Lately I've been seeing a strange trend from book bloggers - there have been lots and lots of statements lately - bold statements about book reviews.
"I don't read book reviews", or "I don't LIKE reading book reviews", or even "book reviews were never really my thing".
And I just think that's sad. If you're a book blogger, why do you not like reading book reviews? Can you tell me why? Because I'd really love to know your reasons. In all honesty, there are lots of book reviews that I skip, just for reasons. Like, say I don't like the certain review style, or sometimes it's just for a book that I have no interest in. But those are my only reasons ever.
But for y'all that don't like reviews... why not? You write them... right? How can you like to write something, but not to read them? Authors that focus on certain genres usually enjoy the genre that they write. Do they disinterest you? Do you find yourself rolling your eyes too often?
I obviously don't think to be a book blog that you have to write reviews, I mean there are lots of people that don't - that just blog about book art, or have bookish games, or even just post about books they're excited to read. But... if you write reviews, why don't you read them?
How can you just swear off ALL book reviews?
= I didn't like it.
= It was okay.
= I liked it.
= I really liked it.
= LOVE!
I've seen some people say that! I'm the same as you; I don't understand how you could dislike reading reviews--especially if you write them. For me, I read reviews of just about everything, even things I'm maybe not super interested in. That review might persuade me otherwise! I love seeing in people agree with my opinions or if they think totally differently. Lots of reviews of a single book are also more likely to get me excited for that book! :)
ReplyDeleteI also read reviews to better myself as a reviewer. I'm constantly taking note of little things I like in other people's reviews and seeing if those are things that would help mine. (Obviously I don't copy them!) But, like a writer reads books to better their writing, I read reviews to better my reviewing.
Great post! :)
This is an excellent question!! I know some bloggers who avoid reading reviews of ARC's they are going to read themselves, because they want to go into the book without any outside opinions. That has never really affected me, though. I sometimes like to know what people thought before I read a book, so I can see how my opinion differs as I read. I love reviews! They're the reason I started blogging (both to write them and to find MORE of them), and I don't think I'd ever be able to swear them off.
ReplyDeleteGood topic. I personally do not read reviews of ARCs before I read them and write my review because I want to go into a book without prejudice. If it's a series book or one I purchased then I will skim read a review to avoid spoilers unless I am familiar with the reviewer and know they won't spoil the book for me.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I make an effort to read reviews.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I usually don't read reviews for books I haven't read but plan to. Then, there are the books I'm not interested in and therefore not really interested in any reviews for them. Or books I've read that I love/hated and the review in front of me is for the opposite opinion, and I'm really not one to read those - I don't want to get upset, or to fight, or even risk my opinion of the book to be colored by this review - so I actually have very few option for reviews. It's like, the review has to be outside all of the above for me to read it (which is ridiculous, I know)
And sometimes, I'm just too lazy or too busy or too tired. I also hate that about myself, because I wish people would read MY reviews, so of course I should read others reviews. But it's not as easy as it sounds.
You, for example, are a blogger that caught my heart with her review style and personality. Reading your reviews is not hard or tiring, so it comes quite naturally and easily, and I even break my "no reading review before book" rule with you. But few are the people who's managed to do that.
Lately, I opened a bookmark tab for reviews I will check AFTER reading the book, cause those often get lost in the mail/bloglovin'/whatever, to expend that line of reviews I read. I've also decided to try and read one review per blogger I love a week. It's not a lot individually, but I have lots of blogger I feel I should read more of.
So, I have actually been struggling with this issue and am working my way to fix it ;)
Really?There are people who say that?
ReplyDeleteWell,that's a bit ironic when book bloggers write reviews themselves,and if they refuse to read others,how are their reviews going to get any views?
I personally love reading reviews.Well,atleast well written reviews.GR has spoiled me a lot,so I make sure that I at least read 3 reviews before choosing a book.
Keeping that aside,I also love knowing the different views of people.People have different opinion of the same book,and it's interesting to know their point of view.
That is a little bold for those that came right out and said that. haha
ReplyDeleteI do read reviews, but like you, there are ones that I do not read. Like a book I have no interest in. Or if I am currently reading it or have it coming up to read. But admittedly, I do skim
I don't understand why someone/anyone would swear off ALL reviews. It's what we do, no?
