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Fionnuala's Reviews > On the Eve
On the Eve
by
by
Fionnuala's review
bookshelves: non-review
Dec 07, 2012
bookshelves: non-review
Read 2 times. Last read December 7, 2012 to April 1, 2013.
So, we are on the eve of a new day here on goodreads. We have been batting ideas back and forth about what the giant female warrior will do to our community in a similar way to Turgenev's characters who spend long paragraphs meditating on the issues of their day. Like them, some of us must be asking the question: is it better to muddle through our lives peacefully, concentrating on reading, ideas and art or should we take action?
Some among us have talked about emigrating to a nearby country but the news we hear isn't very promising; there are taxes, and while we might be glad to pay taxes for better services, the people of that country don't seem to be benefitting from better conditions; their infrastructure is frankly primitive.
There are other countries we might emigrate to, but from the scattered reports that are reaching us, those countries have either already been taken over by the same tall female warrior or else, by some other formidable giants, some of whose main interests are not even books but only forage for their armies.
But there is an alternative. We could create an independent republic, one where books are picked on their merit and where reviews are never biased. We might need to raise taxes to do this and buy in some mercenary soldiers to help build it but we could ensure that we owned it and that it could never be taken over by any agressive giants in the future.
goodreaders can build a betterreads
Some among us have talked about emigrating to a nearby country but the news we hear isn't very promising; there are taxes, and while we might be glad to pay taxes for better services, the people of that country don't seem to be benefitting from better conditions; their infrastructure is frankly primitive.
There are other countries we might emigrate to, but from the scattered reports that are reaching us, those countries have either already been taken over by the same tall female warrior or else, by some other formidable giants, some of whose main interests are not even books but only forage for their armies.
But there is an alternative. We could create an independent republic, one where books are picked on their merit and where reviews are never biased. We might need to raise taxes to do this and buy in some mercenary soldiers to help build it but we could ensure that we owned it and that it could never be taken over by any agressive giants in the future.
goodreaders can build a betterreads
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On the Eve.
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Reading Progress
November 1, 2012
–
Started Reading
(Paperback Edition)
December 7, 2012
–
Started Reading
December 7, 2012
– Shelved
February 10, 2013
–
31.2%
"I'm wondering if Oscar Wilde read Turgenev. The Shubin character reminds me of some of his characters."
page
73
April 1, 2013
–
Finished Reading
April 30, 2013
– Shelved
(Paperback Edition)
May 1, 2013
–
Finished Reading
(Paperback Edition)
Comments Showing 1-50 of 57 (57 new)
message 1:
by
Kalliope
(new)
Dec 13, 2012 07:12AM
How are you liking it so far? I have to read more Turgenev.
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I read a Saramago between times and the Turgenev is an ebook which means I only read it when I'm waiting somewhere so it will take a while. So far it's very like Fathers and Sons - two young men engaged in a philosophical discussion while wandering about in the countryside...
I always wanted to write a manifesto....
Hi Fionnula. Nice to meet you. I am currently re-reading the Raj QUartet by Paul Scott. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in colonialism, the effects of racism and India.
As someone who has been muddling through life peacefully, concentrating on reading, ideas and art, I have to confess that I had no idea that GR was really an allegory, and one heading for an existential crisis. While I am more Bartleby than Che, I applaud a spectacular review.
Tony wrote: "As someone who has been muddling through life peacefully, concentrating on reading, ideas and art, I have to confess that I had no idea that GR was really an allegory, and one heading for an existe..."But Bartleby was a revolutionary in his own mild way.
Imagine the following scenario:
"Now and then, in the haste of business, it had been my habit in examining some company's merits, calling my minions for this purpose. One object I had in placing Mr Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ so handy to me, was to avail myself of his services on such occasions. It was on the third day, I think, of his being with me, and before any necessity had arisen for having his own company examined, that, being much hurried to complete a small affair I had in hand, I abruptly called to Mr Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. In my haste and natural expectancy of instant compliance, I sat with my head bent over the original on my desk, and my right hand sideways, and somewhat imperiously extended with the copy, so that immediately upon emerging from his retreat, Mr Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ might snatch it and proceed to business without the least delay. In this very attitude did I, the great warrior, sit when I called to him, rapidly stating what it was I wanted him to do—namely, to sign over his company to me. Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Mr Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied, “I would prefer not to.â€�
Pity we can't rewrite history as easily as allegory..
That was better than being called an appeaser.
This is a review full of hope... !!!Emigrating opens up new vistas, but one also leaves part of one's heart behind.
Lynda wrote: "Hi Fionnula. Nice to meet you. I am currently re-reading the Raj QUartet by Paul Scott. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in colonialism, the effects of racism and India."Hi Lynda. Since goodreads is now a colony of a larger nation and since I have never been a fan of colonialism, I'm not sure if this is the right time for me to read Paul Scott but thanks for the recommendation.
