Readiness is all.

On her blog today, Patti Abbott admitted some embarrassment after an author responded to her critical comments about a book. She asked, "[W]here does good manners meet open discussion[?] Are you hesitant to say[, ']I didn't like the ending of a book[']? Do we need to monitor every word?"

I commented:

I've posted many critical comments on discussion lists. By critical, I don't mean necessarily negative, but probing. I'm not interested in casual yeas or nays without supporting arguments.

Knowing that my comments will be read, I do my best to explain why I liked or disliked something. If my opinion is based on a plausible read of the text, the author can't very well refute it. S/he can only say s/he didn't like my comments. His/her dislike doesn't cause me to be embarrassed of my well-considered comments.