Negativity meme ~ do I ever post negative reviews?

Dewey is curious about how other book bloggers handle posting negative reviews. Okay, Dewey, I'll play along.

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

I immediately thought of two reviews I've written in the past year: In a short review I actually wrote: "I wouldn't have picked up the book if I'd known it was a sentimental romance novel with an absurd number of coincidences." Yet I gave the book a rating of 7/10 because I had continued to read it and even finished it. In the other review I didn't finish the book and gave it a contingent rating of 2/10 "for now" because I do expect some day to try it again because I like the author. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it at that time.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

I think that's exactly what I was doing in the two reviews I already mentioned.

3. What do you think is the best way to respond when you see a negative review about a book you enjoyed? and
4. What is your own most common reaction when you see a negative review of a book you loved or a positive review of a book you hated?

Usually I say nothing, though I do speak up for books that I consider excellent, commenting on what I liked about the book. Or simply saying I liked it and leaving out any reason why. People are different and like different things.

5. What is your own most common reaction when you get a comment that disagrees with your opinion of a book?

Recently I left a comment on Banned Books even though it was mean-spirited and hidden behind the Anonymous label because the poster had defended herself so magnificently. There was no reason for the anonymous commenter to say hurtful things; the poster had given her opinion about the book, which she chose not to finish because she hated the book. No one should be slammed for that!

6. What if you don’t like a book that was a free review copy? What then?

Reading two of those in a row (well, completing one and being so annoyed I couldn't finish the other) sent me into a funk ... and I haven't written those two reviews yet! I really believe publishers like attention, even negative attention, though I would think it would be harder for the writers to accept. There's no way I'll be able to say nice things about the uncompleted book and probably not much I can do about the other one, either. My dilemma is that I'm writing for you, my readers, and I am not on the payroll of the publishers. My obligation is to tell you the truth, and so I shall.

Ha! In a comment on my review of the unfinished book, Marg wrote: "I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like this. I have it out to read from the library at the moment, and will get to it soon." I went to Marg's blogs (plural) and did a search ... only to discover she never has reviewed that book. Marg, you read that I didn't finish it and neither had Dewey, who commented above you, so tell us: Did you decide not to read it because of what we said? Or did you also get bogged down in it? Or did you review it and I didn't find it? I'm curious now.

7. What do you do if you don’t finish a book? Do you review it or not? If you review it, do you mention that you didn’t finish it?

See my first answer. Yes, I reviewed it and, yes, I admitted that I couldn't finish reading the book. Neither of the books mentioned in my first answer above was sent to me for review: both came from my library. Even if I have little to say about the book (which isn't the case in the unfinished one above), I would still tell you about it.