Historical Mystery Lovers discussion

It's been a while since our last weekly Q & A (real life and all that) ... anyhoo, here's a new one for 2016...

When do you read reviews - before or after? Are you concerned that reading a review before reading a book will affect your perceptions of the story, the writing, the characters? Do you find reviews helpful when choosing a new book or author?

If I hit a rough spot in a book, I like to go through some reviews just to see if there's anyone who feels the way I do.

I'm more of an "after" person. I'm very afraid of spoilers! Also, as you said, I want to make my own impression of a book.

It depends on whether I'm buying the book or not. I hate spending money on something that I'm going to end up disliking so if it's a book I'm seriously considering purchasing, then I'll skim through the reviews of GR friends (if any have read it) whose tastes in the genre are similar to mine. I don't read for specific details but more to just get an impression of how they felt about the book.

If it's a book someone is loaning me or I'm getting it from the library then the potentiality of it being a dud is less of an issue.

I follow several book blogs and I'll read the reviews the authors there post...I'll also check out the star ratings for some books on here. But otherwise, I don't generally read reviews.

I only ever read reviews after I have finished the book in question. I don't want someone else's opinion to influence my own. And I don't want unintentional spoilers to color my enjoyment of the book.

Reviews and press do influence my decision on what to read and when. I tend to avoid bestsellers and books EVERYONE is talking about. Nothing turns me off a book faster than EVERYONE discussing it, because it's hard to be objective about something that has so many opinions about and available. So if I read bestsellers, it will be long after they drop from the lists.

Like D.G. and Lynn, I tend to read reviews after I'm done to see if people had similar or different reactions to my own.

I hate being spoiled so this plays a large part in my not reading reviews prior as so many people include details about the book and forget use spoiler tags!

I also don't tend to read the books that people are either ranting or raving about until the hoopla has died down. I've rarely read one of these books that actually live up to the hype although I did read and love Harry Potter even though I began reading the series before it became a phenomenon.

I'm a mixed bag, I try to read the reviews of my goodreads friends if rated extremely high or extremely low. I appreciate when the spoilers are hidden. I've added several good books because of that and avoided a few bad ones.

As for if I'm buying, sometimes I'll read it if the summary sounds good but I'm still on the fence. But I skim, I don't want a lot of details.

I never read reviews after the fact unless it's a book I've already read and a Goodreads friend has posted one. I'm always curious how it compares to what I thought of the book. I'm actually disappointed in myself if I didn't write a review for that comparison. My first year on Goodreads I only star rated books, I now write at least a few sentences. Extremely high or low reviews tend to be several paragraphs. I don't go down the route of recapping the book, just recap what I thought of it. So all you get from me is why I enjoyed it or why I hated it. If I've listened to it I add a rating for the narrator.

Just to add, the hoopla books as called by Lauren. I'm in her boat unless it's a fellow goodreads friend ranting about it. Because I do pay attention to my fellow goodreads friends reads, over time I've gotten a sense of their likes and if it might be something I'd enjoy.

I do read reviews, but they don't necessarily persuade me one way or the other. Everyone has their own taste so something that has a lot of negative reviews might end up being something that I really like. I like to see others opinions cause they have point something out that I would of never noticed or something to think about the story line while I read it. Once in a great while reading some reviews will turn me off but not often.

I read a book last year that most people loved, but I just couldn't get into and didn't finish it. So sometimes you necessarily can't go by reviews alone.

Britney wrote: "something that has a lot of negative reviews might end up being something that I really like."

Good point. If there is someone who starts a review with "I don't like this genre and the book is terrible" and its a genre that I enjoy, odds are I will like the book :0)

Lauren wrote:
Good point. If there is someone who starts a review with "I don't like this genre and..."

I agree with Lauren and ignore such reviews. I also don't review or rate books that I didn't like, or finish, because I discovered they were just not a genre I enjoy. I don't think it is fair to the author to be judged by someone who is not their target audience.

I read reviews both before and after I read the book: reading before helps me decide; reading after often highlights something I missed. I skip the plot synopsis that start so many reviews.

I guess I tend to not read books in genres that I already know I don't particularly like. I can't think of a faster way to kill my reading mojo than to read genres I don't enjoy.

