I always read new reviews of books I've already reviewed. It's like participating in a very informal book club. I love seeing what you thought of the book and comparing your opinions to my own.
Sometimes I read reviews of books I've never heard of. If the title catches my eye, I'll probably click through to see what you thought and decide if it sounds like something I'd be interested in. I figure, by the time I get the book and it moves its way to the top of my TBR, I'll won't remember your review word-for-word and it won't influence my own review.I might read a review of a book on my wishlist if I'm not sure about it. With a wishlist of over 1600 books, I need to do everything in my power to thin the herd, so to speak. If I trust your opinion and you hated the book, I'm probably going to delete it from the list.
I very rarely read reviews of books that I own that I haven't read yet. Only when I'm having a "why did I buy this book again?" moment. And even then, I'm probably only going to skim to see your rating or overall conclusion.
I felt like I had to confess. I'm a book blogger. I write book reviews. I enjoy when people read those reviews and comment on them. I know I don't comment enough on other blogs, and this is my sad explanation as to why I am purposely avoiding certain posts.
Do you read book reviews? Are there certain reviews you avoid? Reviews you actively seek out?
I am like you and avoid reading reviews on a book I am currently reading or about to read. Fortunately, my memory is crappy and I probably won't remember anything past a couple of weeks, ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason I wont' read a review while reading the book is that I don't want to be swayed to changed the review I am developing in my head according to my feelings as I read it. Once I have it written I will check out other reviews though.
I don't want to read book reviews that sound like a workbook version of a review...the reader read through the book bc he/she had to read and review it. Boring. I would rather have less reviews from a reviewer that are more heartfelt and in depth than a bunch of blah reviews. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic! I do read other reviews even of a book I am currently reading. I take my own notes as I'm reading, though, so I feel that my reviews are my own and no one else's. I try to review the book as soon as I'm done, though, so I can capture my emotions while they are fresh in my mind.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic!!
I scan reviews - I don't want too many spoilers and like you I don't want someone elses opinion working into my review. After I read and review a book though I go through and read all of them - I'm always surprised by the different reactions to the same book!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE reviews but I avoid ones that contain spoilers. Great question!
ReplyDeleteI only avoid reviews during the time I'm working on a writing a review. Then when I'm done I go back and read tons.
I scan too and like reviews that have a grading/rating system like you do. I try not to read full reviews of a book I'm reading or want to read. I will go to Goodreads and scan over and see what kind of star ratings it is getting and see if the book is worth reading or not.
ReplyDeleteI never read reviews that contain spoilers. Most of the time I skim through a review if the book looks interesting. What I classify as interesting: a book cover that grabs my attention or an author that I like. The other thing I do is go to the bottom of the review and check the blogger's rating of the book first. If it isn't good, then I pass on the review.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a book I'm interested in, I definitely read the review or at least scan it. If it's a book on my TBR list, I'll read those all the way through.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I usually avoid reading reviews of books that I know I will be reading soon and especially ones for books that I still need to review. The sad thing is that I don't always remember to go back and read the review after I've written my own. Sometimes I do bookmark the reviews for later but a lot of times I forget.
ReplyDeleteIf I haven't read a book and won't be reading it for awhile I usually read the review. I have also skimmed reviews just to get to the writer's overall thoughts if I know that I will read the book soon. I am likewise worried that someone else's words will influence my own.
For me, the issue is time. If there is enough delay between when I read the review and when I read the book and review it myself then it is not a problem. I am currently gobbling up reviews of Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris because I know it will be awhile before I read it.
Do you ever bookmark reviews so you can go back and read them later after you've written your own?
I read reviews of books I've already reviewed, I like to see what other readers think. I also read some reviews of books that I've never heard of before that I think I might be interested in. But I don't read the ones that are in my list to be read soon or the ones I'm really looking forward to reading until after I read them. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI might scan a book review when I'm looking for a good book to read, otherwise I don't like to read reviews until after I've finished a book. I'm always afraid of swaying from my opinion of a book after I've read a review.
