One of my favorite parts of blogging is reading other bloggers’ book reviews. However, I typically read reviews as they’re posted and not when looking for opinions on a particular book. They serve the purpose of discovery for me. If a book review appeals to me, I’ll add it to my to-read list (reason #1 my to-read list is so long!). I’m more likely to then read that book if I read several reviews from bloggers, so it sticks with me. There are also topics I love enough that I’ll seek out relevant books immediately.
I don’t use blogger reviews to decide what to read next. Nor do I actually consult my ever-growing to-read list (reason #2 my to-read list is so long!). Instead, I stop by goodreads to look at specific books. First, I check out the average rating a book gets. I’ve found that most books over 4 stars are ones I’m likely to enjoy. If books get a lower rating, I have to be more excited about the topic to pick them up.
My decisions about what to read aren’t just focused on the star rating though. I know some people might hate a book for things that would make me love it and vice versa. To see how other readers are reacting to a book, I often look at 5 star and 1 star reviews. That tends to lead me to people who were really passionate about a book. If I’m still feeling indecisive, I’ll check out some reviews in the middle, which often have more nuance.
So, for me, book reviews from bloggers serve as a valuable first screen – letting me identify books I’m excited about and others I want to pass on. Then goodreads reviews serve as a final filter. How do you pick what you read? Do reviews play a role in that process?
The post Do You Use Book Reviews to Pick Your Next Read? appeared first on Doing Dewey.
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