TS: Reading a book vs. Reading a book review

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Settling down with a serious time commitment and making your own judgments about a book, or a 5-10 minute article distilling the book and offering a consideration on top of the book?

― O.Leee.B. (Leee), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 07:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure if I've ever really read a proper book review, to be honest.
I usually also keep forewords till after I've finished the book, as there's always risks of spoilers in them.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 08:52 (twenty-two years ago)

50% of my book buying judgement is based upon reviews, any and all reviews. 30% is based upon the writers past work. 20% (which is growing since I started ILB) is based upon other people's reccommendations.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Vermont Girl's assessment is about right, although sometimes, when I'm in my cups, I have been known to be seduced by cover art and blurbs.

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Most of my fiction selections are based on other people's recommendations, particularly when I've known the person long enough to know if they're going to steer me right or wrong. But for non-fiction I usually go by the reviews.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Read the book, read the book, read the book.

I'm trying to get myself away from reading reviews about books before I read the book itself - I don't want my feelings about the story to be influenced by some nasty reviewer (or really happy reviewer with horrid taste, for that matter), because I tend to be far too easily swayed and I want to figure out my own reaction.

At the same time, lots of my book purchases are based on recommendations from friends.

Of course, I can usually be tempted by a positive book jacket blurb by some reviewer or organization that I respect. And by the publishing house. And by cover art. And title. *sigh* I'm too easily tempted.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

FYI:

This was kind-of discussed, in a round-about way, over at BookBlog.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I think that reading a grate review by eg. Thomson, Terry, Rorty, Wood or whoever wins.

In fact, yes: Reading A Book Review By Michael Wood is the winner.

― the spellfox, Wednesday, 17 March 2004 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Reading reviews has completely replaced reading the actual book for me! I am happy with this arrangement.

― O.Leee.B. (Leee), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The great thing about Amazon is that you can read exerpts from a lot of books there. Reading the opening is a clincher for me, whether on Amazon or in a bookshop. The Guardian puts up whole opening chapters of some books.

― Bunged Out (Jake Proudlock), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I read book reviews, but they never take the place of the book. I view them as supplementary reading to the text. And I don't use them to choose books to read, except insofar as they alert me to the existence of a particular title.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

The only reviews I'm interested in (after many bombs by critics) reading are those I read here on the threads.

― yesabibliophile (yesabibliophile), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I tend to read reviews after I read the book; and then, only if I either really liked it or really disliked it. And my method of picking up stuff to read lately is...odd. If I'm reading a book and it makes reference to another book, I'm often intrigued enough that I'll hunt down the book mentioned; sometimes it's not even an explicit mention, but the fact that one book will remind me of another work or author, and I'll dig around for it. For example, Saramago's fiction will make me go back to Pessoa's poetry; and reading Baudolino reminded me that I had a copy of Capellanus' "The Art of Courtly Love" (I used to specialize in Medieval lit). If a character in a novel mentions a book or author, I'm also likely to at least look it up; the same when reading nonfiction - I tend to notice what authors themselves are reading, especially those whose style I like.

― marisa (marisa), Thursday, 18 March 2004 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I shudder to admit it, but a positive review from M. Kakutani can usually tempt me into buying a book.

I've a friend who reads reviews and then spends her lunch hours at a local chain bookstore, reading her way through those books that interest her - I don't think she's bought anything in quite some time. I, on the other hand, can't recall the last time I made it out of a bookstore without have dropped at least $200.00 (which is why I'm not allowed in bookstores any more - but I did find "Overstock" and that's increasing my purchasing again).

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Thursday, 18 March 2004 04:44 (twenty-two years ago)

two weeks pass...

You mean the bookstore people go "Quick! Here comes MsLaura. Close up. She's gonna clean us out again!" ?

― Dorien Thomas (Dorien Thomas), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

books always. Though I read reviews they are more likely to warn me off than make me want to read something. Sometimes I read things because they won a prize or have been in the media a lot, if I want to enlarge my stock selection of authors.

― isadora (isadora), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

One of my friends reads very little, perhaps one book a month at most. But he avidly reads the books pages in the UK broadsheets. So that whenever we talk about a writer he'll be at least semi-informed, even if all of his opinions are actually other people's opinions. He thinks that reading a review is a quick way of reading a book. Seriously. This depresses me.

― David Nolan (David N.), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

For me, criticism is a supporting activity, and could never take the place of reading books. I very much enjoy good criticism, and it informs me both in terms of suggesting authors I might like (and ones to avoid) and in that I think it's taught me a lot about how literature works, and helped me get more out of a lot of good books. So I find it useful both in the buyer's guide way and in teaching me to be a better reader. Both of these are aimed at enhancing my reading pleasure, and I can't imagine wanting to continue them if I wasn't reading a lot of books.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 9 April 2004 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

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