Poll

Occasionally I'll read 1-3 if I'm completely unfamiliar with the publisher and/or author. I don't like spoilers on any level. Love going into a book with publisher/author/synopsis alone.

I changed my vote to 1-3. It would be unfair to say I never look at reviews. I do, however not for every book. It's a rare thing I do because I've far too many reviews completely spoil a book to where there's zero point I reading it. Some just don't know about that "Mark as spoilers" option. I'll skim, however mostly I just go by Title, synopsis, publisher, author, ratings.....and the Cover LOVE always gets me.

Dont really read reviews... I like to go in w/o knowing ath about the book...but if i do its usually a couple of those. I do look at the average ratings, though...

Very occasionally I will read a review before reading it, most likely if it is an e-book, as I will have downloaded this at home. However most print books will have been borrowed from our local library, and I will go and choose without 'prior knowledge'. I prefer this way as often I will read an author that I have not previously come across without being influenced.
I often read reviews of books I have just finished, to discover if my thoughts are similar to others, although I always write a review before reading others.

It depends on the synopsis. Usually, I don't like anything colouring my perception of the book before I read it, but sometimes the information available is vague (intentionally or otherwise) or it's one of those times the synopsis is just how great it or how wildly acclaimed it is. I want a good idea of what I'm getting into.

It depends on whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and whether it is in my native language.

I always try to read reviews for non-fiction, and if a book is translated, I read reviews to try to find the best translation. But I don't like spoilers, so otherwise I tend not to read fiction reviews.

Rob wrote: "Very occasionally I will read a review before reading it, most likely if it is an e-book, as I will have downloaded this at home. However most print books will have been borrowed from our local lib..."

I don't really read reviews either, but I defintely do what you said about reading them 'after' I've read a book. That's always fun. :)

There are so many great points in the comments already. Some I do as well and others new to me. Cool!

Depends how interested I am in reading the book! If I know I will read it, I don't want anything spoiled. If I am on the fence, I will read reviews.

I have a habit of reading negative reviews before any other. I can usually tell if a person is just giving a book a negative review because they want to appear above the fray. As is often the case people love being on the outside of popular opinion. I tend to read more reviews when I come across a book that I did not like and/or feel that the book went over my head. Its always nice to find others that "just don't get it." But I also like to read the positive reviews for those books as well to see if I might want to try to re-read it at some point.

It often depends on the book and/or author. As a Librarian I read through a lot of review media (print and electronic)so I generally see three or more reviews for most books coming in to the system. For personal reading I will check out what folks here on Good Reads have to say or perhaps on Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Also, the recommendation of a friend will mean more than several from reviewers I don't actually know.

Typically, I don't read any reviews before reading a book, since it might affect my choices. But I oftentimes read a few afterwards to see an example of what all has already been mentioned or where the criticism for the book is concentrated on (as I'm curious to see whether I agree or not).

It usually depends on the books/authors. If it's from practically my auto-buy/auto-read I don't really read reviews. But if those I'm note exactly sure of, I usually look for reviews from trusted reviewers, or check ones that gave 2-3 stars for balanced reviews. Yes, I avoid the 4-5 stars -- I prefer the 2-3 stars to see if their negative criticism will match mine. And I don't trust books that only gather 4-5 stars reviews.

I usually try for 1-3 useful reviews. That may mean combing through a dozen throw away reviews, especially on pages that are gif heavy. I don't want to see pictures of how you imagine the characters look. That doesn't help me judge if the book is worth reading.

I rarely read any reviews until after I have read the book, and only then just to see if I can say something that hasn't already been said. If I don't like a book I will read reviews to help determine it's a difference in taste (and I won't downgrade an author for that) versus something wrong with the work.

Depends on the book. Sometimes I don't care about reviews (and some books don't even have reviews!), and sometimes I want to do more research and then I read around 1 to 3 reviews.

I don't often look at reviews before I read books. However, once I begin to read and if I find the book uninspiring, I will look at reviews to determine if I should continue or not. Thankfully, this does not happen too often.

Has anyone noticed how often, when we read older reviews after we've read a book, that they leave you wondering if it's even the same book? It happened to me a couple times before I noticed the same thing on my own book. All the more reason to not give them too much attention when they're disagreeable.

