Saturday, January 2, 2016

Happy New Year and a change of pace (literally and figuratively)

First and foremost, happy new year to all of you. Andy and I have had a very mellow week off from work, with an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas spent with friends and a short post-Christmas excursion to Monterey, further down the California coast (where I was able to visit one of my favorite second-hand bookstores). I can't say that we're ready to be back at work on Monday, but at least we can't say that we're not rested and relaxed. And I can even report that Northern California has been chillier than usual during the entire holidays, which gave me a mild taste of longed-for winter (very mild indeed, compared to what many of you are accustomed to, but enough to put a little nip in the air).

And for the new year, I do have a resolution of sorts regarding this blog. It's one I've been planning to make for a while, but I've kept putting it off. I think now it's time to make it in earnest (though how strictly I will adhere to it remains to be seen—my other New Year's resolutions rarely pan out as planned, after all).

In fact, it's a little bit funny (to quote Elton John) and a bit ironic that a rather persnickety anonymous commenter on one of my recent reviews noted, with seeming disgruntlement (though tone is admittedly hard to convey in print and with so little context), that "None of her [Kate Horn's] books are available, same as 99% of authors mentioned on this blog."

When I first read that comment, I admit I was a wee bit peeved. I mean, by all means disagree with my opinions, or my recommendations, and certainly feel free to share your own ideas and opinions even when they're different from mine, and above all don't hesitate to correct any factual information that I have got wrong. But the implication in this comment—assuming it was intended in the way that it reads—is that the reader was irritated that I consistently focus on obscure authors rather than those he or she can easily order or download at the drop of a hat.

I felt that my response at the time was rather restrained, though I naturally felt like saying something along the lines of, "This is my blog and will remain focused on what I'm interested in. If it doesn't interest you, feel free to go and start your own damn blog." Ahem. But of course I took the high road (well, until now, I suppose).

At any rate, I did say that it was ironic that this comment was made just recently. Because, in fact, my resolution is to make a bit of a shift in my blog, precisely for the purpose of making it a bit more focused on the obscure authors I'm interested in (and probably even more irritating to my persnickety commenter).

First, I am planning to more or less do away with proper, full-scale book reviews. I know that some of you enjoy those—indeed, maybe that's the only reason some of you visit this blog in the first place—and I do really hate to disappoint you. But the purpose of this blog, when I started it (nearly three years ago now, believe it or not), was to share my research on British women writers that have been lost in the shuffle of time and the vicissitudes of publishing—some perhaps justly, others very much unjustly. It was never my intent to focus a lot of time or attention on reviews, but somehow that's what I wound up doing.

And that is entirely my own fault. I've been attempting for some time, actually, to scale back the length of my reviews, rather than their frequency, so that I can still share thoughts on some of the more interesting authors I unearth. But I started that "scaling back" over a year ago now, and it has never worked very well because, simply put, I am just far too much of a blabbermouth. If I'm interested enough in a book to write about it at all, I find myself compelled to share all the things I noticed about it, and a whole slew of my favorite quotations as well.  So reviews have continued to take up rather too much of my available time.

Then there's the question of that "available time." My previous job, though a classic dead end on a professional level (the firm is now in the process of closing down, so I clearly got out while the getting was good), allowed me the rather luxurious perk of being able—in between crises—to do research and writing while on the clock. My new job, while a much better long-term prospect and more interesting work overall, isn't quite so flexible, and doesn't have a lot of down time to begin with. So I have had to make a decision about what part of my blog is most satisfying and enjoyable for me, and what part I could live without. For better or worse, what I can live without (at least I think I can) are proper, full-scale reviews, and what I enjoy most is researching new authors for my Overwhelming List and highlighting interesting discoveries or interesting stories about these more or less forgotten women.

So, while I don't plan to pressure myself to post any specific number of times per month (and the number of posts are definitely likely to decrease), I still plan to add occasional new posts like my recent one on Molly Spencer Simpson, as well as update posts to share new information about authors, such as the ones I did (here and here) back in October. I'm also currently at work on a large new update to the Overwhelming List, which will add (unbelievably) about 400 more authors to the list, and I'll be reporting on some of those new additions. (I remember the time when it seemed amazing that I had 500 authors on the list—now it looks like I'll reach 2,000 before long.)

But in addition to adding new authors, my hope is also to begin expanding the information on the Overwhelming List (to make it even more overwhelming, but also hopefully more informative and more detailed), and perhaps even to add posts dedicated entirely to some of the most interesting lesser-known authors, not unlike the one I posted about Molly Clavering a while back. But (no doubt to the disappointment of my persnickety commenter) my priority will be authors who seem interesting but are virtually forgotten, and for whom available information online is scarce or nonexistent. It would seem like a waste of time to dedicate a post, for example, to the careers of Georgette Heyer or Agatha Christie, for whom plentiful information is already available elsewhere.

