The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Perhaps I should add a rant about the number of recipes with inaccurate measurements.

Could it be that, for cooking, precision isn't as important in a few cases? As an example, the measurement of a pinch is just how much of a spice/seasoning you can hold between your thumb and forefinger. It's not precise, but it is usable, and likely a variation isn't that important.

Also, it could be that as long as everything is proportional the actual size of a measure doesn't matter. As an example, instead of a cup being exactly 8 ounces, what someone just used a cup they had on hand and used that for all measurements even if it is 9 ounces, or 12 ounces, or 13 ounces?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Could it be that, for cooking, precision isn't as important in a few cases? As an example, the measurement of a pinch is just how much of a spice/seasoning you can hold between your thumb and forefinger. It's not precise, but it is usable, and likely a variation isn't that important.

Also, it could be that as long as everything is proportional the actual size of a measure doesn't matter. As an example, instead of a cup being exactly 8 ounces, what someone just used a cup they had on hand and used that for all measurements even if it is 9 ounces, or 12 ounces, or 13 ounces?

Back on topic, please.

[ownedbycats]

Vent: When the entire book preview is taken up by author acknowledgements

[JSWolf]

When there so much review junk in with the description that you have to search for the description.

[maddz]

When the description is marketing B$.

[DNSB]

When the book description is 3 pages of reviews for previous books by the author and a single line at the bottom saying Perfect for readers of... featuring a contradictory list of authors.

[ownedbycats]

I'm reading the Warrior Cats books (don't ask). The author refuses to use the word 'said,' everything is 'meowed' or 'answered' or 'hissed' or whatever. Its distracting.

Oh and another book i wanted to read is on one my Overdrive libraries as an audiobook but not the eBook. sigh.

[Courant]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've noticed that a lot of the books I like or might like can also have a good wait list. So it's not just romance that gets read. That's the issue. While other books that work for more then just (overall) women get read, it's women that get catered to more often sometimes.

It's not just how much women read vs. how much men read, it is volume. Specifically readers of romance read a lot. Its the 80 - 20 rule in affect here where 20% of readers are reading most of the books. It is the readers reading multiple books per month driving the market and writers writing a book every month or two supplying them. I think woman also read a significant portion of crime novels etc.

It also seems that you are looking for specific books, if someone is just looking for any old genre book, it is always going to be easier to find something than if someone wants a beloved classic or the latest best seller.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Courant

It's not just how much women read vs. how much men read, it is volume. Specifically readers of romance read a lot. Its the 80 - 20 rule in affect here where 20% of readers are reading most of the books. It is the readers reading multiple books per month driving the market and writers writing a book every month or two supplying them. I think woman also read a significant portion of crime novels etc.

It also seems that you are looking for specific books, if someone is just looking for any old genre book, it is always going to be easier to find something than if someone wants a beloved classic or the latest best seller.

What I'm looking for is something I've not read that I may enjoy reading. But the problem can be sometimes trying to find something in all the chuff that is romance.

[Cactus Chef]

When Kobo says you're 70% through your book and the book suddenly ends, only for you to realize that the remaining 30% is a publisher's "preview" of the next book in the series (which you already own).

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

When Kobo says you're 70% through your book and the book suddenly ends, only for you to realize that the remaining 30% is a publisher's "preview" of the next book in the series (which you already own).

I agree that is irritating. I don't mind a list of books you might interested in at the end of an ebook (including a brief blurb about the book), but to include part of another book to me is just wrong. If they are going to include it in an ebook it should be limited to one page/screen.

Something related: An ebook where you find out that part of it is actually part of another ebook that you've already purchased. I'm not talking about a book that is part of a compilation (like Laugh Lines by Ben Bova which is a compilation of his humorous books). I stumbled upon that ebook because I was looking for an ebook version of the novel Cyberbooks by Ben Bova (which is interesting in how it predicted the rise of ebooks in the 1990s and its a funny novel about how the Publishing Industry actually works), but I wasn't able to find it as a standalone ebook until I stumbled upon the compilation.

What I'm talking about is where you purchase an ebook that is a complete story. Later, you purchase another ebook by the same author and it turns out that it contains the entire ebook you had purchased and then it continues the story (the addition is long enough to be a separate book). I'd rather they just publish the later part of the ebook as a separate book.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

When Kobo says you're 70% through your book and the book suddenly ends, only for you to realize that the remaining 30% is a publisher's "preview" of the next book in the series (which you already own).

I once went "oh no" when I finished the author's introduction and was already 20% in.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

When Kobo says you're 70% through your book and the book suddenly ends, only for you to realize that the remaining 30% is a publisher's "preview" of the next book in the series (which you already own).

I don't get why a preview of the next book in the series is added as "bonus content". That sort of bonus content is BS. Also, I don't need to read the preview. If I liked the book I'm reading, I'll get the next book in the series.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I don't get why a preview of the next book in the series is added as "bonus content". That sort of bonus content is BS. Also, I don't need to read the preview. If I liked the book I'm reading, I'll get the next book in the series.

I think some of it may be a leftover from printed books. I often see "this book has been printed on recycled paper"

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

When Kobo says you're 70% through your book and the book suddenly ends, only for you to realize that the remaining 30% is a publisher's "preview" of the next book in the series (which you already own).

Which is why part of my 'Intake' process is to remove the body of the sample. I leave the notice about it.
Many years ago I used to read the samples in the paperbacks I bought. I found when I was browsing in the shop, I would read a bit and put it back as "Oh, I have read this", only to later discover, that I had NOT really read the whole book .