ReplyDeleteI read reviews to find new books. I also like to see what others have said about books that I've read. I will usually wait to read the review if its something that I'll be reading soon.
ReplyDeleteIt actually depends on what mood I'm in at that time. I try to read reviews of books I've read or books that I want to read. Other than that, if it's been overly-reviewed or it doesn't interest me, I'll just skim it or flat out skip over it. But again, it does depend on my mood.
ReplyDeleteI like reading reviews of books I have read too - it is fun to see what others think of the books. I like some reviews of books I may be interested in, but not the ones that go on too long or say too much....
ReplyDeleteI like reading certain reviews...some I don't if the book doesn't appeal to me...sometimes I do - it's nice to step out my comfort zone now and again.
ReplyDeleteReading reviews is therefore touch and go with me...it just depends on how I feel!
I haven't written many reviews myself...it takes me awhile I like to get it all out...plus my blog's fairly new and sometimes depending on how busy I am reading takes a while.
I do lurve posts like WoW so I have a better idea of what's out there.
totally lurved this post btw :D
ReplyDeleteGreat question! I tend to skim reviews of books I want to read, because I like to form my own opinion of a book with as few preconceived notions as possible. I like reading reviews of books I've already read and reviewed or books that aren't currently on my radar.
ReplyDeletehttp://laughingstars.net
I'm the same way. I don't think to read review for books I'm reading or I know I'm going to read. I'll scan a book that I might be interested in to learn more about it. However, I do love to read reviews for books that I've read and reviewed to check to see if I wasn't the only one who liked (or more importantly didn't like).
ReplyDeleteI tend to only read reviews of books I have already reviewed, or books that are new to me. I try not to read reviews of books that I know I will read soonish, but usually they don't really affect my own reviews too much.
ReplyDeleteI think my answer is... Yes. To all of the above. I sometimes read a lot of reviews for upcoming releases, just to see various opinions on each book. I also sometimes DON'T read reviews if I don't want to find out too much about a book's plot, etc. before I read it. I don't think too much about plagiarism in my own reviews... I feel that my writing is a conglomeration of everything I've ever read, anyway, so using an oft-used phrase is okay in my reviews. But isn't it interesting what we do and do not click on or search for, often using different criteria each time! Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI tend to read any reviews that are for books that I've bought but for some reason can't remember why I thought it was one I just couldn't live without.
ReplyDeleteAfter I've written my review, I'll also go back and read others review of it, especially if it was one that I didn't love as much as everyone else. Often times, the one aspect that I didn't like was exactly what others loved.
Great topic. I do read reviews .. But it depends on the style of writing of the blogger, I do find some of them to be very impressive.
ReplyDeleteI read reviews of books that are on my TBR list but I also read reviews of books that is not in my fave genre (just for the heck of it) ...
I don’t read reviews of books I plan to read. I wll skim down to get the gist of how they felt but that is it. I do read reviews of books I’ve read and reviewed. I like to see how other reviewers felt about a book. I love reviews but avoid some because like you I fear accidental plagiarism.
ReplyDeleteI don't read long reviews -- don't have the time. If a book cover catches my eye, I scan through the review to see if it is something that interests me. I like short reviews that give me a short synopsis that may pique my interest with maybe a rating and why. I don't need a lengthy analysis because it may influence my opinion or give away spoilers.
ReplyDeleteI guess for me, book blogs are for finding the next best book. (queen bee)
I am like you in a way.
ReplyDeleteAny book I own and have not yet read, I don't read the reviews of, something has already made me buy that book, so I don't need more opinions of it right?
Usually I will read the reviews of books that covers catch my eye. I read reviews to find new books to add to my wishlist.
Another point...i should add...I am a freak I know, but I like reading bad reviews of the books I liked or have already reviewed...
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but snark is just so much more interesting than gush.
and yet another point i just thought of...sorry im being so annoying btw.
ReplyDeleteOnce i've read about three reviews for the same book...unless its a blogger I know and actively seek out reviews from i will most likely skip the rest.