Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?

Reviews definitely affect me. A rave review from a reviewer with similar taste will definitely sway me towards purchasing the book in question, just as a negative review will make me less inclined to do so. But a review's influence on me goes further than the purchasing decision...it can also influence my opinion while I'm reading. The review will stick to the back of my mind as I'm reading, which definitely creates a bias. Generally, if I'm reading a book that was reviewed negatively by someone with similar taste, and I find myself starting to dislike the book as I'm reading it, I'll feel even more justified in my negative opinion, and so my negativity will become more intense.

For example...before reading Marked, the first in the House of Night series, I read a few reviews that really ripped it apart for the ridiculous language (terms like poopie and boobie make regular appearances). So, when I started reading the book, I think I was subconsciously looking for that language, and felt a sense of smug satisfaction when I found it in spades. If I hadn't read the review, I still think I would have been annoyed at the language...but maybe not quite as acutely.

That said, the books that I really love, I think I would love them still even if Jane Austen herself were to write a scathing review of them (kind of like how I will love Dimitri Belikov with all my heart and soul till the day I die, even though a number of well respected bloggers have treacherously converted to Team Adrian).