Does anyone know of any good book review sites? Ive become a lot more discriminating in my tastes in books and I find myself sticking to canonical classics because Ive been really disappointed by most contemporary books that I read. Its frustrating because I know there are real gems out there to be read, if only someone would guide me to them.
Posts: 335 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 14 May 2004
quote:Originally posted by Member 27: Does anyone know of any good book review sites? Ive become a lot more discriminating in my tastes in books and I find myself sticking to canonical classics because Ive been really disappointed by most contemporary books that I read. Its frustrating because I know there are real gems out there to be read, if only someone would guide me to them.
I found The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen, to be show-stoppingly brilliant.
Posts: 570 | Location: Boston | Registered: 17 May 2004
A book review section is in the works. Book reviews are being compiled and metascored now, and as soon as the section possibly can be launched, it will be.
Hopefully that will be in the fall sometime, but I'm not exactly sure of the timing. Much has to be programmed and designed and done first.
This one is really for lit snobs, I think. The books on it are extremely literary. You won't find any bestsellers here. But I like to browse it, because you can learn about some interesting stuff here. And I am kind of a lit snob sometimes. Like I just found: Greil Marcus's study of The Manchurian Candidate ... I didn't know it existed until now, but I'd kind of like to check it out.
This site lists books that were given starred reviews by one or more of Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist and the Library Journal. That means they were exceptionally reviewed. They also have an all-star list of books that got three or four stars, and different genres. I might start here, if I were you.
Mmmm ... Im pretty particular about my books, and when it comes to them I tend to trust English or Australian critics more because of the cultural difference of appeal.
Posts: 335 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 14 May 2004
The future book section of Metacritic will include reviews from several British sources, as well as the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Complete Review site has international sources of reviews from many different countries, although, like I said, the books it reviews are more obscure than usual. The most familiar recent authors reviewed are A.S. Byatt and Julian Barnes ... they have a much more international focus, posting up reviews of books by authors of many countries, which is kind of neat.
While not a review site, per se, I have recently learned of a delightful web site called "whichbook.net" You set the "amount" of various qualities of books that you might be interested in and it synthsizes them into some very unusual suggestions.
Posts: 41 | Location: Chicago area | Registered: 14 July 2004
Originally posted by CompmanJX3: The reviews at Amazon.com may not be excellent, but the do a fairly good job of showing how different types of people react to the book.
I don't trust the reviews at Amazon because of their ranking system. I feel many reviewers write favorable reviews because they believe it might give them a higher ranking. I feel this because I've been led astray by Amazon reviews too many times in the past. I also feel some of the lesser-known authors have their friends write glowing reviews.
I may be totally wrong, but that's how I feel. I tend to trust the professional reviewers more, although I may be way off-base there. LOL
Posts: 227 | Location: On the top of the hill, in the warmth of the sun | Registered: 02 March 2007
Originally posted by Member 27: Does anyone know of any good book review sites? Ive become a lot more discriminating in my tastes in books and I find myself sticking to canonical classics because Ive been really disappointed by most contemporary books that I read. Its frustrating because I know there are real gems out there to be read, if only someone would guide me to them.
I've been so disappointed in newly released books, too, that I find myself sticking to the classics more and more.
Regarding newer releases, I do like The Road and Suite Francaise, though, and Jose Saramago's sequel to Blindness, Seeing. I think you can trust just about anything Saramago or William Trevor writes to be good, though they are very different authors.
Posts: 227 | Location: On the top of the hill, in the warmth of the sun | Registered: 02 March 2007
The New York Times book review section is always worth checking out, for the quality of titles selected, the quality of reviewers, and the room in which the reviewers are given to really analyse. The Guardian newspaper is great for british fiction. The London Review of Books is excellent; intelligent and catholic in it's choices. And a person should always read Harold Bloom, William Empson, Northrop Frye, F.R. Leavis and the other great literary critics who will enrich yr reading experience no end.
Oh, could I feel as I have felt, or be what I have been, Or weep as I could once have wept, o'er many a vanished scene; As springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish though they be, So, midst the withered waste of life, those tears would flow to me.
Posts: 2231 | Location: The ever silent spaces of the East | Registered: 12 February 2007