I do think it's possible to still rate/review a book even if it's outside your preferred genres because you can still speak to how well the plot held together, whether or not the characters were fleshed out or just cardboard cutouts, pacing issues, etc.

I read reviews beforehand if I'm on the fence about reading it. In that case, I'm actually looking for a spoiler that will motivate me to read it.

I read reviews while I'm reading the book if I've come across something controversial and am curious about the spectrum of opinion.

I also read reviews after I've finished. Reading reviews doesn't change my opinion of the book, but it may give me ideas about issues to bring up in the review. If I disagreed with the majority of reviews, I will definitely discuss why I disagree in my review.

Meghan wrote: "I follow several book blogs and I'll read the reviews the authors there post...I'll also check out the star ratings for some books on here. But otherwise, I don't generally read reviews."

Meghan: Would you be willing to share with us some of your favorite book blogs that cover historical mysteries? And, if any one else wants to chime in on this topic I'd be interested in hearing from you, too.

Thanks!

Emily wrote: "Meghan wrote: "I follow several book blogs and I'll read the reviews the authors there post...I'll also check out the star ratings for some books on here. But otherwise, I don't generally read revi..."

To be honest, the few I do check don't really have historical mysteries on them. I just get non-historical mystery recommendations from there. :)

Most of my historical mystery choices either come from GR (this group or the Recommendations page) or word-of-mouth from friends.

Meghan wrote: "I also don't review or rate books that I didn't like, or finish, because I discovered they were just not a genre I enjoy."

While I do rate and review books I've finished even if I didn't enjoy them, there is usually a good reason (for me) not to have enjoyed it and I prefer explaining that one or two star rating.

I do not, however, rate or review books that I did not finish and tend not to read books in genres I don't enjoy so I don't review those either.

Veronica wrote: "I do think it's possible to still rate/review a book even if it's outside your preferred genres because you can still speak to how well the plot held together, whether or not the characters were fleshed out or just cardboard cutouts, pacing issues, etc. ."

I agree. However, most of the reviews of this type that I've come across usually slam the book for being precisely what it claims to be -a book in a particular genre. For example, I've read reviews that tear a book apart for having vampires when the book is in the paranormal romance genre. Of course, its going to have vampires or shapeshifters!

Shomeret wrote: "I read reviews beforehand if I'm on the fence about reading it. In that case, I'm actually looking for a spoiler that will motivate me to read it."

I must admit that I have, on occasion, read a review while reading a book to see if something happens that I know will irritate me and lead me to DNF the book. Cliffhangers, for example, are a huge NO NO for me and I will check reviews to see if there is one as I suspect.

Emily wrote: "Meghan: Would you be willing to share with us some of your favorite book blogs that cover historical mysteries? And, if any one else wants to chime in on this topic I'd be interested in hearing from you, too.

Thanks! "

Emily, I can't think of a blog that specifically deals with historical mysteries. However, you can look in our Historical Mysteries Around the Web thread has a list of some good sites that do deal with the genre. Feel free to add any that you find.

Lauren wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I read reviews beforehand if I'm on the fence about reading it. In that case, I'm actually looking for a spoiler that will motivate me to read it."

I must admit that I have, on oc..."

A mystery should never ever end without our finding out whodunit. That's breaking the contract with the reader in the mystery genre. It's just like ending without HEA in the romance genre. I definitely agree that finding out in a review that a mystery ends on a cliffhanger and continues in another book would be an absolute dealbreaker for me.

I will sometimes read reviews on Amazon when checking out a new book, but I find that GR reviews are more accurate. Similar to a few people above, I have at times gone back to read reviews mid-stream to see if I'm off-base in my opinion of a book.

Lauren wrote: "I agree. However, most of the reviews of this type that I've come across usually slam the book for being precisely what it claims to be -a book in a particular genre. For example, I've read reviews that tear a book apart for having vampires when the book is in the paranormal romance genre. Of course, its going to have vampires or shapeshifters! "

Yes, I've rune across these types of reviews too and they are very annoying. For historical mysteries the most common one I see is people complaining because the characters don't react to things using modern day standards. I just want to butt in and say, "Uh, you do know the story is set in the 17th century, right??" But I refrain. :-)

I enjoy reading reviews of friends as I find that they read the same sort of books as I do, and I can also get clarification on why they did/did not like the book. I will read other reviews as well but rarely make a decision on whether I will read a book or not.