Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What's Up Wednesday - Book To Adore, Books to Avoid

My trip around the blogosphere this week led to me some truly fantastic book reviews - no surprise there, since I would say approximately 95% of the blogs I follow are book blogs! ;) But reading book reviews from my fellow book bloggers helps me to find some great reads and to know what books to avoid - well, sometimes helps me know what books to avoid, since some book bloggers only post reviews on books they like because they don't want to post negative reviews. That's definitely their perogative, though I'm a firm believer that a book reviewer should be able to post honest reviews regardless of whether they enjoyed the book because an author needs to realize if one of their books isn't very good. I'm an occasional author myself, and I'd rather understand via reviews why one of my books isn't doing well than have to sit around guessing at why my books aren't getting reviews. Just my opionion, though.

Anyway, it was great to finally get to catch up with my fellow book bloggers, and here's books that I've decided I'd Adore or Avoid:

---Adore:
- I Am Legend, reviewed by The Scarlet Letter . Because I like dystopian, darker novels with elements of "otherbeasts" (in this case, zombie/vampire types). I also enjoyed the movie.
- Fractured Light, reviewed by Megan Likes Books. I'm into the whole fantasy thing - and I could win a copy via her post! Free is always good.
- Something Strange and Deadly, reviewed by Tynga's Reviews. It has great elements: steampunk, check. cool cover, check. zombies, check. I'm definitely intrigued!
- Hollowed, reviewed by Book Whales. Vampires are kinda a "thing" of mine, if they are done well, and this sounds like it is done well.
- The Raven Boys, reviewed by Fall Into Books. There's a nice dark feel to it (as ravens have traditionally been considered an omen of death) and the characters seem interesting (though according to the reviewer, poorly named lol).
- Daughter of the Flames, reviewed by A Backwards Story. I love that this doesn't follow the typical fantasy mold and contains a strong, bi-racial leading lady with a new type of storyline.

---Avoid:
- Beautiful Disaster, reviewed by Reading by Kindle Fire. Frankly, it sounds like your typical, overdone bad boy tries to convert good girl thing. I like that the reviewer was honest about why she didn't like it, and that did factor into my consideration somewhat as well. I think I probably wouldn't have gone for it in the first place, but her review clinched it for me. Check it out for the funny gifs!
- Meant to Be, reviewed by Buffy's Ramblings. Again, a little cliche and a little too "teen romance-y" for me... I REALLY have to be in the mood for it to read stories like this.
- Frozen Heart, reviewed by Cover2Cover. While the idea of a strong female heroine always attracts me, everything else about this book turns me off. But if you're into it, there's a giveaway for it on the post!
- Over the Edge, reviewed by Live to Read. Romance is blah, but Western Romance really bores me. It all seems so hokey and... pokey. ;)
- A Lighter Shade of Gray, reviewed by Big Al's Books and Pals. First of all, I don't like it when the author and the lead character have the same name, because it makes you wonder throughout which parts are biographical. It also sounds a little too mental for me.

So, which of these books would YOU adore/avoid? I know we all have different tastes, so don't be afraid to speak your mind. Also, don't forget about my amazing Business Goods Giveaway, and that there is still space available to join in on my Bookish Babes in the Bahamas cruise next spring!

5 comments:

  1. Jessica, thanks for the mention. Your placement of the book I reviewed on your adore/avoid list demonstrates a point I often try (not always successfully) to make about book reviews. That is how little the star ranking should actually matter. You've got a book I gave a 5 star review on your avoid list, not because you think the book is bad, but, as you explain, because you can tell it wouldn't fit your taste. It looks like of the five on your avoid list one (maybe two) are there for reasons that are technical or related to shortfalls in the craft of writing. What matters in helping a reader decide is what is said more than any numerical score attached to the review.

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  2. Exactly - it's all about personal opinion, mixed with a little grammatical sense. :)

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  3. Thanks for putting me on the list! I've never ranted so much about a book before and it's my first time using .gifs. Thanks for the thoughtful post! I'll keep a lookout for the adore book!

    Ning @ Reading by Kindle Fire

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  4. Jessica,

    Thanks for mentioning us. As a blogger, we post books we don't like as well. This helps other readers to know if the book is good or not. :D Thanks for stopping by our blog.

    Book Whales Team.

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  5. Thanks so much for including me/HOLLOWED on the list! :)

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