Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

I'm sure everybody has a method. None are right or wrong. Some examples may open up new ideas for people however. Here's how I factor things together.

1. I give a really low weighting to the overall rating. A Shadow in Summer is 3.59*'s and starts one of my all time favorite series. The Name of the Wind is 4.55*'s and I gave it 2*'s and didn't continue the series.

2. I check my friends reviews and star ratings.

2a. I know all of those friends average ratings and if I don't I look them up. If a friend has an average rating of 4.5*'s it's not enough for me to read the book if they give the book a 4*. On the other hand a friend with an average of 3.5*'s I'll hop on a four star rating from them.

2b. I know what genre's those friends lean towards. I have certain friends I trust for Grimdark and others for YA. Sometimes that does play the other way where a friend who doesn't like YA loves a book and it makes me lean towards it.

3. Author loyalty. I think we all use this one. I'm going to give anything from Daniel Abraham a shot whereas Brent Weeks I'm done with.

4. Author reviews of other authors. I put no stock into this for the most part. A lot of them are told by the publisher to review their books. If one of them rates a self published author however that will get my attention.

5. Covers. Yes esthetics is part of the game and I'm willing to admit I'm shallow in this regard.

Interesting post Scott! I like to look at what my friends thought, particularly ones I know I've had a lot in common with.
Also readily admit to judging a book by the cover! Sometimes you've just got to take a chance.

Hmmm good question.

1. Author familiarity
2. Cover appeal. If I'm honest lol. Covers can tell you a lot about genre, content, and how much money the publishers invested in it.
3. Trusted reviewer feedback (I never look at GR ratings for the reasons Scott mentioned).
4. Publisher's brand. I trust the quality from publishers like TOR/Forge or a few others.

And that's pretty much it. :)

Interesting post let see

1. Book covers obviously because I love them
2. I always read the back of the book since as this is probably the thing that will have me read the book since if the blurb doesn't interest me I'm not picking it up
3. Reviews and I look at both friends and others and fortunately for most of the books I choose everyone likes so that's good and I should look at average rating of some people as well to know how people rate like Scott no offense but you seem to have a seen it all kind of thing with yours which is good but then again we've got different tastes
4. As for the average review rating my minimum is 3.8 however if you guys like a book then I will read it also even if it is a low rating


On a side note I have an interest in reading some classical books for some reason like crime and punishment so I occasionally go into the fiction area and if I see an old popular book I will pick it up to read...eventually

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Hmmm good question.

1. Author familiarity
2. Cover appeal. If I'm honest lol. Covers can tell you a lot about genre, content, and how much money the publishers invested in it.
3. Trusted reviewe..."

That's interesting I never think of the publishers although I acknowledge them and never really minded them but I was annoyed when Gollancz decided to release way of kings and word of radiance as 4 separate books because I find it so unnecessary and stupid but that's just me

Other than the ones listed above. (author, friends ratings/trusted reviewers)

1. I am cheap so it helps if something is on Amazon Unlimited :) or the Kindle version is under $5.
2. If an Audible book is available. Enough people liked it and bought the book to warrant an audible version. Also, It allows me to consume the book in multiple ways.
3. The premise of the book/series needs to sound interesting to me.
4. It's available at the local library. Even it is a bad book... it's free so *shrug*.

Excellent topic!!

1. I'm with Nicki, author familiarity is very important. There are a few I would read regardless of the book.

2. I'll check out a book a reviewer I trust has rated highly. Or one that has a lot of controversy surrounding it.

3. A decent blurb can get my attention.

4. And of course, much as I hate to admit it, a great cover will attract me.

1. Author
2. Book description
3. Ratings and reviews from friends and others. I usually sample high, medium, and low reviews.
4. Goodreads average rating. I usually don't go below a 3.6

While I might be drawn to a book with a pretty cover - and I do love a pretty cover - it isn't a deciding factor on whether I read a book.

The publisher has no influence over what I read. I couldn't tell you who has published most of the books I've read.

