Week 5 Prompt Response- Book reviews

First, let’s talk about that romance ebook. Amazon reviews can be helpful because they come from people who likely have similar tastes and interests. Even if it is rife with grammatical errors, as this one is, it is important to know how other people who enjoy this genre enjoyed the book. However, I can only endure so much in terms of the “readability” of a review. If it is too messy or confusing, I am likely to not even finish reading it, or discount it wholly based on the poorly written review. I realize this is not an unbiased, scientific approach to reading reviews, but it goes to show you the importance of being able to relate to your audience. That final review was all over the place. The reviewer liked it, but thought it was odd, but it put her in the Christmas spirit (after New Years), and so on. Had I only read that one review, I would not add the book to my collection. However, based on the second review from the blog, I would probably put this book in my collection. The combination of knowing what my patrons enjoy in general, and knowing that specifically during the holidays, many of them want a clean, cozy, Christmas romance would likely influence my decision to get the book, in spite of the lack of consistent reviews.


The Angela’s Ashes reviews were helpful, but whether or not I add it to the collection depends on the age group for which I am buying. I have never read the book personally, but it seems like, based on the Kirkus review, it might be really graphic at parts. Which is why the Library Journal review gave me pause when it says “strongly recommended for all ages.” All ages? I’m trying to picture my 12-year-old reading the book that was described in Kirkus. The fact that School Library Journal reviewed it positively as well would help me in the final decision. This illustrates how reading multiple reviews of the same book can really give perspective and help (or complicate!) the selection process. All that said, I would have no problem adding this book to any collection for adults. Every review, for an adult standpoint, was gripping enough for me to want to read it.


Just as librarians need to be aware of how personal bias affects what they add to a collection, it would seem that book reviewers need to be mindful of bias when it comes to which books they decide to review. It’s easy to review books that everyone is talking about. But because librarians consider all type of book for collection development, (even books they don’t like or agree with) every type of book should be considered for a review. And while we can’t possibly review every book, it would behoove us to expand our reviewing and reading to suit all of our patron’ needs and interests. Otherwise, a collection can quickly become simply a reflection of the New York Times book review, and leave out the obscure titles that readers find enjoyable.

If there are review sources that do not allow for negative content, it runs pretty contrary to the whole “freedom of speech” thing, which libraries in particular have a vested interest in honoring. If we are only reading positive reviews, then how do we discern what is best for our patrons and for our collection?

The only purchasing I have ever done is for the charter school library that I managed. I faithfully read School Library Journal reviews, but I also relied on various award lists- the obvious, like Newbery and Caldecott, but also state-sponsored Illinois awards like Monarch, Bluestem, rebecca Caudill, and Lincoln. I actually found the state-sponsored awards more useful at times because it often reflected what teachers were using in their classrooms, and timely topics that were of interest to our students. However, I did not solely rely on book reviews for my collection development. I had a running list of books that were specifically requested by students and teachers, and would almost always purchase them if the funds were available. This may not be a practical response for a larger library, but in a small library, even one request will guarantee that the book will get read.

At this point in my life, I am rely on NPR book reviews for my personal reading. I am not responsible for purchasing books for the program I work for right now, but I use GoodReads and Kirkus reviews in order to keep up with what my patrons want. We have a patron population that LOVES bestsellers, romance, westerns, and Amish fiction, so I stick close to GoodReads. I find those reader reviews to be more reliable than, say, Amazon. I think that might be due to the assumption that GoodReads users are prolific readers, and they are better qualified somehow to write reviews. That may all be based on assumptions, but its my current comfort zone.