I look at the summary of the story than the reviews.

It depends on the book. Never with classics, though.
And honestly, people take everything too seriously sometimes. Not every book has to be socially analyzed and undergo scrutiny. Sometimes a story is just a story and sometimes it doesn't have to show a high moral or display only positive and safe characters.
And that's why I stopped reading reviews. They bum me out. I discovered I liked a book and people put it down mercilessly because they don't realize fiction is fiction. Reality is reality. And not everyone has to be influenced by the words they read. That's all I have to say.

But some reviews are intelligent, though..so no harm there, whether they're positive or negative.

I rarely look at reviews. I have my own taste, and I find that if I read a trollish review before reading, I go into the book expecting a terrible read. If I wait until I have finished the book to look at reviews, my mind is wide open. Reviews are helpful, however, for knowing whether a book has inappropriate content or not.

Maybe because I read reviews as part of my job, but I'm surprised by the number of folks here that say they never read reviews. Even before I became a Librarian, I found reviews helpful and often educational. I don't appreciate reviews (movies or books) that include spoilers but I find it interesting to discover a book or author I might have otherwise skipped.

I get a daily feed from lots of friends. I only look at the 5 star reviews and sometimes 4. I look at friends reviews that I trust, that's maybe 10 people. Sometimes there are conflicts, then I read more reviews. Sometimes I even say yes to reading something even if most of my friends don't like it if the premis seems interesting I'll go ahead and add to my collection. I LOVE you to read friends 1 and sometimes 2 star reviews. Usually they are very funny.

I don't read all 4-6 reviews but I do look at the ratings and who rated the books.

1-3 -- but I rarely do this because many reviews contain spoilers.

I usually do ready reviews although as they say "each to his own" I have enjoyed books that others seem to dislike and vice versa. I have twice however been caught out when I am three or four books into a series when the author has inexplicably dropped the series or indeed dropped off the radar. I try to see if there are any comments to this effect as its like being left hanging not knowing the outcome of the story is.

I look at top reviews. If all of them are 1 stars, I won't read.

Sometimes I do get curious about what other people think of the book I'm gonna read (anyway), then I read a couple reviews, but normally, if I want to read a book, I just go there and read the f*** book, no matter how many stars people give to it.

I moreso check the rating. I always, always, always check the rating, ALWAYS. Cause I feel like it's the overall feeling of the book wihout me having to run into any "spoilers" or other story tidbits. I feel like some of the complaints that pple have with the books wouldnt have made me give the book the rating thaf they give so I dong vet into that. With that said though rating have never ever steered me wrong.

I'll read anywhere 4rm 4/6 reviews....sometimes just 2see if the readers are on the same page about the story line. To many negative reviews then I'm done....if I read a review and a lot of them say they know the author personally, that's a turn off. Or sometimes I go off the amount of stars, it depends...but 4 the most part 4 to 6 look overs b4 I decide if a read is worthy....recommendations are good also, not always a pick, but a thought.

Sometimes I do not read any reviews before reading a book. New authors (to me) or recommendations from GR friends or reviews just posted by friends, I will read one to three. IMHO, Goodreads posters over star habitually in every category and genre. My taste is not always consensus, and I think the bias on Goodreads in three or four categories of "eyes" is more than considerable. I look for reaction more than synopsis. As soon as synopsis starts, I quit the review.

I read reviews before purchasing a book, mostly. As long as the reviewers seem to be interested in similar things as me, it doesn't take more than 1-3. A good chunk of the nonfiction I enjoy is rated lower by people who don't have the same background.

I rarely read reviews and when I do they don't sway me one way or the other. I read the story outline and if the book is by someone I am not familiar with I would read the first page or two to see if I liked the writing style and if it captured my interest right away. If a book doesn't appeal to me in the first few pages, I pass on it.

I usually read 1-3 one or two star reviews. They usually give me the best barometer for what is wrong with the book, what ppl didn't like and what might appeal to my twisted brain.

I usually read some reviews before I buy a book if it's not by an author I know from earlier.

well, I sometimes read reviews before a book. But i read lots of reviews after a book.

It all depends like the one I'm reading right now Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler I didnt read any because it just sounds interesting. But if a story is starting to get slow or just stupid ill go sneak a peek at some reviews to see if someone feels what I'm feeling. Most of those have turned out that the book is horrible and those reviews save my butt!

i usually read like 4-5 reviews or 1-3. changes all the time.