Ahdam wrote: "That's interesting I never think of the publishers although I acknowledge them and never really minded them but I was annoyed when Gollancz decided to release way of kings and word of radiance as 4 separate books because I find it so unnecessary and stupid but that's just me

TOR is Sanderson's publisher not Gollancz. I've been aggravated with Gollancz over releasing release dates that are total bull shit, The Thorn of Emberlain among others.

My Sanderson books are Gallancz I believe, these covers.

Scott wrote: "Ahdam wrote: "That's interesting I never think of the publishers although I acknowledge them and never really minded them but I was annoyed when Gollancz decided to release way of kings and word of..."

Gollancz publishes all of Sandersons books here in the UK but I do prefer Tor's books over the Gollancz ones seriously who splits a book that's a 1000 pages long I find it stupid and I haven't read the series yet but I will do eventually haha

Also want to star Lies of locke lamora soon but haven't the effort to start it yet

Scott wrote: "Ahdam wrote: "That's interesting I never think of the publishers although I acknowledge them and never really minded them but I was annoyed when Gollancz decided to release way of kings and word of..."

Preach!!

Ahdam wrote: "Scott wrote: "Ahdam wrote: "That's interesting I never think of the publishers although I acknowledge them and never really minded them but I was annoyed when Gollancz decided to release way of kin..."

I didn't realize they were his publisher in the UK. Interesting since TOR has a big presence in both countries.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Preach!! ."

Hallelujah sister.

Oddly enough, I could usually care less about covers haha. If the cover is nice, it's just an added bonus.

1. All about author loyalty, although the authors who I'd honestly read everything by is very, very slim. And one of them is dead haha. But yes, author is important.

2. I pay a small amount of stock to the overall average rating - not too much. But like it has to be DRASTICALLY high or low for me to pay attention. Like a drastically low rating, and I'll move on, but an incredibly high one and I'll give it my attention.

3. Friend reviews and recommendation. If a friend in real life tells me about a book that they love, I will almost certainly read it regardless of genre. On goodreads, I'll always look at friend reviews to see who rated a book high or low. I have a lot of friends who give five stars to almost everything, and so I don't pay too close attention to those haha. I actually prefer people to be more selective/stingy with the books they rate highly, because if they give a book five stars, I can be confident that it's a good one.

For me it's really all about personal recommendation. I love having people tell me about books. Unfortunately, if real life I'm the biggest reader I know haha, so I'm usually the one recommending books to people. Goodreads helps with that =]. I will almost never just read the description or see the cover of a book and decide to read it. I like going into a book with confidence that I'll enjoy it.

Liam wrote: "Oddly enough, I could usually care less about covers haha. If the cover is nice, it's just an added bonus.

Usually, it is more of a deterrent for me! I still haven't read Brent Weeks Night Angel Series because I hate the covers lol.

- Tor: I will likely read it. Other than that I generally don't care.

- friends ratings: there's a few friends whose mojo I have with and that is my biggest factor. Scott, Samir, Petrik, and Niki (except UF isn't my jam but I'll try it again some day) are my main peeps. Plus they're good as my radar for what's hot out there, cause I'm lazy AF at figuring it out on my own

-reviewers I follow ie/ Booknest etc

-if the average rating on adult fantasy is above 3.75 I'll probably read it without trepidation. Below, not likely.

-if a YA book is 4.2+ chances are I'll be annoyed with some sort of insta-love/love triangulation/Stockholm-syndrome-but-really-he's-a-great-guy plot. Hence why I barely read YA anymore

-covers that inspire feelings of tingly-fantasy-goodness, or if it's old and looks like it should be painted on the side of a van

I also feel the mojo, lol.

All of your answers cracked me up lmao "side of a van"

Margret wrote: "- Tor: I will likely read it. Other than that I generally don't care.

- friends ratings: there's a few friends whose mojo I have with and that is my biggest factor. Scott, Samir, Petrik, and Niki..."

LOL, the side of a van! That's exactly what some of them look like.

Now I'm picturing Margret dancing around a van that has LOTR painted on the side singing hare krishna, hare krishna, hare krishna...........

