Poll

Theresa wrote: "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 hear ya, but there are way more who are paid to give 5 star reviews. If a title has been published for only a few short weeks and has 500+ 5 star reviews, I'm immediately suspicious. Especially if none of them go in depth and are the sort of "Love this book!" type. Stinks of an overzealous street team or fake reviews, IMO.

I'm a diver, too. It helps when you read a lot of Lee Child like I do because I know the depth is safe enough not to hit a rocky, shallow bottom.

I use reviews when I am gifting a book mostly, like for a different age group. I like to use reviews when I am looking for a new book to read to see if the subject matter is something I might be interested in. Or just see what's been newly released. Sometimes all I need is a title that intrigues me, I like to have the book in hand when I make the decision.

None. Ever. I dislike any kind of spoilers.

I actually love book reviews, but I prefer reading them after I have finished reading. I like comparing my experience with the reviewer's. It's like being in a book club...without, like, talking and stuff.

I like this :)

I discovered a new (great) author to me by reading reviews- I read the reviews of a particular book that I had really enjoyed and this new author (to me) was mentioned as having a similar writing style.

Historically my book recommendations come from chats with friends. Only recently have I been finding interesting books online and reading their reviews. So on average, I'm closer to reading zero reviews than 1, per book.

i have just joined this goodreads , please help me and teach me more how to make it and gain from it

I read reviews only after I rated and formed my own opinion for the book. Besides,who would want spoilers?

It really depends on the author or genre. If I'm familiar with the author and I've read something of theirs before, I most likely will not read any reviews at all. However if it's a new author that I've never heard of, or a genre that's out of my usual comfort zone, I usually read one good review and one bad review, skipping over any and all spoilers (I love when people warn you that their reviews contain spoilers). I also want to read a couple reviews if the book is self-published. I don't want to discriminate completely on that basis alone, but if it's just full of spelling/grammatical errors and things that otherwise would've been fact checked, I'll probably give it a pass unless it's free. I'm kind of cheap, so I like to know what I'm spending my money on. I usually find two and three star reviews to be the most helpful for me personally.

I mostly decide if I want to read it based on the blurb/description. Looking at reviews and ratings is a secondary option of I think I may like it but I'm still undecided, however if it has mostly low ratings I do tend to avoid it more than if it has mixed reviews.

I will read parts of reviews about books I haven't read to get an overall impression but always avoid spoilers.
I hate potential spoilers so much that I refuse to even read blurbs.

It depends.......If somebody recommends me the book say my friend face to face, I take a second opinion and just buy it!!!
Or else I usually go for more than 6 reviews to make sure that I am making a right investment!!!
But some people just spoil the mood when they post "story" instead of review !!

It's funny I voted "1-3" but sometimes I don't look at any reviews. After getting caught by the cover, if the synopsis is interesting I get it and give the book a try. I sometimes am afraid a negative review will change my view of the book too early keeping me from finding if I truly like it!

I generally read some low stars and some high stars to see if I can figure out the major complaints and major compliments.

I'm not a fan of spoilers, so I'll scan a review very quickly just to make sure there isn't too much of the book leaked out, but just enough to draw me in. Sometimes the synopsis does not do a book any justice!
Before reading a book, especially if it LOOKS really good (looks can be deceiving/don't judge it by it's cover) I read at least read 6-7, maybe even 9 or 10 reviews just to get me convinced. Although, it all really depends on the reviews. Usually with great ones, I'm sold after a good 4 or 5.

I usually don't read reviews that often before I read a book unless it is one by an author that I read infrequently or that my last experience with a book by that author was a bad read. Most of the time my reading involves the next volume in a continuing series by an author I already know I can trust to give me a "good read" 95% of the time but sometimes you can be fooled into expecting a good read from an author because you really enjoy a continuing series they write - every volume of the series so far - but their other series works fall far short of the high quality of writing you woyld expect from that author. A prime example of this is Maya Banks. Her KGI series is top notch and every volume is well written with nicely fleshed out characters who are believable and trustworthy. But the characters in her other trilogies that have been published recently have been vain, shallow caracitures of real men. Nothing there thata wom

I usually don't read reviews that often before I read a book unless it is one by an author that I read infrequently or that my last experience with a book by that author was a bad read. Most of the time my reading involves the next volume in a continuing series by an author I already know I can trust to give me a "good read" 95% of the time but sometimes you can be fooled into expecting a good read from an author because you really enjoy a continuing series they write - every volume of the series so far - but their other series works fall far short of the high quality of writing you woyld expect from that author. A prime example of this is Maya Banks. Her KGI series is top notch and every volume is well written with nicely fleshed out characters who are believable and trustworthy. But the characters in her other trilogies that have been published recently have been vain, shallow caracitures of real men. Nothing there that a woman would be willing too place her complete trust in as there wuld have

Maryann wrote: "I try to read one high rated, one middle rated, and one low rated review before deciding."

Me too. This helps weed out books I may not like.