I also hope to still do an occasional new genre or subject list, like the Mystery List and the Grownup School Story List. I'll do these as inspiration strikes, but also feel free to let me know if you have ideas for lists you'd like to see. And who knows? And I'll also be expanding the existing lists when I finally finish the new update with those 400 new authors (and there are some interesting ones, believe me).

I might also still find myself doing some kind of monthly or bi-monthly post of capsule reviews, just to (briefly!?!?) share any interesting reading I've been doing. (And surely there will still be occasional book shopping posts—how will I ever be able to resist sharing any particularly exciting purchases?!)

By the way, I have to admit that I am also reluctantly considering removing the comment function from the blog. Mind you, I love getting comments from readers, and I assure you that my considering this move has nothing to do with not wanting your interesting comments and suggestions, and everything to do with the constant barrage of spam comments that are fired at my blog every day. For each of those, I receive an email (to alert me that a comment has been left and allow me to publish or delete it), so that my email inbox is always a bit like a city dumpster when the refuse workers are on strike. Turning off comments would solve that problem, but if any of you who are bloggers yourselves have sorted out a less depressing solution to spammers, do let me know. It's sad to let the spammers defeat me, but I am afraid I'm feeling a bit defeated at the moment. But even if I do end up deciding to disable comments, I will still always love to hear from any and all readers via email.

So there it is: a somewhat different Furrowed Middlebrow for 2016. I hope that most of you will still visit regularly to see what's new and to discover lost authors—even if their books are often not very readily available...

53 comments:

  1. I think it is a wonderful coincidence that the invaluable research you do for these obscure authors is also the thing you most like doing! It really *is* invaluable because otherwise these authors might disappear altogether.

    Even if you don't want to do any more reviews, please don't stop hinting to us which books are particularly worth tracking down!

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    1. Thanks so much for the encouragement, Simon. I'm sure, no matter how I love the research, I'll be unable to resist sharing any exciting new reads in one form or another. Just hopefully a shorter form...

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  2. Oh, and as for that anonymous commenter - I know precisely who it is, and get similar comments on my blog sometimes. The weirdest one recently was when she said how much she hated academic writing, and then conceded that she'd not read any.

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    1. Oh, that commenter's got in here too? If she's the one I think you mean, she's turned up with me again and is really quite irksome..... :s

      kaggsysbookishramblings

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    2. Wow, this commenter has really made a name for herself, despite always remaining anonymous! :-)

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  3. Happy New Year, Scott. FM is your blog & you should feel free to do whatever you like with it! I like the idea of the new format although I do enjoy your reviews even if the books are out of print! On the spam issue, you can add word verification in Settings which should block the spammers. Word verification does annoy some commenters but if you're getting that much spam, it would be a shame not to give it a try & see if it makes life easier.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion about spam, Lyn. I'm going to give it a try. I had completely forgotten that that was an option, so thanks for reminding me.

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  4. Please do whatever works best for you, Scott. I'm happy to read about out of print books even if I may never be able to read them myself.

    I also have an anonymous commenter who makes infuriating comments whenever I write about anything out of print - or even print on demand - but I just go on hitting delete.

    My 'favourite' was the one that told me that my old blog was so much better ...

    Word verification isn't ideal, but I'd agree with Lyn that it would filter out much of the spam so that you'd only have to deal with the very persistent.

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    1. That's hilarious, Jane--can you imagine taking the time to make such negative comments? All the commiseration from fellow bloggers does make me feel better, and thanks for your support and advice!

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  5. I enjoy all of your posts, some more than others, of course. I hope you are able to continue to provide cover art to illustrate your posts, I do love to see that! I understand your problem with spammers. I hope you are able to figure out a solution, since I also enjoy the interactions, but if the spammers have become more than you can deal with, that is a fact. I would rather have your blog without comments than not have the blog at all!!!

    Happy New Year, and many thanks for your efforts to ensure that my to be read pile never gets smaller!

    Jerri

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    1. Thanks, Jerri! I'm going to try the word verification option for comments, so fingers crossed. I also can't imagine I'll be able to resist sharing cover art, so no worries there.

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  6. Oh, yes, what Lyn said about word verification! When I was on Blogger, I reluctantly added that and it stopped pretty much all of the spam.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I'm going to give this a try. It sounds like it could be a solution.

