What type of book summary do you prefer reading?

[Kathy Maxwell]

One that's original...written by the blogger in their own words

or

One from Goodreads...Amazon...etc.

 

[Jennifer Kitchens]

I prefer original ones so long as it doesn't give too much away.  I have had too many times that I read the "official" summary and then read the book and they do not match.  I prefer to hear what it is about in the words of someone who has read it.  

 

Clean Romance Reviews

[Katie]

I prefer original - both to read and to write.

 

When I was getting my library degree, I took a class where we were required to summarize the books we read in our own words. I liked that challenge, and it's carried over into blogging.

 

Also, when I'm reading blog reviews, it's because I want to know something more about the book than I've already learned from Goodreads or Amazon. I am looking for subjective thoughts on the book to give me a better idea of whether I want to read it or not. I can easily look for publishers' summaries on Google, but blog reviews give me something more to go on.

 

Also, like KW said, I have an aversion to "borrowing" other people's words and posting them in my own blog. I think it's all those English papers I wrote in college. ;-)

 

Katie

Secrets & Sharing Soda

 

[Iben]

>>Also, when I'm reading blog reviews, it's because I want to know something more about the book than I've already learned from Goodreads or Amazon. I am looking for subjective thoughts on the book to give me a better idea of whether I want to read it or not.

That would be the review.. if the summary is subjective you're doing it wrong.

Also, borrowing? Sounds dodgy.

~iben
www.boroughofbooks.com

[Enbrethiliel]

+JMJ+

 

>>>if the summary is subjective you're doing it wrong.

 

Unless the post is written in such a way that the summary of the book is in the review! I like that method, too, because it saves me time when I'm reading and shows that the blogger is an unusually creative writer.

[Katie]

I like that, too. I think I sometimes manage to pull that off with picture books. Sometimes. Haha.

[Katie]

The summary doesn't state your opinion, that's true - that is what the review is for. But I think what's included in the summary varies from blogger to blogger, depending on what stood out for that person as they read the book. I would be  very surprised to read a series of posts on the same book and see identical summaries in each one. Which is why I like to read a variety of blogs - they give me a clearer picture of the book before I decide to read it.

 

And for me, it would feel dodgy to use someone else's words on my blog. It just makes me uncomfortable. But that's my personal thing.

[Kathy Maxwell]

Katie, very good explanation of what you meant before!  I love reading different original summaries so that I can gain more insight into the book!

I not only want to know how a person felt about the book, I want to find out what the book is all about.  I get tired just seeing Goodreads summaries when I click through blog after blog about a particular book.

[Katie]

Thanks, Kathy.

 

I tend to look up the Goodreads summaries on my own, so then seeing them in a lot of blogs feels like overkill. And my blog, at least, isn't trying to be objective. My reviews are mainly my reactions to the book,  from my own point of view. And writing my own summary is part of that.

 

[Lady Krishna Asi]

hmmm.. I prefer reading both. I read the what was officially written for the book and I read the summaries written by the reviewers. At times the official summaries do not exactly fit the book. There were times that the reviews give too much on summaries. Both have pros and cons.

 

http://journeywithbooks.blogspot.com/

krishna

 

[Gareth Wilson]

I like ones in the bloggers own words but the ones that niggle are those that proceed to tell me what happens in the book leaving no suprises and ruining any possible enjoyment.  By all means comment on the writing style, what they've done well and comment on whats on the jacket text but please no more than that.