|
Pushing this a bit farther than just negative reviews when selecting promising books to read:
I have more books than I can read. Consequently, I've begun to take more time in choosing what to read when looking at a book to add to my 'to-read' list. I look at the number of reviews and the rating on sites such as Amazon, GR and LT. On both GR and LT, I will also click on the author link and see what I can find out about the author. For example, how long have they been a member of GR or LT, how many books have they written and how were they rated, what books are they reading currently, what books are in their libraries and how did they rate them? How does the author describe him/herself in their own biography? I now tend to avoid totally new authors unless their bio is well completed and they've been an active member of those sites rather than just dropping in to dump their first novel. I also read the description carefully with my "hype" meter turned on. Prevention cures a lot of ills and helps me avoid having to rate books poorly, consequently you will not find many books rated below 3-stars in my listings.
Another filter I use is to rely on friends who share my taste in books. I try to limit my "friends" on those web sites that offer book listings and reviews so I can always check to see if my friends have an opinion. That is also the reason I always provide a rating and review paragraph on every book I read, since turn-about is fair play.
Many negative reviews are given by people who just "can't get into" the book. Those I discard as irrelevant, as many books take time to develop threads and the plot. Some of the best books I've read just went "over the head" of some who complained of a slow beginning. You don't always have to find a dead body on the first page.
|