What's The Blog About, Alfie?

We are avid fans of literature, good literature. We prefer great writing, we'll settle for very good work, but we cannot abide anything less. We will stop reading a book if the author demonstrates mediocrity, writes incompetently, or, worse yet, simply loses our interest. That said, we will always give you our honest opinions about the books we've listened to on Podiobooks.com. We'll tell you why the great ones are great, and why the forgettable ones should be avoided.

We hope, when we've reviewed enough, you will come to this blog to see if a particular book is worthy of your time. We plan to be frank. You have come here to elicit our opinion and we shall not disappoint. Additionally, we hope this blog becomes a resource for PB.com authors to read honest and objective reviews of their efforts; no smoke blown-up the butt at any time. We have observed over time that reviews left on an author's site or iTunes are basically of two types. The first is the pie-eyed-hyperbolic-praise version of a review by a real fan. While excellent for the ego of said author, this form of assessment aids neither the potential listener nor the writer's development. The second type is the snarky-hit-and-run-slap-in-the-face negative review which may contain the kernel of an insight, but is actually significantly less valuable than the first type. Ours will be decidedly neither polar extreme. We will be as fair and complete as possible. An unavoidable off-shoot, indeed a desirable off-shoot, the clever reader will quickly appreciate is that we will undoubtably be squewering a few sacred-cows. If that happens, please keep in mind the fable of The Emporer's New Clothes and the fact that we would not review them in a less-than-stellar manner if they did not deserve it.

Our reviews are not placed on PB.com, iTunes, or any other public site. We do not wish to embarrass or ridicule any particular authors. Many of the authors are our friends, or at least were up till they read our review. We dearly appreciate that each PB.com author has poured their creative guts out for all to see with very little chance of monetary reward. This is not easy. We will not generally say anything but positives on public sites as we, in our alter ego, want the authors, even the poor ones, to have their moment in the bright-shiny sun. At the very least we want them to be happy little fish in their little ponds.

Finally a term defined, a dreaded term, one you wish never to see, one which strikes despair in the heart of any author - WSRH. This is short for "We Stopped Reading Here". Background. Our less than sainted father was a college English professor. When grading essays and term papers, especially freshman courses, we observed him many a cruel time to slash across the page with his red pen. Just below the horrific line, he would write, "I stopped reading here... F." Clearly, papa was a professor, not an editor, so he was an I while we are, well, a we. Hence, ISRH transforms into WSRH. However you begin it, it is not a good thing. Avoid writing something which earns WSRH, you will not be happy with yourself.

Your comments on our comments are most welcome. You may be as frank as we are. Contrary opinions, supported by rational argument not finger-wagging, will help the prospective PB.com readers find the books which are right for them. Bottom line: our comments plus your comments, along with author rebuttals, will in the end benefit us all, and help PB.com listeners choose wisely.

Based on the success of this blog, we have started a Forum where you can share your insights and reviews. The more information and discussion, the better informed we will all be.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The Hidden Institute - Best To Leave It In The Shadows

Not a recent review of PB.com material lately, as the pickin's, they be slim.  Did we mention we are Brad Gamblin fans?  No, oh wait, we are getting ahead of ourselves, yet again.  So, to the list of the condemned, we fear we are obliged to add The Hidden Institute by the aforementioned Mr. Gamblin.  We do like him, and the book seemed well written, and the production was top-shelf... we are stalling, are we not?  The problem which caused us to WSRF the podcast was when it dawned on us what the subject promised to be, or rather threatened to be.  We were going to hear the story of how a plucky gutter-snipe went to a secret finishing school so he could score some big bucks serving the ultra-rich.  Hogwarts - for butlers?  Que sound of crickets chirping.  So, we were to learn of how little people learn to be high-society interlopers?  Oh dear, thought we to ourselves, that doesn't sound very promising.  Remember Shakespeare?  The play about the man who made a deal with the Devil, or the one where the couple had relationship problems?  What about that book where the wacky captain chases after that white whale?  Those were great literature and riveting plots.  A Tale of Two Cities was not about Des Moines and Peoria for sound reasons.  So, to be fair, we were not fully fair.  We yawned deeply as the "plot" peeked its head around the door, and gently applied pressure to the off switch of our iPod.
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