1. Covers - I still love spending hours at brick and mortar bookstores because, yes, I still prefer physical books to e-books. So a book cover will be the first thing to grab my attention.

2. Back cover synopsis - if the plot sounds interesting then I might read the first page or two to see if it hooks me right away (if it's an e-book I might download the sample first).

3. Reviews - I look at a few of the highest and lowest reviews to try to get a total picture of what others think works or doesn't work. Some people I'm aware hand out five stars to practically everything they read. I'm not one of those people so I usually skip those reviews. And I look for specific buzz words that are an immediate turn off: love triangle, billionaire love interest - which is why I avoid romance books and YA like the plague.

4. Author - though this one isn't a sure thing by any means. If the story doesn't sound interesting to me then I'm still not going to buy it.

I agree with Veronica that the cover has to catch you eye, and the synopsis has to make you want to read the book. But personally, I place little to no weight on the author. We all have that one author we loved but then released a bad book and we decided to give up on. So, instead of the bias for or against, I go by story.

After that, I like to see how well written the book is. I've read many dull novels simply because the language was so fluid and smooth.

I guess I judge the story for the story, and hold little to no preconceptions before reading it. My expectations may vary if I recognize or know the author, but not very much.

1. How does it compare with other books in similar genre and other books in the series. I find myself often revising ratings because some books just didn't deserve their initial ratings, or the other way around.

2. Friends reviews.
I check my friends reviews and star ratings with full information on:

Satisfaction factor: Some friends are easily satisfied and will give four or five stars to whatever (which could lead to my own disappointment after being persuaded to read these super hyped books), some are more critical.

Mileage: I put more weight on those who know the genre really well and well-versed in it.

3. Author loyalty. Actually I tend to be more critical to authors I love, e.g. NK Jemisin, Robin Hobb....are some of those whose books I had given less than three stars with quite a lot of rants....because I know they can do better.

4. My own satisfaction level. It is fluctuative depending on my mood and others, but sometimes I do give more stars to books that suit me at that particular time even they are pretty crappy/popcorny when being compared to the other points I mentioned before.

5. Some keywords use in overall reviews (not just friends) that serve as warnings to me like lack of female agency (depending on the era sometimes e.g. in SF), rapes, love triangles, YA, romance, long journeys/travelogue, repetitions (I hate, hate repetitions), snowflakes, chosen ones, farmboys heroes journey, so-called-badass-assassin/witch/whathaveyou-turned to be crappy female heroines, I have too many to mention.

6. Goodreads rating. I have a tendency to suspect books with more than 4.2 stars. Especially with those early OMG I can't wait for this book reviews' who come out even before the books are released (with no ARCs either).

Silvana wrote: "1. How does it compare with other books in similar genre and other books in the series. I find myself often revising ratings because some books just didn't deserve their initial ratings"

I definitely do this especially when reading the next book in the series.

Silvana wrote: "1. How does it compare with other books in similar genre and other books in the series. I find myself often revising ratings because some books just didn't deserve their initial ratings, or the oth..."

I agree with Point 4 very much indeed. Sometimes you just need a crappy novel to read to distract you. The literary version of watching a sit-com: enjoyable, entertaining, but without much substance.

Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff.

I am honestly shallow and the first thing that catches my attention is the cover and the author's name and whether or not I've heard of the book on Reddit and on here.

Then I look at the 1 star ratings. What did people hate? If none of that bothers me, I check which friends rated it highly and take it from there.

Also, I rate books by how much I like them. If I want to read a vampire romance and it's an amazing vampire romance it'll get the same five stars as a Jane Austen book.

If a book wasn't for me but I recognise it's well written or important (War of the Worlds for example, a sci-fi cornerstone) I often give it 3 stars though even though my enjoyment is 2 stars.

Interesting opening post:

- Covers: a good looking cover attrackts, so I will take the book in hand to see what's about. But a pretty cover can also mislead and it could be a bad story anyway. So a good looking cover isn't everything.

