My Musing:
Remember times before the internet and personal computers, when book reviews were in newspapers alone? When I was in my early teens, I remember waiting eagerly for the weekly supplement to the newspaper that came with reviews. Now, with Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Riffle, blogs and whatnots, I never read reviews in the newspapers anymore.
A lot of people miss those reviews, mainly because they were written well, by professionals, who gave each book its due time. I can’t say I miss those reviews at all. Simply because those two or three reviewers do not represent my tastes in books at all! With the advent of the internet I have relied completely upon books recommended to me by people who recommendations I like! I do not need to buy a book that scores have liked only to be disappointed, and nor must I miss a book that no one’s heard of but I’ve loved!
On social networks, I have built around me a wall of people whose reading inspires me, whose recommendations are worthy of my time, and who have given me the best gift of all – the gift of reading more.
No, I don’t miss the olden days on this one!
Musing Mondays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
Describe one of your reading habits.
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!
I must agree with you. I didn’t identify with the taste of most of those professional book critics. Nowadays it’s so much easy to find other people who share the same taste in books.
Here’s my musing if you’d like to check it out: http://bookishfindings.blogspot.com/
It is hard to believe how much has changed and how fast it has happened.
I never put much stock into what the “professional reviewers” have to say about current books. Even when I am reviewing a book an author or publisher provided for me I try to give an honest review. Sometimes I’m sure they are not pleased with my thoughts, but they are my thoughts afterall.
The internet community does make it so much easier to get a consensus about a book, rather than just relying on the opinion of one or two “experts”.
didn’t reviews that up in newspaper kinda stilted?
reviews by internet community feels more subjective, in a good way.
The trick is managing to find those people out there who do share your tastes so that you can get recommendations/suggestions. I find that I have virtually no interest in most of the books that get buzz, so I am still working on this.
enjoyed your musing.. with the internet, definitely i have found a great many bloggers with similar tastes and whose reviewed books i know i will enjoy reaidng..