[Avalon3]

This has always been a rule for me that the book whether it was a DTB or on Kindle should receive at least 3 out of the five stars.

I've always been a big fan of Nelson DeMille. However his newest book isn't getting good reviews. I'll skip this one and spend my $9.99 on a book that is getting better reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018QOYPW/ref=s9subs_c1_351_img1-rfc_p_si1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1F83SA710VGQ295SGSDE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383351&pf_rd_i=507846

 

[Mikuto]

Since getting my Kindle, I have a new criteria for buying a book, especially buying a full price book.

Basically, if I download the sample and read it, and find myself burning to know what happens after the end of the sample, I'll buy it right then and there. If it's decent and I feel like it might be worth buying, I'll save it for later then try the sample thing again in a few months or weeks.

I've never paid too much attention to stars, I may not agree with those reviewers, after all.

 

[Avalon3]

I also read the starred reviews.  Usually I agree with the number of stars and the reviews but there are exceptions.  Year's ago I read the DTB "Red Rabbit" by Tom Clancy.  I agreed with some of the reviews afterwards that said the book should have been titled "Dead Rabbit".  I wished I had saved my money and bought something different.  I found Tom Clancy's earlier books were better.  I didn't buy any Tom Clancy's books that came after "Red Rabbit".

Some books are slow to start.  If the Samples are just the beginning of the book you might decide not to read a good book based on a slow beginning.  My sister and I share the same account on Kindle and we like a lot of the same books.  I've had her tell me a book is hard to get into but then it picks up and to stay with it. 

I wish the Samples would automatically be removed once I purchase the book of the same title. 

 

[Mikuto]

I agree that you can't always tell a book from it's sample, but for the books I've bought based on whether or not the sample really gripped me, I've been very pleased.

 

[Lotus]

I like to look at the breakdown of the star ratings, and read some of the high rated reviews and some of the low rated reviews. As with the reviews for the Kindle itself, there are usually some naysayers that just want to bash the book (or Amazon customer service). Sometimes it's the low rated reviews that seem to tell me the "real" story.

 

[Linda Cannon-Mott]

I look at Amazons page and like Lotus I read 2 or 3 of both high and low reviews. I made the mistake of going by samples only right after I initially got my Kindle and ended up with 2 or 3 books I did not enjoy. I always get a sample but it is based on a combo of the reviews and the sample.

Linda

 

[Wells83]

If it's a book or author I'm not familiar with, I do look at the reviews.  Also, I will only pay $9.99 for a book I really, really want--and never, ever have I paid more than that. 

On the other hand, I also won't get a book just because it's free--unless it's something I want to read, I won't waste me time.

 

[Lizzy]

I agree that you can't always tell a book from it's sample, but for the books I've bought based on whether or not the sample really gripped me, I've been very pleased.

Thats why i never ever read samples. If its the kind of story i like and it gets some good reviews then thats what i decide on. There's always people who arent gonna like a book and they love to leave reviews so im not gonna let them decide what im gonna read. Anyway alot of books start slow and build as they go. A good example is Outlander. If i would have read a sample i never would have bought it cause it doesnt really start to get interesting until the 3rd or 4th chapters. Besides all that i just hate to start a story and never finish it. Id rather finish a bad story than not finish a good story. Im not sure if that made sense or not.

 

[Linda Cannon-Mott]

If it's a book or author I'm not familiar with, I do look at the reviews. Also, I will only pay $9.99 for a book I really, really want--and never, ever have I paid more than that.

On the other hand, I also won't get a book just because it's free--unless it's something I want to read, I won't waste me time.

Wells I think you make a good point on the freebie. I learned a lesson, just because it is free isn't reason enough for me to buy it. I think my ratio on reading a good vs bad free book is about 50/50. There were some I could not finish.

Linda

 

[Mikuto]

I glance at reviews now and then, but I don't put a lot of stock in them, not everyone thinks the same way and not everyone likes the same book so just because amazonreviewer1023 hates the book doesn't mean I will.

A good example is the Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Every single one of my friends recommended it to me, yet when I borrowed the book I thought it read like a 10th grader's creative writing first draft. I can usually tell within a few pages whether the writing style itself is going to bother me, which is why I put so much faith in samples. If the style ticks me off before the first chapter is even over, it's not worth my reading because I'll never finish it. So a book can be really well reviewed, yet still not be what I want to read.

Edit: No offense to any LKH fans meant.

 

[ScottBooks]

I don't read the reviews on Amazon and pay no attention whatsoever to the star rating system. I do read the New York Review of Books, The Washington Post Book World and Entertainment Weekly. I've come to know which reviewers I trust and follow their recommendations (mostly). Michael Dirda is probably the best reviewer I've found anywhere; it's a shame he doesn't often review books in my genres.