Kirkus and Booklist and Library Journal...oh my!

I will admit that I tend to avoid some things on the internet – mainly, comments on controversial news articles, and sappy book reviews. This is a personal choice – they both just seem to grate me – and this situation was no different! However, I was happy to read these reviews to better understand the book!

After reviewing them both, I’d have that I have more confidence in the blog review than I do in the Amazon review. Each review has its merits – the Amazon review discusses the point of view of the book and shares that it is a “clean” romance which will appeal to many readers. The blog review discussed the plot, the pace, and the relationship between the characters, which was helpful in better understanding the story as a whole. However, there is something about the Amazon review that seems unpolished and structurally jumbled, thereby lending itself to be less believable.

Not having read this book (sorry, the reviews couldn’t convince me to dive in!) I don’t think it’s possible to catalog this as romantic suspense. The most dangerous thing that Robyn could encounter is resistance to Christmas, and even though I’m sure she saves Christmas for herself and Aaron, there’s no reason to put it in this category. While the core of the story is romance, it seems to be missing many of the other elements (witty dialogue, graphic details, etc.) that would make it a contender for the romantic suspense category.

All of that being said, I do believe that the library in which I work might have purchased this book if it were in print format. Our reading community supports clean/Christian romances, and holiday romances are especially popular. However, the majority of the community that reads these books prefers a print format – so I don’t think it would be a good fit.

In contrast to the user reviews that were mentioned above, I found the reviews for Angela’s Ashes to be highly informative and compelling. In reading them, I felt prepared for the quality of writing that I would experience, and the depth of the story presented. Two of the reviews used the word “wonderful”; all of them mentioned the author’s ability to tell stories of hope and laughter and love, amidst pain and suffering.

Aside from the quality of the views of this book, the reviewing body lends credibility to the review. Prior to working in a library, I wasn’t as familiar with the sources, but I still associated them with reliable information, and I think that most discerning readers would do the same. If it weren’t already a part of the library’s collection, I would purchase it in a heartbeat.

In my role at the library, I do order some fiction books, as well as having responsibility for the non-fiction collection. The majority of the fiction ordering I do is based on user request or staff's recommendations based on reviews, word of mouth, etc. In this work, I do utilize reviews to make determinations, especially if I am making the decision whether to purchase or ILL the item.  It is interesting to note the disparity in reviews for books; however, my opinion is that books that strongly deserve a review (positive or negative) will generate the interest needed to get one. Books may be a hit from the start, or individual reader reviews may generate professional interest over time, but eventually, the books that make people talk will get the most reviews. I do firmly believe that negative reviews should be published along with positive ones - in keeping with libraries' commitment to intellectual freedom, people should have access to all review materials so they can make informed decisions about their reading choices. Limiting negative reviews simply takes away from people's ability to make the best choice for them.

As I develop my RA skills, I do depend on reviews to help me make decisions; however, I also find that right now, some of my colleagues and school classmates are the people I turn to to find recommendations and reviews. I find that the people I work with give me the best recommendations - especially when they read genres that I would not normally choose - and I combine those suggestions with what I am reading, as I learn which reviewers/which publications I can trust.