Definitely less inclined. There are extremely rare cases when I find that these comparisons are accurate, or are not a complete rip-off of another author's work. I think a lot of the time that this is a bit of a money grab or selling tactic.
In the same vein, I also dislike when a quote from a similar author is on the cover telling me how much they loved this book. I might like an author's writing in a certain genre, but that doesn't mean I like what they like to read. This is also tricky if an author writes in more than one genre. For example, if Meg Cabot really enjoyed a Sarah Dessen book, that might be fine as a recommendation if you like Princess Diaries, but might not mean anything if you are into the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series.
In all honesty, I'm not good with recommendations. I don't even like it much when people recommend things to me personally. I'll occasionally check it out, but most of the time I won't read it for several years, and I hate it when someone recommends something to me and then expects it to be the next book I pick up - and that it must be soon (i.e. stop asking me if I've started reading it yet!). It will stay in the back of my head, or I'll look at it on Goodreads if I'm so inclined, and one day I might look at it if I think it actually fits what I like.
With all of that being said, these recommendations can end up being helpful. Working in a public library, you get all sorts of reference questions, from "what is the shortest book I can read that my teacher will allow?" (yes, I have actually been asked this one) to "what book is kind of like The Hunger Games, but can't be The Hunger Games because someone in my class already picked that?" So, when these are the concerns of your user base, and you don't have time to read 100 different books a year, these recommendations can be a good place to start. No, I don't trust them without fail, but they help.
So, although I don't really love these recommendations and comparisons for personal reading, it can be a useful tool to start with for certain applications.
With all of that being said, these recommendations can end up being helpful. Working in a public library, you get all sorts of reference questions, from "what is the shortest book I can read that my teacher will allow?" (yes, I have actually been asked this one) to "what book is kind of like The Hunger Games, but can't be The Hunger Games because someone in my class already picked that?" So, when these are the concerns of your user base, and you don't have time to read 100 different books a year, these recommendations can be a good place to start. No, I don't trust them without fail, but they help.
So, although I don't really love these recommendations and comparisons for personal reading, it can be a useful tool to start with for certain applications.
Quote: "In the same vein, I also dislike when a quote from a similar author is on the cover telling me how much they loved this book. I might like an author's writing in a certain genre, but that doesn't mean I like what they like to read."
ReplyDeleteHaha, so true. Also, most of the times these authors are mutual friends, or they share a publisher who sets them up for a blind date, so to speak - "would you please read X's book and provide a positive opinion about it?". That's so dishonest, and I usually don't pay it any heed - I think I only did once, but just in the sense that an author mentioned a debut one on his blog, saying they had swapped reviews/recommendations, and they did get each other etc. - so I got curious about the new author and looked into her book...but since such debut author was Dawn Kurtagich, I'm sure I would have been alerted to The Dead House anyway, via reviews...(BTW, I ended up buying it and loving it, but NOT because of the recommendation).
LOL, library stories are always so funny (I have a librarian friend on Twitter which shares them). I understand your plight, and the value of recs/comparisons in that situation...
If it was their first book or two and they have an author friend, I completely understand why they would have them write a short review, but...anything going on the cover is going to be positive for marketing purposes. What are they going to say, "buy this book, it sucks"? However, if an author I generally like enjoys another book by an author I generally like, would it convince me to pick up a book I was waffling over? Sure, why not. But it doesn't really work on its own.
DeleteOh man, I should start sharing more things I get asked...it can be pretty priceless.
I can see how it could be useful for library referencing or perhaps kids looking for another series as long as you remember not to put too much into the comparisons. Thanks for being a part of TMST this week, sorry I was late.
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