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  7. I do hope you will be able to continue to provide some reviews, Scott, even if they are brief, as they are very enjoyable, and have added an enormous number of books to my wish list. They may even encourage publishers to republish them!

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    1. Thank you, Michelle Ann! I'm sure I'll end up sharing my thoughts on what I'm reading one way or another, even if it's shorter than my typical wordy style. Thanks for your support.

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  8. Before you disable comments, let me thank you for all the great information and reviews. Although I only discovered your blog in 2015, I have thoroughly enjoy whatever you write. It's your blog, do what you like! But if you could keep recommending good stuff, I'm sure most people would appreciate it!

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    1. Thanks very much for the encouragement. Sounds like there may be a solution to the comment problem, so please keep chiming in whenever you're inspired.

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  9. I think the obscure is delightful, especially as more and more out of print treats seem to stand a chance of coming back into print if we all know about them and look for them and push a bit! Happy New Year and thank you for introducing me to so many authors I would otherwise have never heard about.

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    1. Thank you, Vicki! Glad to have fellow obscurity aficionados to keep me company (even if we're all sometimes frustrated at that perfect book that remains unobtainable).

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  10. Happy New Year to you and Andy!
    I'm sure we'll all continue to enjoy reading your blog, however you decide to write it. Sorry spammers are such a nuisance for you.

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  11. I love your lists best of all so glad you will continue those and have to admit to muttering when I find that a book that you mention which sounds brilliant is £999 or unavailable, but that's hardly your fault and if I keep looking in charity shops etc it might turn up - looking for a book is half the fun.
    Please keep blogging.

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    1. Thanks, Sue. I think honestly I find the thrill of the chase to be almost as exciting as successfully finding a book. Though I have to admit I was pretty excited today when an Abe Books "We found the book you want" alert actually turned out to be a book I really did want, and at a great price too. You'll likely hear more about that soon...

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  12. Dear Scott... Whatever you do will be just fine with me. I so enjoy all your posts, though I have to admit I sometimes (gasp!) skip through the longer reviews.

    Of course, I especially enjoy some of the fabulous book covers you share with us.

    Perhaps the 99% comment was not really a complaint but a cri de coeur we can all relate to. On the other hand, it's just as well, perhaps, we can't get our hands on most of these books, because a) money; b)time; c)shelf space. And just because a book is unavailable doesn't mean we shouldn't hear about it.

    Blog Long and Prosper, Scott.

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    1. Oh, Susan, I was honestly very happy to read that you occasionally skim my reviews! I always bemoan my inability to talk about a book without chewing over every detail, and you confirm that I'm right in getting more aggressive about limiting my reviews. And I also like your interpretation of the comment, which certainly could have been intended in that spirit.

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  13. Scott, so happy to see you back (OK, to read you back!) and best wishes for a wonderful 2016 to you and Andy! It is your blog, you do what makes you the most satisfied.
    I have gotten SCADS of good leads for good reads from the blog, and spent more happy dollars than I could afford, but I love it! So keep on! Do reviews when you feel like it. Do topical blogs when you feel like it. Cut the comments of you feel like it - although I would miss being able to compliment you! Just don't stop writing for your fans!!!!
    Again, happy new year!
    Tom

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    1. Thanks for your perennial support, Tom. So glad that I've helped you in your goal of stimulating the economy by buying more books!

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  14. Shining light on the obscure, forgotten, neglected and ignored is doing God's work, as far as I'm concerned, Scott. I'll echo Tom in hoping that you'll keep the comment section, if only so that I can express my gratitude. Yours was my favourite "new" blog discovery of 2015. How is it that I didn't happen upon it before? Every good wish for the New Year!

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    1. Thanks so much, Brian, and I've already gotten learned a lot from your blog as well. I appreciate your support.

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  15. Happy New Year Scott. I love your blog and have discovered many a "new " author to pursue from it. Isn't it the point - the author is obscure - then most likely will be out of print. It makes it fun for me to keep a list and try to track them down online or even better at book shops or sales. Look forward to all your postings.
    Bronwen
    Vancouver Canada

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    1. Thank you, Bronwen! Another reader who enjoys the hunt too. I always fantasize (based on one lucky find of a Winifred Duke novel in a bookstore in Victoria) that Canada would be happy hunting grounds for obscure British authors. But maybe that's just my pipe dream?

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  16. Your blog will bring you the most joy when it's written on your terms so I wish you all the best in doing just that, Scott. And on a personal note, I read your blog to learn...so bring on the obscure!