For me, I sometimes don't read book reviews in cases where I am really looking forward to the book or if a really really loved the book and someone else didn't. :P
ReplyDeleteI actually find it ironic that book reviewers don't like reading book reviews. Why the hell are you writing them then? O_O
Great discussion! I haven't heard about this one yet but I can't imagine being a book blogger and not reading reviews. The only reviews I don't read are for books I have not interest in which is understandable. The only other time I don't read reviews is for books that I'm planning on reading. I don't want someone else's opinion to taint my own. I just bookmark those reviews to read later when I've read the book. I will admit though that on occasion I will read reviews from my favorite bloggers and those I have a lot in common with before I read the book just to get an idea of it.
ReplyDeleteI really only read blogs that DO book reviews and wouldn't have much interest in reading a blog that had no reviews. I prefer reading reviews above anything else (other then awesome discussion posts). I buy books pretty much by the reviews I see. Mostly by blogs I read regularly and know they have similar tastes, etc. I can't imagine a book blogger that doesn't read reviews. The only time I don't read reviews is if it's a book I'm reading REALLY soon or if it's part of a series and I plan to read it soon (the series) and don't want accidental spoilers or even hints of what will happen. I don't read many blogs where they have rants or anything, I like well thought out reviews, where they are honest and point out important things.
ReplyDeleteI find that odd. I do read reviews, but only for books that interest me and that I'm thinking of reading soon, or have recently read and want to join in on a discussion on that book. I don't read all reviews obviously since that would be impossible but I do skim through them if a book is one I might be interested in.
ReplyDeleteI think this is actually less about liking reviews and more about a bigger thing about people. It's like having a conversation where the other person isn't listening so much as waiting for his or her turn to speak. People want to be heard, which isn't necessarily a bad thing--it's just that people who actually want to listen seem to be a lot more rare. Good topic, lady.
ReplyDeleteI like reading reviews after I read books. If I have books on my review list, I don't like reading reviews because I think it will mess with my expectations of the book. I've found a bunch of awesome books because of the reviews that my book blogger friends write, so I don't avoid most reviews...just the books on my review list.
ReplyDeleteI love reviews but I won't read a review for a book that I plan to read soon as I don't want to end up unintentionally making the same points in my review. If I have already read a book though, I love seeing what a blogger thought of it and seeing how it compared to my opinions. I think possibly because we all follow so many blogs that sometimes a review funk hits though and reading/writing a review becomes less attractive. When that happens, I take a break and that always works for me.
ReplyDeleteMost of the times I just look at the ratings. I personally don't read reviews until after I've read the book. And that's only to compare opinions. Sometimes if there is a book that is getting a bunch of hype, I'll skim some reviews from bloggers that I really trust before I read it, but I never read them all the way through. I don't like to have preexisting thoughts about the book before I actually read it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand this viewpoint. For me, book reviews are one of my least favorite kinds of posts. I would never swear them off completely, but I prefer posts that start a dialogue (like this one!) and a lot of times in book reviews there's just not much to comment on unless I've already read the book.
ReplyDeleteI'll purposely avoid reviews for books that I plan to read soon, partly to avoid inadvertent spoilers and partly so avoid influencing my view of the book. But I do love reading reviews of books I've already read because I love to see what others thought of them.
I love reading reviews! I don't visit blogs that hardly ever post reviews, because it's to chat about books and great characters and amazing storlines and plot-twists that I started blogging :)
ReplyDeleteIf I know I am going to read a book very soon (I own it or have an ARC) I won't read a review for that one book until I have read it myself. There are two reasons for this - I don't want to be spoiled even a tiny bit, and I am always afraid I'll use a turn of phrase that isn't completely my own if I think the same way, so I need to write my own review before I read others.
I love to go to reviews and start a conversation about the book though. And if I read a review for a book I've not heard of before, it will make me put it on my wish-list if the review tells me it's the kind of story I'd enjoy :)
Great discussion points, Megan!
