Booking Through Thursday
This week’s question is suggested by Puss Reboots:
How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?
- This is really a good questions and I'm interested to know what other people thoughts in this. Because it would explain to me more of the "why" people like or dislike the book that I might have like. Or book that I might not have like. Some reader can take you to different direction to see the other side of things, that you never thought about before on first glance of reading the book when you are just beginning to think you don't like the book. It like a light bulb moments. But than it also give you the understanding of the reader preference of the book and their dislike. It a good things for me, cause it taught me something about readers and myself.
I normally do not choose a book to read by reader reviews from an on-line bookstore (like Amazon or B&N). Because those reviews do not help me much. However, saying that...reviews do affect my choice of reading. If I see a bad review of the book I wanted to read, I do read it anyway. Why? Because I'm curious to see what reader see. And if I see a good review of the book I know I won't read, I might be curious enough to give it a try. But that depend on the person who recommend it or friends who I can trust or have similar taste like mine. And wonderful people like blogger and my yahoo reading group have help me too :)
It make the book more interesting when two reader, read the same book but have different opinion of the book. But more often, I'm always reading books by my favorite authors, and reviewers can not affect me with favorite authors. I tend to read it whether readers like it or not. But I learn alot about the reader by their review :)
P.S - Just to be clear, I am not an opinionated person...at all. I don't beat it to death. I listen and that all I do :)
What about you? Does review affect you?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!
14 comments:
Hey Julia! I know you have told me before about this issue so of course your reply doesn't surprise me, hehe. Like you, I'm curious to hear what other readers have to say about the books they like but ended up we don't, and vice versa.
Happy BTT!
Hi Julia! I agree with you there. I don't read reviews much (usually it's accidental ehehe), but even when I do, I don't really take what those reviews say. I'm liable to read the book anyway and form my own opinion about it. Happy BTT!
Like you, I too am not influenced when it comes to my favorite authors. But if I see plenty of good reviews for books by authors I haven't read, I might give them a try.
Hi Julia, I have a feeling that a lot of people will the same thought... I'm not affected much by reviews so much so that it affects my decision to read it, but it is fun reading what others say about the same book.
There's bound to be bias-ness and lopsided views. For example, if that is the reviewer's favourite author, he or she may be all praises. The story sometimes may not even hold. But anyway... I love book blogs and I love to read what others say about the stuff they read. :D
I agree, it depends a lot of who is doing the reviewing and what they liked or disliked, but I will read my favorite authors regardless. I do like that sometimes other readers will bring out something I didn't think of.
Barbara H. @ Stray Thoughts
Reviewing is so subjective that I'm not as much swayed by a bad review as I might be by a good one. Unless the reviewer has some good solid reasons for why a book is not good, I prefer to find out myself. I go more by the blurb than I do by any reviews I might see. Unless, of course, they are on a review site I really trust. And, even then, I've read reviews of books the reviewer loved, but I could tell I wouldn't be interested in.
People have so many different tastes that it can be hard to judge at times. I try to figure out the age and maturity level which is sometimes very easy by the way that person writes. If someone hates it because they had to read it in college that is not a review I can take seriously.
I agree! Some of the most interesting book club discussions I've had are with some members who love the book and some hated it.
Sometimes I read about the writer. That might influence my reading..
I tend to pay more attention to bloggers than the reviews at amazon or BN.
I agree with the person who said that reviews are so subjective.
Melody - I'm always interested to know what people think on books that they don't like but that I like too :)
Kat - Yes reading reviews does not always help me either. I tend to avoid it if it help. But sometime I do read the reviews and try to see what other readers see
Nithin - It good to know that you are the same. Favorite authors tend to stay as my favorite authors and no one can sway me to not read them hehehe. But I do listen to what other have to say about why they don't like my favorite authors
Alice - You might be right, that favorite authors tend to be all praises but that not a bad things *grin*.
Barbara - Yes I like it that some people bring out "something" that I didn't think about before and I go "ah" *light bulb moments*.
Judy - I agree, unless they have good solid reason to like or not like the book - I might be swayed to read it.
Jaimie - That an interesting thing. And I agree. The ages in person who doing the reviews, it can tell thing about that person by their writing :)
Chris - I love to hear interesting discussion from reader. But than I hope they don't beat the book to death *grin*
Gautami - Yes, reading about the writer might influence reader. I'm also interested in the authors life too
Thanks everyone for stopping by. I hope you have a good Thursday!
Amy - I can't believe I miss your comment :) I agree, blogger sure does help in choosen the book to read too.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Who makes the review does sometimes weigh in my decision to read or not read a book. I use the Amazon.com reviews as one source of reviews but I've found the blogs I subscribe to much more reliable. I also like GoodReads.com as a source for new things to read. Happy BTT.
Hey, Julia!
I agree: I love to read what different people have to say about a particular book. It's one of the reasons I like BookCrossing so much -- when a book has travelled a lot through a lot of involved bookcrossers, you get a variety of opinions. It's really neat to see how the book has affected every person it's touched. Some like it, some hate it, some produce those lightbulb moments.
I had a book reappear on my radar after a five-year absence. Wild. It didn't change how I felt about the book, though.
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