Sometimes I read 1-3 reviews, other times I simply pick up the book of the shelf and begin reading. It's like taking on an adventure without the current traveling gadgets. I may enjoy the road the book/author takes me on or I may simply get off the unfamiliar route if i don't enjoy the book or can't relay to the characters.

I read only what my favorite nephew tells me to...just kidding! I scroll through reviews - I don't want to run into any spoilers. I can't stand it when people put spoilers in their reviews with no warning. Grrrr!

Sometimes, it's good to discover it yourself. You can tell how good or bad the book is since reading a few pages.

It really depends on the book as I use many websites in determining my reading lists. Sometimes I really just pick up the next book on the shelf from the library or the local bookstore. Other books only come to my attention because of reviews. Still others are classics and come under my radar because publishers print long lists at the end of books.

I have stacks of books I want to read. I make pretty good progress, but I rarely need to look for more books. I hear of a good book and pick it up on Amazon. I borrow a couple from a friend. I accidentally walk into a second-hand book store and leave with my arms full. I like reading reviews, but I usually wait until after I've read the book.

Usually will talk to friends before trying a new author but occasionally will take a flyer on a first in series special or something. Like to pick an author I like and read AL their books.

First, I look at the cover, then at the title, then at the reviews. I only need 1 to 3 reviews to build my choice. If the book is still in my mind, shorted to "want to read but...", I return to the page of the book then I read 1 to 3 new reviews. This time, my choice is the definitive one. I never had a bad choice anyway since years!!

I usually read 3-4 reviews with a little skimming, I hate spoilers! If I'm sure they are safe, I wholly read the more liked one, then look for the following ones with different rating, so that I read at least a 3, a 1/2 and a 4/5 stars. If there are reviews of friends, I read them all.
And I usually put the "I like" on those who helped me decide whether the book is for me or not.
If I know the author, I may even skip the part. Or go back to read them after I've read the book, something I do often when I'm already reading a series.

Unless I already know and love the author's previous works (then I buy without reading reviews), I read quite a few reviews. I like to read maybe 10-15 5 star and 10-15 1 or 2 star reviews. When I look at 1 star reviews, I read carefully to see if the reviewer actually finished the book, didn't read the synopsis carefully and thus had incorrect expectations, or is one of those haters of genre fiction who goes and gives low reviews to genre fiction for fun. If the 1 star reviews are actually people who love genre fiction, who understood what this book was meant to be, and say things like "I really wanted to like this book" or "I've read other similar books and this one sounded great, but was a huge let down", then I'll actually pay attention to them. Doesn't mean I won't try the book. Depends on what the 5 star reviews say.

Reviews don't drive my reading, they only help me to get a grasp on what awaits me as I read.

I dive straight in. The unexpected excites me far more than the expected.

I generally read the first page or two...if the author can't get me involved in the first say, three pages, there is no point in reading the reviews. I want to read good writing as well as a good story. That's the author's job, not a reviewers. It's rather like Mom telling me her daughter is a good singer, and the mean girls telling me she is not. I need to hear the 16 bars for myself. Before I buy I usually read the description or flap. I have found that Goodread reviews are average helpful, but Amazon reviews are so skewed as to be actually hindering. I've bought and returned several books on Amazon reviewers stars and I seem to be always disappointed by them.

Tasha wrote: "I usually read 1-3 one or two star reviews. They usually give me the best barometer for what is wrong with the book, what ppl didn't like and what might appeal to my twisted brain."

I used to do this too, but have found that there are so many people paid to write good reviews on Amazon for friends and even more who write one star reviews to knock down their friend's competition, that I've given up on reviews altogether.

Ds wrote: "It depends on the book. Never with classics, though.
And honestly, people take everything too seriously sometimes. Not every book has to be socially analyzed and undergo scrutiny. Sometimes a story..."


This is so true. I hate to read SF or fantasy fic reviews from people who have obviously never read the genre and complain about things like how the alien looked...with something like "no one has purple skin. That's stupid." or the author really should have explained what "FTL travel was in more detail. I was so confused." Then I start to wonder how many of the reviews are real.