticed recently is book covers of books that have quite adult themes are sometimes a little misleading and, through this, encouraging/enticing the wrong audience to read the book potentially.

The one book that immediately comes to mind is Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Now before you freak out at me, I am not critiquing her book/cover/story (I haven’t even read it) but this is a conversation I have seen related to this books cover and others in that style. This is just the title I’m using as an example.

When you look at this cover (knowing nothing about the book), what do you think? What do you think the book is about? What age group do you think it’s for?

For me, I think high school/college romance. Something cutesy. Maybe something for younger adult readers or early adults (like the under 18 age range specifically, maybe even 16 and below).

If that’s what you thought, then you’d be pretty wrong. It’s a spicy, explicit book for 18+ readers. Not child friendly.

I want to be clear, I have no issue with the cover itself. I think it’s cute and definitely would have me read the synopsis. But nowhere on the book, or summary, would you get the indication that it is going to be a book for adults and not for younger readers.

If I was a parent and saw my child reading this book, I wouldn’t think anything of it.

Now, let’s compare it to these two books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you see those two books, you are most likely to at least question what the books are about. One of them clearly says “A Dark College Romance” which gives some kind of indication that this is not going to be cute and fluffy. And most certainly isn’t for kids.

I do feel that some of these more explicit books that have a softer cover need to have some kind of sticker on the front, side, back or inside to clearly indicate that this is not a book for young readers. Just something to indicate this book has spice, and adult spice at that. Similarly to movies having ratings on them to indicate the age rage.

Now, I am not here to dictate what age a young adult should be reading about adult themes. That is up to each parents decision. However, that decision should be informed and not easily snuck. Just like adult videos online are clearly labeled and can be restricted, such things in books should be as well. Especially when there are clearly explicit themes or the topics may be a little more unsavory. I did a whole other post about this related to dark romance specifically.

Put yourself in parents shoes!

Most parents will be upset when their child accesses adult content. In fact, most of those websites are only for 18+ and there’s even pushes to verify your age to keep safe! Books can be just as graphic – although with words. But words or visuals can still have the same impact, especially with people who got a good imagination. I know I can read a book or watch a movie and get the same feelings and experiences from it.

So why are books with such adult content allowed to be packaged and sold in a way that can be misleading? Why are libraries or stores potentially placing them in the wrong sections (I saw a post recently on Threads that ACOTAR was in the YA section in a store????). I’m not blaming stores either because with the volume of books out there they have to get through a lot of books and organize it. They can’t micro-analyze everything.

And by adult content, I am not even entirely meaning spice. Adult content can be from sex to violence to just general themes that a younger reader is probably not old enough to read about or understand safely (post coming on this soon).

But, books maybe should have a better system to be more clear in who the audience is.

Maybe use the library system on the spine?

When I go to a library, I see books organized by sections and based on the system of the library, it will say something like “YA” or “ADULT” on the spine to indicate the section it should be in. It’s something small but very quickly indicates the age rage.

Maybe color code?

I’ve seen some authors who write books color their books based on the theme/level of spice/content. Maybe having some kind of color on a spine (not the whole spine, but a dot or a square) to indicate the level of adult content in the book.

Rate books like movies?

Just like movies have ratings, maybe books need to utilize a similar system.

The book ratings, just like movie ratings, wouldn’t be limiting but more for awareness. Maybe books, book stores and libraries need to implement a system like movies do. If someone is not old enough, a parent just needs to say “Yup, I’m good with my kind taking this out.”

This is of course my opinion, but why in the world when we restrict access to adult content to 18+ can books be so widely accessible and be allowed to be “misleading” with their covers and synopsis. I use the word misleading loosely because covers are subjective and based on what the author wants the book to be represented by. And every author/publishing house has the right to give any kind of book any kind of cover! But to cover their bases, topic depending, maybe some kind of rating or piece of information needs to be given.

Books aren’t special. They are another form of media and the consumption of them can impact someone. Dark Romance books usually include trigger warnings because they can trigger people. Movies have warnings and trailer that indicate what the level of violence is or what the topic may be.

And this idea about rating books isn’t limited to romance. There are plenty of travel books I read that based on the synopsis and cover I thought would be light, only to be hit by some terribly dark themes that made the books difficult to read.

I don’t have the clear answer on how to fix this issue – or what I see as an issue. But this should be a conversation to protect younger readers, and also just anyone else reading books.

