Week Five Prompt

Booklist will not publish negative reviews, while, as you have all seen, Kirkus has no problems with it. Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications.

How does this affect collection development?

With only positive reviews from Booklist, it is difficult to gain  in-depth knowledge about the book and storyline.  On the other hand, Kirkus reviews show the opinion of the person writing the review.  If a person does not like the style of writing of a particular author, then the review could be skewed in an unfair way leaving new authors at a disadvantage. Sorting through several book reviews to gain accurate knowledge of an author and book title is an inefficient way to determine the worthiness of purchase potential.  It is important to purchase books the public demands, while keeping the collection fresh with the inclusion of talented, new authors.

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon.

Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable?

The ebook review was well written and gave more detail about the characters and story line.  I found this review to be more reliable than the Amazon review.  The Amazon review spent a great deal of time on how the book made the reviewer feel and less on the summary of the book itself.  If I were considering reading this book, I would read as many reviews on Amazon as I could, including the reviews that gave it a poor rating.  I think Amazon has the potential to being reliable if you take all the reviews as a whole before you make a decision.

How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

I would have to take into account other books that are similar and compare before making a choice to purchase. 

Is this ebook even romantic suspense?

When I think of romantic suspense, I think of fast paced book with lots of details  and the element of danger.  The reviews do not discuss any of the usually characteristics of a romantic suspense.  It sounds like a rich boy falls in love with a poor girl kind of story.  The description of the book does not include the standard elements tied to a romantic suspense which includes heart pounding, multiple plot twists, with a great deal of details tied to exotic locations while the heroine depends on her skills to save herself.

The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you.

How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

Even though each the review took a different approach of their description of the book and the writing style of the author, they all conveyed that the book is well written and worthy of adding to any collection.

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage?

No, I think it is a disservice to the public that they are swayed by reviews and review publications to read certain types of book instead of making informed, personal decisions on what types of book they might be drawn towards. 

 How does this affect a library's collection?  

Libraries might choose books based on popularity of reviews and review publications instead on the opinions of the community they serve.

And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content?

When I am choosing a book, I would like to gain insight from all points of view.  I would like to see more diverse reviews from publications.

Do you think that's appropriate?

I would like to see more well balanced reviews, as long as the negative review is specific and descriptive and void of personal bias.  The more information available, the better the choice selection.

If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions?

I do not buy for my library, but I would rely on reviews to make my decisions.

If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

I use reviews often to help with my reading selections.  I use Booklist, Goodreads, Fantastic Fiction, and Amazon reviews.