- Author: I'll read anything from my favorite authors, but that wouldn't mean that I will love everyhting they write. I'm will be more critical than with non - favorite authors.

- Back cover: Personally I need a could written back cover. It doesn't give away much of the story, just an insight.

- Reviews: I read reviews, of course, but I won't let them influence me. It's interesting to read what other people think about it.

- Goodread ratings: I look at them and at what my friends rated the books, but I don't let it influence the rating I give.

Tammie wrote: "Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff."

I can enjoy a book that's just fluff but my rating is probably only going to be a 3* in most cases. I think the 3* rating is very misunderstood. A 3* I still really enjoyed the book. I'd recommend a lot of the ones I've given that rating. I just feel by not giving everything decent at least a 4* it adds granularity to my ratings.

3* An Echo Of Things To Come
4* Rise of Empire
5* The Fifth Season

I'd recommend all of these books. The difference is for me the 3* either had some parts of the story that dragged or there wasn't enough character development. The 4* had both of those elements but it didn't have that edge of your seat tension. 5* had it all.

This is a very over simplified version with other factors built in. How much did the book makes laugh, did I feel empathy for the characters, were there symbolic parallels to issues in today's society.......but overall I don't think people use 3*'s enough. Tammie you're a reviewer who does use 3*'s. You just happened to give a reply which opened the door for me to bring this into the conversation.

1.Blurb
2.Cover
3.Trusted friends recommendations (only 6-7 user I take recs from)
4.Author familiarity


I don't care about overall Goodreads ratings, I find them inaccurate. I remember before I read Beyond Redemption it had a really low overall rating 3.55 (i think) & it was one of the greatest things I've ever read! Now the score has gone over a 4 because the right audience is finally reading it. Then on the other hand The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks overall rating was 4.5 and it was pure trash.

I don't have any book choosing criteria. I'm pure chaos and idiosyncrasies and paradoxes. All the factors indicated above can be hit or miss.

Scott wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff."

I can enjoy a book that's just fluff ..."

I hand out a lot of 3s, but I'd say for different reasons. For me a 3 is I either thought it was just okay, or I didn't enjoy myself all that much but the writing is great, or the character development, or it wasn't my cup of tea but I understand why it's an important book.

The moment the book manages to elicit an emotional response it's in 4 star territory. If I well up, cry, yell at something, or immediately want the next book it'll get a 4... however, I guard my 5s like they're rare and if I hand them out they might disappear. I've tried to hand out more than one 5 every other year this year and I'm not sure I won't go back to downgrading again. For me a 5 used to mean: book is all around perfect... but I realised that's maybe a bit harsh? So, I gave a few more 5s this year.

☽Luna☾ wrote: "I don't care about overall Goodreads ratings, I find them inaccurate. I remember before I read Beyond Redemption it had a really low overall rating 3.55 (i think) & it was one of the greatest things I've ever read! Now the score has gone over a 4 because the right audience is finally reading it. Then on the other hand The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks overall rating was 4.5 and it was pure trash. ."

I'm with you on both of these examples. I think it's funny that both of us take pleasure in leading the charge of being advocates for BR. I read it in May 16 and sort of made it my personal mission to make people understand just how great and original that series is.

Margret wrote: "- Tor: I will likely read it. Other than that I generally don't care.

- friends ratings: there's a few friends whose mojo I have with and that is my biggest factor. Scott, Samir, Petrik, and Niki..."

just saying, giving you a bear hug for mentioning my name Margret! xD

These are my criteria towards books that I never heard about, of course, for something like Malazan, Brandon Sanderson, GRRM, it's been ubiquitously mentioned through all platforms.

1. Trusted reviewers and friends review on GR: around ten people at most.

2. Author's loyalty and attitude in releasing their work. I know, they can have all the time they need in writing but I won't be diving into another series that required 6 to 7 years for one book to be released again. Following this, a trilogy would mean I can raise a dog from birth to their death before the trilogy is finished.