Books are made for certain ages for a reason. Not to limit someones access to the book, but to protect the readers. Similar to how you talk about topics in different ways based on ages and level of understanding.

What are your thoughts on this?

 


Goodreads Fake Review Bombing Drama | What’s The Tea?

If you in any of the book communities either on X/Twitter or Instagram, you have probably been hearing some of the drama. Allegedly, an author negatively review bombing books and positively reviewing her own with fake accounts. First time author Cait Corrain has been accused of doing this and because of the allegations has had her book deal removed.

Here is part one of the drama as shared by author Xiran Jay Zhao. Visit their Instagram to see all 4 parts to understand the situation. That will give you a nice run down!

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Xiran Jay Zhao (@xiranjayzhao)

If you want receipts, then you can go here!

Now me being curious me decided to go to Twitter to see what the author has been tweeting. And well…she has released a very lame and horrible apology. I’d recommend giving it a read and having a good little laugh. It’s very….”oh poor me” kind of writing.


So you have a young author:

  • making fake accounts to leave false reviews
  • targeting BIPOC authors
  • targeting books of a similar genre/theme to hers
  • throwing a “friend” under a bus
  • connected to the point above, trying to falsify an explanation with photocopying and fake convos
  • a really embarrassingly bad apology

The other good thing out of this was seeing the level of organization a fanfiction community, specifically the Reylo community, had to band together to say “um no, these are lies.”

So some of you who ended up here may be asking “well so what? they’re just reviews, this kind of stuff happens on Amazon all the time.” And I would say you are right to that point but there are a few reasons why this is so bad.

First and foremost, the author ultimately has lied once being caught. That’s a pretty bad thing to do and not something you want an author to be doing. Kind of raises a lot of questions about their ethics and morals as a writer.

Next, small authors who either self publish, don’t have a massive marketing budget, or just enter the market at a competitive time really rely on those reviews to have sales. They work hard to send our ARCs, work hard to have bloggers read the books and write a well crafted review and rely on reviews on sites like Goodreads to have people pick up their book. It’s difficult to get genuine reviews. But then having one person use fake accounts to just drop a 1 star is wrong. I am not saying don’t give a book 1 stars if you don’t like it, but have a genuine reason. You don’t just start a book you haven’t read because you don’t like the person or, worse yet, know nothing about them but just want their book to look bad.

Then, the author used these fake accounts to support her own book. So gave herself fake positive reviews. Based on my understanding, she had a good book already with positive reviews and a good deal for publishing. So there really was no need for this. It was the icing on the cake.

Finally, there does appear to be some racism involved here as well. Reportedly quite a lot of the authors were BIPOC or the books had those kind of characters in them and negative and nasty reviews were left. In the apology, the author seems to blame medications for what she did. Although as a lot of the comments point out, since when do medications make you racist?

Ultimately, these actions have had consequences. She has been dropped by her publisher and her book is no longer slated to be released in 2024.

I do hope this young woman gets the help that she needs if she is truly struggling with something. But using that as an excuse – when many others battle their own things and exist just find – sounds like a cop out to me. She made a mistake and has not truly owned up to it and if she wants to be an author she will have to work hard to repair the damage.

The internet never forgets and when it spreads this far, this can be career ending before it begins.

So advice to young/new authors out there. Don’t use fake accounts. It can be so tempting to have friends help you by giving reviews. And sure, have your friends read your book and review, but having them just boost you isn’t good. It can also be tempting to make fake accounts to help yourself. But when it comes to this, this is not the way. And of course it goes without saying (although clearly it needs to be said) don’t be racist.

It’s amazing what can be traced back to you when you least expect it. Be safe out there y’all!

Update 12/12 @ 4:30pm: It appears that the author has now turned off commenting on her apology post and may be blocking various individuals as well that are calling her out. While I don’t condone bullying for payback, if you can’t take what you dish out…maybe should have thought a little about this before?

Also you can read a bit more at themarsue.com as well!

Update 12/15 @ 7 am: A few other small pieces of information have come out which you have probably seen going around. As you probably heard, the author crafted a fake conversation with themselves to try and play off the entire situation. You can see this convo below.

