I love this, Sara! While I've discovered great new books from social media, it's definitely been a pain point in my reading life to stay true to my reading taste. These tips are helpful and you helped me realize that I already do some of these things (avoid Goodreads reviews before starting) to help me tune into my own taste and thoughts rather than be influenced.
Instagram makes it soooo hard. Because I want to support my friends’ posts, but then I’m thinking “wow all my friends loved this, if I don’t love it am I just not smart enough?” Or “if I loved it and they didn’t are they smarter than me?” Lol, as I type I realize those things conflict!!
I totally agree! I love reading books I haven’t heard anything about and frequently don’t even read the flap copy let alone reviews. I too like to start reading reviews midway through a book — my recent read I am LOVING and has some reviews on goodreads I don’t agree with and can easily see how our opinions diverge rather than going into it expecting the thing they didn’t like to be something I don’t like also.
I have narrowed down my list of trusted sources to gather information about books i want to read or to learn about upcoming new releases. These sources align with my reading taste so if a review gets thrown in with a title, author and annotation, it does not bother me. I DO NOT read reviews on a book unless i am having to choose between books for a paid subscription for the month. I can only do audio books and too many audio books are rated 4.25 and up with a total of 22 reviewers. So it is difficult to get a feel for the book. Also, i need to consult the review to see if any of the issues with the book came from the story or the narration.that is the only time I consult reviews. so what it comes down to, is I choose a book based on whether I think I would like that story and take to consideration if it is a beloved author and then I go for it.
I love this! I'm definitely with you on trying not to read any reviews before starting the book. And I'll do the same thing on Instagram where if I see a friend has posted a review, I'll save it and come back to it later after I've finished reading the book. I also loved what you said in #6 that changing your mind is good. I've definitely had book club or other discussions around a book that have changed or shifted my opinion!
I love this, Sara! While I've discovered great new books from social media, it's definitely been a pain point in my reading life to stay true to my reading taste. These tips are helpful and you helped me realize that I already do some of these things (avoid Goodreads reviews before starting) to help me tune into my own taste and thoughts rather than be influenced.
I like to do your number 2 sometimes too! Especially for backlist books that have had time to marinate.
Instagram makes it soooo hard. Because I want to support my friends’ posts, but then I’m thinking “wow all my friends loved this, if I don’t love it am I just not smart enough?” Or “if I loved it and they didn’t are they smarter than me?” Lol, as I type I realize those things conflict!!
I totally agree! I love reading books I haven’t heard anything about and frequently don’t even read the flap copy let alone reviews. I too like to start reading reviews midway through a book — my recent read I am LOVING and has some reviews on goodreads I don’t agree with and can easily see how our opinions diverge rather than going into it expecting the thing they didn’t like to be something I don’t like also.
I have narrowed down my list of trusted sources to gather information about books i want to read or to learn about upcoming new releases. These sources align with my reading taste so if a review gets thrown in with a title, author and annotation, it does not bother me. I DO NOT read reviews on a book unless i am having to choose between books for a paid subscription for the month. I can only do audio books and too many audio books are rated 4.25 and up with a total of 22 reviewers. So it is difficult to get a feel for the book. Also, i need to consult the review to see if any of the issues with the book came from the story or the narration.that is the only time I consult reviews. so what it comes down to, is I choose a book based on whether I think I would like that story and take to consideration if it is a beloved author and then I go for it.
I love this! I'm definitely with you on trying not to read any reviews before starting the book. And I'll do the same thing on Instagram where if I see a friend has posted a review, I'll save it and come back to it later after I've finished reading the book. I also loved what you said in #6 that changing your mind is good. I've definitely had book club or other discussions around a book that have changed or shifted my opinion!