23 Comments

Great piece and couldn’t agree more about reviews. I honestly don’t understand why it exists. Opinions and tastes are so personal. Why is the opinion of some ‘expert’ more important?

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Loved this, as always. But I cannot help it, now I am so curious: which book was it that disappointed you so?! I had this with ‘a little life’. Truly hated it 😬

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Hahahah I anticipated curiosity on that but I don’t want to name (I prefer not to name books I don’t like, and just focus on those I do) BUT I will say you are not alone with little life - that’s one of the books Sirin and I disagree on!

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I found this recently with Lessons in Chemistry. The hype - so much hype! The TikTok’s, then my mother-in-law read it, whose taste I really respect - so I was like, man I will love this. But I felt the way you described - reading pages and pages and waiting for the penny to drop and I’d “get it”. I never did. And who knows whether I would have enjoyed it if it didn’t have the hype or whether it just wasn’t for me.

Loved this Books & Bits! Can’t wait to get off maternity leave to be able to afford your whole oeuvre!

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Hard agree about Lessons in Chemistry.

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So related to this....how I felt when I read two Sally Rooney books. Bought the second one because really wondered how I could be so misaligned with all the hype.

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I’ve felt out to step with reviews for ages - I actually didn’t really take book recommendations from anyone until I started listening to the High Low! After a few years of paying attention to newly published books, best seller lists, reviews, etc and buying some of those books, I realised I didn’t seem to love most of those that had rave reviews. So instead of spending £17 a pop on the newest, trendiest hardback and then feeling a huge amount of pressure to enjoy it as everyone else had and I’d spent so much money on it, I decided to change my approach. I now never buy a new/recent book and use my library card extensively. They have a shelf with staff picks that I have discovered some great books from, and otherwise I pick at random, reading a few pages before I check out the book. I’ve read so much more and when I haven’t enjoyed a book, I feel fine as the financial investment was non existent. And then I return it and it doesn’t take space on my shelves at home! It’s really changed my approach to reading and I’ve discovered some brilliant novels that way. And I quite enjoy being out of step with all the trendy new books, and will likely read those in a few years once the waiting list for them at the library has disappeared... I think this ties in to your brilliant podcast Book Chat too - I love that it doesn’t feed into the newness of a book. Loved this newsletter, thank you!

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I love this

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But will you read Zadie Smith’s new historical novel? Enjoyed her essay in The New Yorker on writing it and the genre etc.

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probs not if it's historical! there's just soooo many books I want to read, so am trying to be quite stringent with my admittance process atm

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I buy 90% of my books in charity shops, partly because of cost but also because the randomness dictates what I end up with. The books are rarely even in alphabetical order so I can spend hours going through to find ones that appeal. I'm currently reading Longitude by Dava Sobel, the cover tells me that it was a best seller, but it came out in the 90s so I hadn't heard of it and it's great! And cost £1. I like to read reviews to keep up with fiction that I know I won't buy until at least it comes out in paperback by which point the dust has normally settled on the hype and I'll get a sense of what is worth reading.

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Yes, I agree - high expectations from glowing reviews often lead to disappointment when you actually get around to reading the book. Some of the most satisfying reads have been ones I’ve picked up with few or no expectations!

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totally agree with the review bit!!! I always get so excited to read and buy books and as soon as I notice a 1 star review, the book is immediately off my list....

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Loved this newsy. Thank you. I wish there could be a moratorium on blurbs. Though I wonder if there is a bit of push back against them. Catri Menzies Pike wrote a fabulous review essay on the merry-go-round of writers blurbing other writers in Sydney Review of Books, here if you're interested https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/review/fools-gold-menzies-pike/

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Oh I will def read - thank you. Blurbs are really tricky ones, I feel quite lucky that I only have to blurb books I love but I do hear of authors being asked by their publicists to blurb other authors and it becomes tricky politics!

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I had a similar feeling after reading a much hyped book I just didn’t “get”, so I’ve purposefully steered away from splashy, hyped new releases in the last few months.

Instead of reading Curtis Sittenfield’s Romantic Comedy I went with American Wife, and also just finished The Great Circle - I think I enjoyed it more because I didn’t feel like I had to (if that makes sense!)

Admittedly, I just broken my new rule for Yellowface...

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My favorite authors are the ones that bring to light observations so subtle that I wasn't even aware I had made them, better yet that someone else could have the same observation too. That's how I felt reading your recap of your dream (which is maybe the hardest thing to make interesting to another person!!). Love your writing.

"It reminded me of a dream that I’d had recently, in that half-awake fugue state that comes from napping with a baby, in which someone had confided in me, “there’s nothing nicer than walking down the street with children who aren’t your own”. Why? Dream Me, replied. Because, this invisible confidante explained, you have no expectations of how they are going to behave. You aren’t armed with the knowledge that accompanies your own children: that they always scoot too fast, or that 9 times out of 10 they trip on cracks in the pavement causing your heart to leap into your mouth, or that they have a tantrum every time you walk past one particular corner shop, because you once bought them a lollipop there and now they feel like something has been stolen from them every time they pass it and are not rewarded with confectionary. There’s nothing to pre-empt. It felt like such a realistic conversation, I actually thought I’d had it."

Such a well-captured moment. Thanks for your work!

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Loved this books and bits! I couldn’t agree more with book reviews, I guess it’s the same with content in general these days, it can be overwhelming and hard to decipher what is worth absorbing. I’m also a sucker for the guilt when I don’t enjoy a book but feel too bad to stop reading it and start something else!

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Ohmygod lol’d a lot at the TikTok Idol summary 😂

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really enjoyed reading this this piece in my (probably worryingly quiet!) bookshop - I often feel a little pang of jealousy when a customer comes in who can just browse and select something from a (somewhat) neutral starting point. As a bookseller I'm bombarded with proofs and press releases and even though it's an enviable position for any book lover, it does leave me feeling like I'm constantly catching up (even on things that haven't been published yet). There's always another book threatening to be something I need to know about. I feel like I'll never be able to escape the 'buzz' of a book, but when you're on this side of the counter you can see that ALL the books aim for, and claim some of that energy, so it's easier to take it all with a pinch of salt, and remember that a great publicity campaign does not always go hand in hand with a great book.

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I recently read Big Swiss assuming I'd find it bland because it had so much hype but I really loved it and then I felt part or the "club" - which as you mention , is pretty weird lol. As for writing books, I find it a big compliment when someone writes a long review (even if it's negative), because they had so much to say about it.

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I was in the club for the first half and then... fell out of the club. Again, I felt annoyed I drifted out! But I’m looking forward to seeing Jodie Comer play her

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