I actually read the reviews after I read the book. If I read the reviews before, it might bias my thoughts while reading it.

Most reviews are biased and mirrors public opinion more often than actually reviewing. The top reviews are usually praises pushed to the top by fans of the book or criticisms by haters. Don't even get me started on the gifs that makes the page take 50 years to load.

I usually look at more than six, (with my fingers crossed that there are no spoilers of course). I like to hear the passion in people's voices before I engage with a book, but more often than not, the reviews don't alter my decision to read/not read the book. The number of reviews does.

I read reviews but usually only the first paragraph or so because I don't want spoilers.

I usually go to the bottom reviews, read through them to see if there are serious editing problems in the kindle edition. I also want to know if there is any religious proselytizing in the book, or any graphic cruelty/torture scenes. If we're good so far I will skim some of the most useful reviews to see if the book sounds like something I will enjoy.

I normally check one to three times. It depends, really, on the book. I see if my friends have read it before, and then I check a website:)

If the author is unknown 1-3, if its an author i follow, 0.

I never look at amateur reviews before I read a book. I sometimes look at them after I finish, but only to verify how much my tastes differ from the general reviewer. I will instead read a synopsis of the book (in fact, most amateurs write a book-report synopsis of the book and call it a review).

I don't read reviews of every book before I read it, but when I do, I like to get a broad view of what people thought. I can often tell by what reviewers say they liked or disliked whether I would find their opinion helpful.

I read for my own pleasure so peoples opinions about their own enjoyment are of limited use.

But I tend to read the bad reviews also. I wan't to know why somebody gave it 1 stars. Maybe what he found the book lacked of, would be something that would turn me down also.

So, if I don't know nothing about the author or the book, I have a mix of all these reviews. But I'll always make sure to check the bad ones, 'cause fans will be fans, maybe they're giving straight 5 stars 'cause they love the author, although the book is shit.

I usually skim the whole first page of reviews on Amazon, but if a review is more than a paragraph I sometimes skip it. Interesting poll!

I don't read reviews as a rule, until after I have finished a book, and then only to see whether the prevailing opinion is the same as mine. The exceptions are reviews I find in the NewYorker, the Boston Globe, or the Washington Book World.

I like to look at reviews AFTER I have read a book and written my own review. This way I can see where others agreed with me, where they disagreed, what they picked up that I may have missed and vice versa. I'm not saying I never read a review of a book prior to reading it. But usually I just glance at the rating goodreaders have given it and save reading some of the reviews until later.

I generally like to read reviews because they help me determine how a book reads so I could figure out if it is worth my time. I personally prefer slower paced, character driven books. You could learn a lot about the pacing of a book through the reviews.

I read negative reviews first, and discard if I find more than two. There's a lot of trash going around with four and five stars.

I actually don't look at reviews normally, but occasionally I will so I gotta be true full. : )

None. I read synopses from trusted sites, but I only read reviews after I've finished a book, and even then only rarely. Don't care what other people think about e books I want to read.

It depends on the book, what the author is known for, and their track record. Usually I don't read any.

I look at a few reviews but not to help me decide if I will read a book. Mostly glance to get more info about the book not available in the synopsis. I go on my experience if I have read the author before and take my chances with a new author. I will provide an honest review.

I read about five reviews before making the decision. I usually leave out the one-star reviews as those can be trolls, or someone who hasn't even read the book and is complaining about the delivery taking too long etc. Usually I decide to buy a book pretty quickly. If the story line seems interesting, and the cover looks good (as in professional looking), I click and buy fast.

I stopped reading reviews a long time ago. I find my tastes rarely agree with most reviewers. I definitely have my own outspoken ideas.

Since I mostly go for free books, which often are the start of a series, I usually scan the reviews for the "cliffhanger" warning.
If I actually read reviews, I go for the medium ones. There are always some who enthusiastically love everything and those who hate everything that isn't just perfect. Since I'm not a native speaker, I don't get too turned off by odd grammar. But if I'm disturbed by it, it's certainly a sign that this author/editor did a very bad job.

I look at the average rating of the book, then the rating of 3-4 readers and read 1-2 of their reviews.
If a someone I am following already read the book, I read his/her review and 1 other one before deciding.

I'll tend to semi or fully read 1-3 reviews, and I'll scroll down to see what star ratings are being dominated.

I am a library hunter - just pick books at random from the shelf of my favourite topics and see, how the synopsis on the back looks like. Or personal recommendations from friends (even here on Goodreads).

I will read a few if I am not sold on the book description. I also find the Goodreads ratings to be fairly reliable so I like to look to see what the common threads are in the reviews.

I don't read reviews on books nor movies because everyone has their own opinion and taste. Only reviews I ever read is when I buy something like an appliance and only the one's where people actually tell how it's working. Seen a couple people leave reviews where they say I've not even taken it out of the box, I like books that capture me and take me into the story.

It depends on the book. If the book is rated more than two stars, then I'm willing to give it a try.

Occasionally 1-3 before I purchase a new book :)