Tony wrote: "That was better than being called an appeaser."Yes, there are so many ways to be a rebel.
Kalliope wrote: "This is a review full of hope... !!!Emigrating opens up new vistas, but one also leaves part of one's heart behind."
Sad but true, Kalliope.
Yaay for The Republic of Fionnula....but didn'tcha know that the as yet unconquered land has been giving new citizens free tenure (I think for a year?) if you immigrate there over the Easter Weekend?
Yes, but after the first year, you pay the tax. I actually think it's a good idea to pay towards the site. If we had paid for our slots on gr, maybe they couldn't have sold the site without consulting us. No, delete that. They probably would have sold it anyway.
Just let me know if/when and where you are migrating to, Fionnuala, and I will follow you blindly.
I like the idea of a Republic of Fionnuala.
I wonder if Amazon has already peremptorily copyrighted the names "BetterReads" and "BestReads". Because your rallying cry could be a great slogan for your new site, Fionnuala.
Thank you for your votes, Teresa and Kalliope. I know it's April first but I'm more than half serious about bettereads!
Fionnuala wrote: "Thank you for your votes, Teresa and Kalliope. I know it's April first but I'm more than half serious about bettereads!"
And I am totally serious about following you.
I appreciate that, Teresa. That's what we all love about goodreads, the really great and genuine friends we have all around the world. And that's what would make it so difficult to leave, as Kaliope said earlier. Big dilemma.Cheryl, thanks for your vote too. If enthusiasm could create a new site, wouldn't it be wonderful!
Fionnuala wrote: "I appreciate that, Teresa. That's what we all love about goodreads, the really great and genuine friends we have all around the world. And that's what would make it so difficult to leave, as Kaliop..."It would make it difficult, but if things go downhill fast, I will have no trouble deleting my account. We have emails to keep in touch for a later project if need be.
Sorry for butting in but it wouldn't be a bad idea to set up a 'free for all' reading list on yahoo or somewhere and keep it invite only so people who want to stay connected and keep chatting away about books we love can do that.
Cynthia wrote: "Sorry for butting in but it wouldn't be a bad idea to set up a 'free for all' reading list on yahoo or somewhere and keep it invite only so people who want to stay connected and keep chatting away ..."Not butting in at all, Cynthia. We need you in this discussion. I thought of Yahoo too. It's not what we're used to here, but it would be better than nothing, that's for sure.
Thanks Teresa. You know me better than Kalliope or Fionnuala do so I'd understand if they're hesitant about me being a part of a separate group.The key on yahoo is to keep it private and only invite through word of mouth. I actually am on several such groups though they are principally social rather than focussed on any one topic such as books/literature. The positive thing about yahoo is it's free and it can be kept as private or not private as the members choose. The negative thing is I'd never have met people like you Kalliope or Fionnuala if it hadn't been for GR. Teresa has had to put up with me for over a decade. lol
Hi Cynthia. That's interesting about the yahoo groups. If all comes to all...
Cynthia wrote: " The negative thing is I'd never have met people like you Kalliope or Fionnuala if it hadn't been for GR. Teresa has had to put up with me for over a decade. lol "You're right. Friends of friends becoming friends has been the best part of being here.
Has it been only that long?! ;)
Cynthia wrote: "The key on yahoo is to keep it private and only in..."Now that sounds like a good idea. I've looked at other book sites, like anobii or book rabbit, but to be honest I can't be arsed to import all my books all over again - they're here on my shelves, I can see them in real life, I don't need to see a picture of their covers on virtual shelves.
It could be a stop gap until we can figure out something better.
Karen wrote: "Now that sounds like a good idea. I've looked at other book sites, like anobii or book rabbit, but to be honest I can't be ar..."Same here. The shelves are not the draw for me. I want the book talk and the recommendations through reviews of books that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.
Karen wrote: "But I'm staying here for now."Me too. Waiting to see.
If a certain book has caught our attention we could always write a post with the title and ask if anyone else has read. I know there's a way to create a 'library' of read books in yahoo. Maybe in the 'file's sectin we could each list our books with ratings under individual names so others could search.
Karen wrote: "Alternatives:-
goodreads/#.UVnxUBkpNLe"
Thanks for posting that link, Karen. So many book sites. Who'd have thought?
Currently on LT, signed up to thirdscribe, not active on booklikes (euro site = a plus, but too much work at this early stage) and have the blog on standby (). The social aspect is the big loss for me if people exodus en masse, but the only reason I can see for moving is because of censorship (the data mining has been happening all along, now it's just public and only to one Jungle) and until that happens I'm carrying on camping here.But the idea of an independent island is appealing, Fio :D.