Image

Additionally, as Xiran also added on twitter:

 

 


Iowa School District to Potentially Ban 374 Books: What Is Happening?! [Book Banning]

Due to Senate File 496 in Iowa, there are potentially hundreds of books to be banned in the Urbandale school district. According to the Senate File, it is

establishing a parent’s or guardian’s right to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s child, authorizing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district to enroll the student in another attendance center within the same school district in certain specific circumstances, prohibiting instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in school districts.” (Source)

Essentially the new law is prohibiting books that address topics of gender identity and sexual acts.

Books included in the potential ban are:

  • Ulysses
  • The Catcher and the Rye
  • Gender Queer
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
  • Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg
  • Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History
  • The Handmaid’s Tale
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower

If you live in this state, reach out to your representatives and legislators (you can find them here ) and reach out! Speak out against this occurring.

Each parent has every right to ask a teacher not to assign a book to their child. They have every right to make that decision for their own child. Not for other children and other families.

This is a gross overstep of power, and one of many states doing this!

 

Happy Reading and Happy Resisting!

#STOPBOOKBANS

 


Big Book Stores: The Secret to Keeping Indie Stores Alive?

Recently a fantastic essay came out on BookRiot on “How Should We Feel About Barnes & Nobel Now?” and it has been doing it’s round. If you haven’t given it a read, I highly recommend that you do.

The TL;DR is essentially that Barnes & Nobel is coming back and while it seems that they are trying to make their stores more “indie” focused – allowing stores to be a bit more unique and have smaller book selections – they really are just a big store with a bottom line. They aren’t there to truly care about the customer in the same way tat an indie store would. The author of the essay went so far to compare B&N to some of the Amazon Bookstores.

But, I would argue that there is some benefit to having B&N back on the scene and rebranding in a way. It gives some strong competition to Amazon in my opinion. Amazon has dominated the market is literally every single category. You need food? Amazon. Beauty items? Amazon. Phones? Amazon. Adult items? Amazon.

From larasbookclub.wordpress.com

Don’t get me wrong, I am guilty of using Amazon and as a blogger they do have a ‘decent’ and easy program to be an associate and earn a small commission, but at the end of the day they push everyone else to the side! Keep places that challenge a store like Amazon – whether that be Target, Walmart or B&N – means that there is some kind of diversity and it stops prices being too too crazy.

So where does Barnes & Nobel fit in?

Well, they challenge Amazon Books, you know those brick and mortar stores that they set up? I checked one out a long time ago and I personally hated it.

B&N allows people go in and browse, and also bring back a lot of our childhoods who grew up going to their events or looking for a book! It’s kind of that gateway that can help to maintain prices, have more money to keep more books in store and maybe introduce you to other books that you didn’t know of.

So how could this help indie stores?

Well this is where the buyer/reader comes in. Places like B&N, as I said, are good to browse and see what is out there. I hate shopping for books online so I may go into B&N and peruse the shelves, see what their people recommend, take some pictures of books I’m curious in, and then leave. I don’t purchase from them usually unless I go in for a purpose for something. From there I may go to an indie book store and find the book (sometimes reaching out before hand to have them get it in) and give them my business.

I used what B&N provided for me in their physical location but give my money elsewhere for certain purchases.

In my opinion, indie stores also usually hire people who are truly passionate about books and want to talk about books. B&N, as a large company, is just going to hire staff, or be more likely to. Not everyone who works there is a book lover and may just need a job. If you’ve ever been in an indie store you know what I mean! The staff love to chat, answer questions and always give great suggestions!

From my Instagram

So while B&N is still a big company and wants to take your money, when you are looking at prices, the price difference is honestly (in many cases) decently negligible. And yes, I know Amazon looks so attractive with their cheap prices, but they want you to only buy from them. They play the long game – buy from them, push other places out of business and then hike up the prices and you’ll have nowhere else to go.

There is no one clear answer – sometimes you can’t afford to really support an indie place and really have to turn to Amazon, I totally get that. Buttt, barring those pesky school books that you have to buy, I have a great solution there! Your library! I’m a big supporter of libraries for those who don’t maybe have tons of money to spent – I mean big duh with the name and all. But maybe instead of buying your whole TBR, borrow some and buy what you love and put that money towards indie stores. Just one option of many and there is no one size fit all.

But I know that I will continue to love my Barnes & Nobel to just go, grab a coffee and wander around a big store and look at books. I mean what is better than that?!