Quote:
Originally Posted by Sil_liS
It's the difference in perspective again. I just open all the relevant posts in different tabs when I reply to a comment. While on this point your memory of my statement was correct, I can't help but wonder if the conversation wouldn't have run more smoothly on the point where there was a misunderstanding if you would have read my comments again.
But how did you discover these authors? When you already like an author you don't need a recommendation to buy a book, buy there is always a beginning.
|
I would disagree, and think that one of the original mis-interpretations seemed to be when you thought I read Amazon reviews for books, when I clearly stated from the beginning (and several times afterwards) that I read Amazon reviews for other items
but not books.
Here was your quote: "What is the difference between having a book recommended by the publisher of by an Amazon customer?" (copied and pasted - no interpretation). My response was that (again) I don't read reviews of books on Amazon. And since I don't consider the act of publishing to be a "recommendation", you are asking me to compare a concept that I don't think is valid (publishing = recommendation), with something that I don't do (reading reviews of books on Amazon). I can't do that.
I agree there is always a beginning. But a publisher or a book review or friend's recommendations are far from the only way to find a book. I spent days wandering new and used bookstores and libraries as a younger person, and picked every single book based on nothing but the summary on the back or the dust jacket. My reading tastes developed and I learned what types of books and authors I liked. Some of those authors are still some of my favorites. I can do the exact same thing now on Amazon or B&N; browse by genre, read the summary and make up my mind. I'm not sure why that process seems so foreign. Are there authors and books out there that I may be missing that I might absolutely love? Almost assuredly so. But that's true of everyone, regardless of the method by which they select their reading material. And the bottom line is that I read for entertainment. So if you limited me to the books I already possess, I could re-read most of them happily for the rest of my life. I am satisfied with what I like; I don't feel the need to "seek out" additional authors or subjects or genres. Maybe someday I will feel that I have wrung every bit of enjoyment out of the authors and books that I currently love (I doubt it). At that point, maybe I'll turn to reviews and recommendations to explore new horizons. But that's not how my tastes and preferences got to where they are now, and that's not the way I operate currently.
You asked how I discovered my favorite authors. Let me give you a couple of examples. One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. I have been reading his work for about 30 years. How did I start reading his books? He's from Maine, as is my mother; this piqued my interest. I picked up 'Salems Lot because it looked suitable creepy. The rest is history. (To further show how mind works, my favorite musical group is Steely Dan. How did I get started listening to them? Stephen King uses a line from the song Deacon Blues as the intro to his book Christine, and it caught my attention, so I went out an bought an album, and it took off from there.) Another of my favorite authors is John Sandford (John Camp). His "Prey" series is fairly popular, and when I used to frequent used bookstores more frequently, I constantly saw the first in the series (Rules of Prey). Honestly, the back of the book didn't seem all that interesting. But after coming across it hundreds of times, I finally bought the damn thing, mostly because I was tired of seeing it (Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Now you see how my mind works.). I loved it, and have read nearly everything else he has written. When his books come out, I download them immediately, without even reading the summary. So there is no rhyme or reason as to which authors I ended up with. I have bought loads of books that looked interesting, but turned out to be crap. But that's okay; it's part of the process. Again, I am not claiming I am "normal", or that my method of choosing books is better (or even "good"). But I don't read reviews, I don't listen to recommendations, and I am happy with my choices.