BlogHer - Bloggers push book to top - Comments

Yay!

sassymonkey — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 18:23:22 -0500

I haven't cracked the cover on my copy yet because I've been working on other things, such as work. But I have a 3 day weekend coming up and if I'm a very good doobie I may be able to to immerse myself in this weekend. I have a feeling that once I plunge into it I'm going to have a hard time extracting myself.

Sassymonkey, Sassymonkey Reads, and Sassymonkey Eats

The Thirteenth Tale

Sarah — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 16:01:27 -0500

I am so glad I read about this book here. I started reading it a couple of days ago and so far I LOVE it. The story had really pulled me in.

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Sports and Fitness
Sarah and the Goon Squad
Draft Day Suit

I do try to say

sassymonkey — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:41:52 -0500

But to be honest sometimes I just can't put my finger on it. Actually I have a hard time with this because books I "should" love I often don't and it can be darned hard to explain it.

Equally annoying - people who gush over a book but never really say anything about it.

Sassymonkey, Sassymonkey Reads, and Sassymonkey Eats

Pet peeve of mine

kperfetto — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:12:15 -0500

Arrgh. I hate when someone says "this sucks" without saying why it sucks.

I think with bloggers what you get is trust. You trust your favorite writers' opinions the same way you trust friends' rather than some faceless critic's.

Rage Is Good Food

I agree

sassymonkey — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:31:10 -0500

To be honest I'm far more likely to read a book based on a book blogger's recommendation than things like amazon ratings or even a review in conventional media. With book bloggers I can go through their blogs and get a sense of them, what they don't like, what they like, and why. And I find that a lot of bloggers are very good at saying "*I* didn't like this book because it didn't speak to *me* and here's why" rather than a plain "this book sucks".

Sassymonkey, Sassymonkey Reads, and Sassymonkey Eats

You're probably not the only one

sassymonkey — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:27:46 -0500

I have a hunch a lot of authors would love to have this result. I have to admit the reviews I've skimmed over so far have left me itching to start this one (I don't really read reviews until afterwards in case there are spoilers).

Sassymonkey, Sassymonkey Reads, and Sassymonkey Eats

a trend?

kperfetto — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:04:06 -0500

I think we'll see more of this sort of thing happening as people are turning away from traditional forms of media. Look at how MP3 blogs have influenced music.

Rage Is Good Food

Gawd, I wish I could

Marti — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:30:41 -0500

Gawd, I wish I could generate that kind of buzz for my book of humor essays! LOL!

Marti

Bloggers push book to top

sassymonkey — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:15:40 -0500

It appears that bloggers have the power to push a book written by a previously unknown author to the number one spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. And in three weeks no less! Or at least according to this article in the Times Online which credits bloggers for The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield reading the number one spot.

The Thirteenth Tale had few reviews in conventional media and seems to have taken off because bloggers recommended it. â€œI suppose itâ€™s a new form of word of mouth,â€ said Setterfield, who tomorrow leaves for a book tour of America.

I first heard of this book in a blog. Heather at A High and Hidden Place was the first blogger I can remember to review it. She had managed to get her hands on an advance copy and her excitement was contagious. Who could resist comments like this:

So. I finished it. The Thirteenth Tale. And now I am bereft and alone. And very very sad. Because said wonderful book is over and I will never read it for the first time again. Please, if you read this book, treasure every moment because they go by so fast. So very, very fast.

As Heather plunged into a reading funk (for the nonreaders among you that's when you read a really good book that ruins for all others...at least temporarily) the rest of the book bloggers were running around trying to get their hands on a copy. Because we simply cannot resist a book that throws one into a funk. I just got mine last week. It's sitting patiently waiting for me to pick to it up and get lost in its pages. I'm waiting for a dark, windy, rainy night and then I will curl up under some blankets with a cup of hot tea and lose myself.