I read reviews for lots of stuff too! I mean, there are some things that I'll skip (non-fiction and the like) or books that just don't look appealing, but I try to read a variety of book reviews. Obviously we all like different things, and that's what makes it fun! Haha, I've been persuaded to read books before!
ReplyDeleteOf course you don't copy them! But I tend to take note of interesting things that other people do as well! Thanks, girly! :)
Thank you! I know some who do that too! It's a very acceptable excuse for me - obviously, they wouldn't want another person's review to influence their's. But to just avoid them entirely is a totally different thing to me! I love reviews too! That, and discussions - those are my favorite posts. It seems like it be hard to swear it off after doing it for so long. O.O
ReplyDeleteI definitely make an effort to read reviews - but mostly, I stick to bloggers that I know and love.
ReplyDeleteI don't really do that either. And ditto to the second thing! Haha, I'll totally read those. Because I'm a bad person, and I like to read opinions that really differ from mine - like, I'm on the complete opposite side of the map differ. You know? Time is super hard to manage, so I understand the lazy/tired/just want to do something else thing. I'm very like that as well - but I try to force myself, or bookmark the review for later if I'm like that.
AWWWWWW. I loves you! <33 Can you tell me some of the other people? Because I'd like to go check out some new reviewers! :)
That seems like a really good goal, girly. I'm glad that you're kind of branching out - and I hope that it works for you! :)
Lots of people that I follow do.
ReplyDeleteI guess just because they're good at reviewing? I don't really know, as I've never really been on that side of the spectrum. Maybe they don't care? I very much like well written reviews - and I'll read them lots and lots, if I have the chance. I don't do that (because I don't like to read reviews of books I plan on reading REALLY soon, as I'm afraid I'll accidentally have the same opinions), but it sounds like a good plan.
I LOVE that! I'll search out reviews of books that I loved that are the opposite opinion - because it's so much fun to read snarky reviews! :)
Haha, I thought so too. But whatever they think, right? They're entitled to their own opinions. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a skimmer. But I'm glad to find someone who shares my review reading tendencies! ;) I definitely think it's what we do. :)
Haha, I definitely understand that! Because I do it too. :) I find it ironic as well - I mean, you don't read what you don't like, so really, why do you even bother to write it? Come on.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can't imagine that either - and I do that as well. I consider that to be normal, LOL. AND YES. I do that too - I want to avoided "tainted" opinions in my reviews... we all know what a mess that can cause, and we generally all like having our own opinions, right? ;) Thanks for commenting, girly! :)
ReplyDeleteHmm. I think I'm right along there with you - I just enjoy reading reviews! But I gotta say, discussions are a BIG thing for me - I love them even more than reviews! I kind of do that, read books based on reviews, but a lot of the times I just pick something. Probably why I have so many disappointments! I can't imagine that either! It just seems odd, you know? I kind of enjoy rants... they're kind of fun. But I do try to avoid series reviews, like you said - it's too easy to spoil something! Thanks for commenting! :)
ReplyDeleteI understand wanting to join the discussion on a book - it's always fun to talk books. And like you, I will skip reviews of books I don't want to read - LOL. That is DEFINITELY impossible!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it like that, but it does seem to be a good conclusion! It just seems like it would be... I don't know, easier to speak when your turn came? I guess that's just how I think about reviews. Thanks, girly!
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be everybody's thing, LOL. We don't want to be spoiled or influenced! I like reading reviews of books I've already read too. It's more fun to have input, then. Because obviously, if I haven't read the book there's only a few things that I can say! I'm taking a break now... so we'll see. :)
ReplyDeleteI liked doing that too! And expectations are hard for me to manage anyway... so I DEFINITELY understand that. I'm glad to hear that you've found lots of awesome books through reviews! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't like to have pre-existing thoughts either - it messes with all of my expectations, and it pretty much ruins everything. But I like to read reviews, so I'm not much of a skimmer. Comparing opinions is fun, though! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that! But I really enjoy discussions as well - there's just something fun about being asked a question, LOL. And I agree - if you haven't read the book, it's very hard to find something to comment on.
ReplyDeleteI do that as well! It's just better to avoid outside opinion, LOL. I love seeing what others thought of books to - it's the best thing. :)