3. Book cover, call me shallow but I love pretty covers, they're the one that attracts my attention first, especially if it's something I never heard of. Let's be honest here, let's say you never heard of the Hobbit, you see this in a bookstore, will you buy it?



4. My favorite authors list are very low despite hundreds of books I've read. But those in the list, I'll be buying whatever they wrote.

That's it, I'm very simple in choosing books. I still have hundreds of books I want to read anyway before I can really think about choosing which book I want to read!

I hate covers like that one Petrik.

Olivia wrote: "I hand out a lot of 3s, but I'd say for different reasons. For me a 3 is I either thought it was just okay, or I didn't enjoy myself all that much but the writing is great, or the character development, or it wasn't my cup of tea but I understand why it's an important book.

The moment the book manages to elicit an emotional response it's in 4 star territory. If I well up, cry, yell at something, or immediately want the next book it'll get a 4... however, I guard my 5s like they're rare and if I hand them out they might disappear. I've tried to hand out more than one 5 every other year this year and I'm not sure I won't go back to downgrading again. For me a 5 used to mean: book is all around perfect... but I realised that's maybe a bit harsh? So, I gave a few more 5s this year. ."

That's nearly in lockstep with me.

Petrik that's my favourite cover... How dare you 😂

Thanks Scott! We normally have pretty much the same taste in stuff! Your one of the people I trust when it comes to recs.

I know! I'm so happy I discovered beyond redemption, I can remember reading the negative reviews for it before I read it and they intrigued me so much! I love a book with negative reviews saying it's dark, gross and controversial, normally means it's right up my alley! Your review & twerkings was the ones that convinced me I had to have it! Plus that's a fine example of a perfect blurb & cover aswell.

Petrik wrote: "These are my criteria towards books that I never heard about, of course, for something like Malazan, Brandon Sanderson, GRRM, it's been ubiquitously mentioned through all platforms.

1. Trusted rev..."

*cringes* That cover PAINS me, Petrik haha.

I realized I never look at cover anymore since I have a Kindle.
A new book just opens at the first page.

The last time I picked a cover was between US and UK version of Harry Potter illustrated edition.

Speaking of rating, my average is 3.25. So, at least, I like most of the books I read.

Scott wrote: "I can enjoy a book that's just fluff but my rating is probably only going to be a 3* in most cases. I think the 3* rating is very misunderstood. "

I totally agree about a 3 rating. I think it gets a bad rap. I look at that rating as good because it means I liked the book. It's the rating I give out most often. 4s are a little less common but that's usually a book that I enjoyed enough that I would likely re-read it at some point, that have more in depth world building, and complex characters. 5s are rare for me.

Olivia wrote: "Scott wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff."

I can enjoy a book that..."

Okay, Olivia, you just said it much better than me. Except I rate books a 2 if I just thought it was okay.

Basically, I pretty much follow the GR system.

Scott wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff."

I can enjoy a book that's just fluff ..."

I agree Scott I don't think 3 stars are used enough either. 3 stars is a good rating to me. It means I liked it, but it lacked a little something that would have made me love it.

Petrik wrote: "These are my criteria towards books that I never heard about, of course, for something like Malazan, Brandon Sanderson, GRRM, it's been ubiquitously mentioned through all platforms.

1. Trusted rev..."

That cover! So bad.

@Luna: how could you like that cover!? xD

@Scott, Tammie & Liam: I was in pain searching for that cover too.... it was soooo bad xD

Veronica wrote: "Olivia wrote: "Scott wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Silvana I agree with point 4 too. I tend to rate books according to how much I enjoy them anyway. Sometimes I enjoy books that are just fluff."

I can en..."

I basically follow the Goodreads system too with the stars. 2 would be just ok for me too.

@Petrik: How are you still not used to my sarcasm my friend?

Side convo:

Petrik I've noticed there's a Death Note adaptation on Netflix.. have you watched it yet? Looking at the photos they did a great job on the Shinigami

I'm one of the few that loves a great cheesy cover. Mostly because so many people I work with are always reading what's popular in contemporary fiction so it lets me fly my Sword & Sorcery flag proudly