Comments on: I give your existence 3.5 out of 5 stars

By: Brooke

Brooke — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:58:57 +0000

Since I am actually on BBYA, I just wanted to say thanks for the thoughtful post and for the support. I totally admit BBYA needs some tweaking, but the process is pretty amazing to be a part of.

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:47:05 +0000

@Todd T, When I saw 17 Again, a friend I saw it with asked, "So on a scale of 1-10 what did you think?" and I was like, "For comedies about switching bodies/ages/genders, 8."

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:45:48 +0000

@Doret, Right - good idea!

By: Doret

Doret — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:33:14 +0000

The BBYA is getting rid of the old list due to overlap, but I don’t see how this changes anything. Popular books don’t need any more exposure. I would prefer a great books you probably missed list.

By: Todd T

Todd T — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:31:12 +0000

Roger Ebert has openly stated that he uses a sliding scale for his star ratings. A “4″ summer blockbuster action movie is not equal to a “4″ international drama in terms of film quality, artistic merit, etc.

That said, and also acknowledging the serious implications of this issue, I chortled when I saw that you, Sara, categorized this entry under “the borg”. Tee hee.

By: Shari

Shari — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:47:35 +0000

they—and any kind of popular vote scenario—can even keep us from knowing certain choices exist — this is exactly what I fear with this proposed change. There are wonderful gems out there that will never be as widely read as they should be, and this will be even more true if we have to rely on “popular vote” to spread the word about what books are out there.

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:44:26 +0000

@Paula Chase, I agree with every single one of your points.

By: Paula Chase

Paula Chase — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:38:33 +0000

The Oscars have increased the Best Pic category from 5 to 10 nominees, many believe because Wall*E and Dark Knight were left out of contention due to the smaller nom pool. No doubt, this change will impact the overall nom process allowing for more box office sellers to get their foot in the door.

It’s almost like – so it’s not enough that your movie made a bazillion dollars, now you want the gold statuette too?

Some could say the BBYA issue is similiar. Popular books are selling by the dozens, do they really need to be force fed to us via a list?

Still, I’m on the fence. “Best lists” are so subjective, from word go. And honestly, they’re not nearly as diverse as they should be. And I’m using the term diverse broadly. But, if YALSA identifies a way so that a broad mix of opinions (libs and readers) feed into this newly structured list, maybe it won’t be as limiting as early speculation leads us to believe.

I was disappointed when NYPL included music and movies on their best list. Aren’t there enough lists that tout popular movies and music?!

But, maybe it’s our own fault. Let’s be honest – in many respects Best lists contain books adults and critics love and maybe readers not so much.

These lists need to be more diverse (literary/popular/mainstream/niche) or they risk being useless to the young readers.