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    1. Thanks, Darlene! I'm happy to have your support. And the 400 or so authors in the next update will provide plenty of obscurity (and one more mega-bestselling--and still living--author I've overlooked until now!).

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  17. And it occurs to me that complaining about reading a review of a book that is unavailable is like saying, "No, don't tell me about your grandmother, because she's dead and I'll never meet her."

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    1. I love that analogy! It belongs with my late father's rejoinder to anyone's wistful complaint along the lines of, 'If only such-and-such had happened, so-and-so would have followed', with 'If the dog hadn't stopped to wossname, he'd have caught the rabbit!'

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    2. I like that a lot too, Susan. For years before I ever started blogging, I would find myself searching the internet for information on obscure authors or obscure books--even if (or maybe especially if) it was hopeless to actually read them, I wanted to know as much about them as I could. So by doing posts on impossibly obscure books, I feel like I'm trying to make up the lack of information that often resulted from my searches.

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  18. I don't comment often [thank goodness I hear you say!] but I do read all your blog posts - even if some of them are skim-reads! - and do enjoy the blog immensely. Even if it's someone I know I'll never read, or in some cases never want to read, I always love reading all the snippets you find out about the authors.
    Keep doing this however you want to - true pleasure, as someone said up-thread - has to be in writing what YOU want to write, whatever anyone else says!

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    1. Thank you for the assurance, Ruth, and I do love your comments, which so often share your superior knowledge of children's and girls' fiction and have resulted in numerous corrections and supplements to my posted information. You're practically a collaborator on the blog, so thank you very much for that as well!

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  19. I found you via a post on Dorothy Vicary and was utterly delighted that someone was writing about the same battered old treasure that I like to dig up. I now have the two other Vicarys mentioned in the article and look forward to reading many more of your finds. Carry on, in whatever format you can manage! And enjoy the new job.
    Clary

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    1. Thank you, Clary! Glad to hear you found more books to buy. And at the risk of making you buy even more, did you notice that the author of the three Vicary books also wrote four other books under her real name, Dorothy Mary Rice? I haven't read them, but have a note that one, A Secret at Sprayle, is also a school story. It may have been credited simply to D. Rice. Just FYI!

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  20. It's a shame about the spam, but yes -- echoing other commenters' recommendation -- do try the word-verification, as it certainly slows things down.

    And keep doing what you feel you can manage. Your enthusiasm comes across in your posts!

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    1. Thank you, Jeanne! I have now implemented the word verification and it seems to be working like a charm. So happy you all reminded me of that!

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  21. Okay, I'm commenting just to try out the word verification :^)

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  22. Thank you - I hardly think my sparse picky comments count as collaboration, but I'm flattered and grateful you deem them to be so!
    Main reason for posting again is to check out that the word verification works for me, too!

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  23. PS wasn't asked for anything ... is that because I'm signed into Google anyway?

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    1. I'm actually not sure, Ruth, but that could be the reason. I've found that even when I've tested on other computers or had friends test their commenting experience, it varies so wildly I've given up on understanding what causes the differences.

      And I love picky comments that allow me to correct errors or add information, as yours do!

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  24. Hi Scott I've been reading your blog for a while now but never posted and I really should have. I enjoy what you write and who you write about. The obscureness of the books is what makes it. So many blogs just write about the same things like the latest books which they think you should read. It doesn't matter to me whether a book is obtainable. I just like to know it exists. I particularly enjoy your posts on school books having been a Chalet School fan for years.
    Alison, in Uk

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    1. Thanks so much, Alison! Your comment really sums up why I try to focus on the obscure, and I'm so happy some readers enjoy that!

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    2. I'm waving too - and checking out the verificaton (thought they were called captchas ?).
      I love your blog Scott and always enjoy the comment interaction - you are brilliant at responding to comments in a way that many blog authors do not do so I hope the spammers have been scared off.
      I look forward to the new format and happily embrace the obscure!

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    3. Thanks for your support, Gill. So far so good on the spammers. It's a whole new world!

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  25. Hello Scott:

    I hope you keep blogging and I really hope you keep talking about your visits to the library book sales. I look forward to those posts.

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    1. Thanks, Melissa! I can't imagine I'll be able to resist blathering on about my book shopping, so no worries there!

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NOTE: The comment function on Blogger is notoriously cranky. If you're having problems, try selecting "Name/URL" or "Anonymous" from the "Comment as" drop-down (be sure to "sign" your comment, though, so I know who dropped by). Some people also find it easier using a browser like Firefox or Chrome instead of Internet Explorer.

But it can still be a pain, and if you can't get any of that to work, please email me at furrowed.middlebrow@gmail.com. I do want to hear from you!