Book Lovers, how do you choose your next ‘read?’

H

helenbacque

Senior Member
Location
Central Florida
Without a personal recommendation, I usually chose from best seller’s lists, winners of awards, recommendations such as NPR, NYT, WaPo or Goodreads. Lately I’ve been vastly underwhelmed by some highly recommended/awarded/rated books. Many seem to be poorly edited, illogical plots, storylines impossible to follow.

Is it me or has the bar for a good book just lowered?
 

I subscribe to a lot of emails from publishing houses, book reviewers, and I check out Goodreads also. I don't know about the bar for good books being lowered; sometimes it seems to me as if it's always been low.
 
I don't follow the crowd...about anything, and that includes book "recommendations" from best seller lists or Oprah. I'm an avid reader. Always have been but I only like certain genre's. I belonged to a book club a few years ago and had no interest in the books that were chosen so I dropped out. I prefer to do my own thing and if a book, or series, is not something current, but it's interests me, I'll read the whole series...as long as it holds my interest.

We all like different things so I don't rely too much on "reviews" but I do read the synopsis.
 
helenbacque said:
Without a personal recommendation, I usually chose from best seller’s lists, winners of awards, recommendations such as NPR, NYT, WaPo or Goodreads. Lately I’ve been vastly underwhelmed by some highly recommended/awarded/rated books. Many seem to be poorly edited, illogical plots, storylines impossible to follow.

Is it me or has the bar for a good book just lowered?
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I agree that it seems like it's getting more difficult to find a good read. It seems like anyone and everyone is getting a book published these days...and they're not all "good reads". I also find a lot of mistakes, like punctuation and misspelling. Doesn't anyone proofread any more??
 
I go to the library every week or so and get a LOT of books. I just wander around. I check the "new" section. I meander through the fiction stacks. I take my time looking around. Sometimes, I go over and pet the library dog for a while. He prefers kids who lets him lay on them, but he puts up with me. There are a couple of librarians who I really like, and I'll ask them if they've come across anything good lately.

I always check the blurb to make sure the book isn't #2 of a 3-part series. I seem to almost never be able to get the books in order or together. If it looks like it might be a good series, I try to find #1. Of course, it's never there. So I get on the "on hold" list. Three weeks later, I might get #1. Then by the time I'm on hold for #2 and get it, I've forgotten a lot of what #1 was about. Forget trying to get #3. Thus, unless I get lucky and can find at least #1 and #2, I'm unlikely to pick up a series.

I have certain authors that I KNOW I'll like their new books. I get excited when I see a new one. I try to avoid jumping up and down and yelling WOO-HOO!!! Even though the librarians applaud the "sentiment", they tend to frown upon the disturbance. I try to curb my enthusiasm.....

So, I'll bring home 14 books. Five of them, I'll get to page 30 and say, "Oh, there's no way I can read this bilge" or the writer's style just doesn't jibe with me. I'm astounded at how there are some writers who can't write their way out of a paper sack but still get published. Of course, that's just *my* opinion.... Obviously they wouldn't have been published if someone at the publishers hadn't seen their worth. Books are like beauty.....in the eye of the beholder...er...reader.

Today is library day. WOO-HOO!!!
 
jujube said:
I go to the library every week or so and get a LOT of books. I just wander around. I check the "new" section. I meander through the fiction stacks. I take my time looking around. Sometimes, I go over and pet the library dog for a while. He prefers kids who lets him lay on them, but he puts up with me. There are a couple of librarians who I really like, and I'll ask them if they've come across anything good lately.

I always check the blurb to make sure the book isn't #2 of a 3-part series. I seem to almost never be able to get the books in order or together. If it looks like it might be a good series, I try to find #1. Of course, it's never there. So I get on the "on hold" list. Three weeks later, I might get #1. Then by the time I'm on hold for #2 and get it, I've forgotten a lot of what #1 was about. Forget trying to get #3. Thus, unless I get lucky and can find at least #1 and #2, I'm unlikely to pick up a series.

I have certain authors that I KNOW I'll like their new books. I get excited when I see a new one. I try to avoid jumping up and down and yelling WOO-HOO!!! Even though the librarians applaud the "sentiment", they tend to frown upon the disturbance. I try to curb my enthusiasm.....

So, I'll bring home 14 books. Five of them, I'll get to page 30 and say, "Oh, there's no way I can read this bilge" or the writer's style just doesn't jibe with me. I'm astounded at how there are some writers who can't write their way out of a paper sack but still get published. Of course, that's just *my* opinion.... Obviously they wouldn't have been published if someone at the publishers hadn't seen their worth. Books are like beauty.....in the eye of the beholder...er...reader.

Today is library day. WOO-HOO!!!
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Same here. I love going to the library just as you described; wish I lived close enough to it to walk; I'd go in a couple of times a week.
 
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