Does this mean you're volunteering your services as President, Fionnuala? I wonder if the female warrior owns the rights to our reviews? Surely not, and yet...
Oh, and Karen, thanks so much for the list - I've bookmarked it for future reference.
Ben wrote: "I wonder if the female warrior owns the rights to our reviews? Surely not, and yet...."There has been a lot of discussion about copyright this last week on various threads here on gr, Ben
The way I understand it, we own the copyright on our reviews but that doesn't protect us. By signing up to Gr, we gave them a third party licence which allows them to use anything we post any way they like. They can sell on that license, as they have done, so that now Amazon also own third party access to our posts.
The only way to protect our copyright is to buy a copyright licence so I looked into this one:
However, it doesn't seem like it protects us from having the content of our posts reused but simply alerts us when it has been tampered with and then we'd have to follow it up ourselves. But it is a start.
As to President of a new republic of bettereads, Ben, sadly it's no longer April 1st and my inner rebel is back in her box...
Scribble, your blog sounds great - I love the title.
Truth is, I guess we all knew that any old internet user could copy and paste our stuff, but somehow the idea of big business using it rankles, doesn't it? I'll be curious to see how things go, but I'll keep one eye on that list of GR alternatives.
Turned into a pumpkin on April 2nd, did you? Glad we won't be losing you, anyhow.
I'd love to see a BetterReads site for real.
Petra X wrote: "I'd love to see a BetterReads site for real."It is clear that many people here love the gr format but dislike being an arm of the great female warrior or any other such giant. We thought the dinosaur age was over but we're still living in a world of enormous creatures with voracious appetites. But like the smaller species who survived long ago and avoided being completely squashed or gobbled up, perhaps we can survive, and prosper too.
I've been reading some articles in the media, and while you can never tell what colonisers will do to a colony's resources, it looks like, apart from building Kindle links to gr, they are mainly interested in our recommendations to each other, our TBR shelves, and the fact that we are pretty powerful at encouraging more reading and more book buying.
Since we also want to ensure a healthy future for books, perhaps we can survive in their shadow, and lead them where we want them to go - a place where more books by a wider selection of authors eventually get published.
I wonder too what they will make of the amount of translated works goodreaders are constantly seeking out? That's a resource I'd love to see exploited more - the percentage of translated books published in English is a very tiny percentage of the whole - in France, Germany, italy, Spain, the statistics are quite different.
Having said all that, if anyone among us has the know how to start a site with similar features to gr, that would be my preference.
Amazon's launched its off-line cloud storage drive today that is the same as Dropbox's but cheaper. Those who use it will have all their files on Amazon's servers. Total Domination!
Petra X wrote: "I'd love to see a BetterReads site for real."Meeeeeeeeeeee toooooo. sigh.
Petra X wrote: "Amazon's launched its off-line cloud storage drive today that is the same as Dropbox's but cheaper. Those who use it will have all their files on Amazon's servers. Total Domination!"ACK. NOOOO. //clings to Dropbox
Moira wrote: "Petra X wrote: "Amazon's launched its off-line cloud storage drive today that is the same as Dropbox's but cheaper. Those who use it will have all their files on Amazon's servers. Total Domination..."Dropbox is good enough for me.
I came across this article/video in The Motley Fool about WHY AMAZON HAD TO BUY GOODREADS: I hope that works because I'm kind of a caveman when it comes to this technology stuff.
Yes, it worked. Look at me. And Kevin Chen thinks we GRers are cool.
I understand that the key issue in the publishing world today is projected ebook sales which we all know, in spite of our most firm resistance to the idea, is going to be truly massive in the future as more and more people acquire huge libraries of ebook titles to match their already huge iTunes libraries, only a tenth of which they will ever read or listen to because they will be too busy watching something on YouTube. What I don't fully understand is how gr's 'quality-driven reviews' were threatening Amazon's share of e-commerce book sales, as this article claims. Wasn't the Kindle already the king of the ereaders?
Nothing ever replaced album covers and nothing is going to replace book covers. Sad that.GR's reviews would only threaten Amazon's if GR went ahead and became an ebook retailer, which they had started to become.
I have no objection to ebooks, I have objections to the companies selling them because it is profit-driven and wherever that happens, there is always dumbing-down of product. I might be wrong on that, but I can't think of any profit-driven product where similar products that didn't produced far less money didn't fall by the wayside.
I didn't know gr had started to sell ebooks...
I thought they were linking to downloads which is the first step towards charging. Make the software work, get an market for the product and suddenly there are no longer just free ebooks but 'premium' ones as well! Or am I totally mistaken?
