Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

reviewers with matching tastes

For discussions of historical fiction. Threads that do not relate to historical fiction should be started in the Chat forum or elsewhere on the forum, depending on the topic.
Post Reply
User avatar
MLE (Emily Cotton)
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3566
Joined: August 2008
Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

reviewers with matching tastes

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Wed January 6th, 2010, 2:32 am

Does anyone else do this? When enough people recommend a book, I go over to Amazon and look at the reviews. First I check the five-stars. Then I check the one-stars. Then I check the ones in the middle.

If I still have not made up my mind, I look at the other reviews of the extreme cases to see if they have reviewed any books I have read, and if so, do their tastes agree with mine.

Well, I went over to check out 'As Meat Loves Salt'. I discovered that I would probably not like it much, as dark novels do not appeal, and since I have five first cousins with schizophrenia, the muddled psychology will probably drive me up a wall.

But I also discovered a reviewer who seems to share my opinion on over ten HF books, and puts it much more exactly than I would. I'll be checking her recommendations from now on out!

User avatar
Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Wed January 6th, 2010, 2:38 am

Oh I definitely have several reviewers I follow using my Google reader as I want to know what they are reading. I especially like to ones who find the odd-ball lesser known books. We don't always agree all the time but it's still worth the time and effort.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

User avatar
Divia
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4435
Joined: August 2008
Location: Always Cloudy, Central New York

Post by Divia » Wed January 6th, 2010, 2:58 am

Even on here I've noticed that my tastes are similar to a few members here. I see if they have reveiwed books on amazon and I see waht they say.

But I also read the rave reviews then the one star ones too. It helps to fill in the gaps sometimes. Since we spend so much money on books I think its important for us to get as much info as possible.
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
http://yabookmarks.blogspot.com/

User avatar
zsigandr
Avid Reader
Posts: 444
Joined: April 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada

Post by zsigandr » Wed January 6th, 2010, 5:38 pm

I do the same as well. Sometimes the rave reviewers may not always share your views, so reading as many as possible is always a good idea. I especially follow this rule with an author that I have never read before. I don't want to fork out money on something I am going to hate, so yes, I always read the ratings. I have also found a few members who share some similar tastes. I also look at reviews of members at GR and LT.
Andrea

Sharz
Reader
Posts: 249
Joined: October 2009
Location: Chicago

Post by Sharz » Wed January 6th, 2010, 6:11 pm

I follow a similar routine for new books, but especially new authors. In a bookstore, I can just sit down with the book and read first/last chapters, and spot read randomly throughout. Sure-fire way of avoiding a disappointing purchase. But now that I buy more on-line, I have to rely on the reviews.

I tend to look at the lengthier 5 star entries, then the 1 stars. The exception is for a book with hundreds of reviews, heavily lopsided for 4 and 5 stars. In that case, I head for the 1 and 2 stars first for sheer economy of time. I don't have "matching taste" reviewers that I pay attention to, but I do keep an eye out for some, because their overall quality of review is always helpful. (Like Misfit, for example.)

Post Reply

Return to “General Discussion”