Lately I have been hearing nothing but hype and praise regarding new releases and books that are coming out within the next month or so... It just seems like post after post is bloggers raving about the arc they just finished or a book that is spamming my Good reads feed.
Now dont get me wrong I love a good over popularized, over hyped book as much as the next fan girl (especially is that books lives up to or exceeds all possible expectations). A good hyped book is what blogging is all about! I mean its new, its good, you FINALLY understand what everyone else is talking about right??
But there are those moments when you read a book everyone supposedly loves and then you get your hands on it and your like... really? this is the book everyone can’t get enough of? and your drowning in your own little puddle of disappointment.
The Hype
With so much buzz surrounding a book its easy to get swept up into whatever everyone else is saying and soon enough you find yourself agreeing with them maybe even before you get the chance to read the book yourself! I find this has been happening to me a lot and has probably been the main influence of what books I am reading even if there not the typical books I enjoy.
Sometimes this is amazing because I discover books I never would have otherwise but once in a while I stumble upon a book that really just is not of me at all. The characters don't do it for me, the plot is weak, and if it really lets me down the writing is just flat out horrible.
Thankfully I have only stumbled across a couple a books these past few months that have really let me down but I can’t help but wonder if its because of all the hype these books are given that make it impossible for me to love those books or even like them because I was expecting them to be SO AMAZING right off the bat (possibly even before I read the summary...)
So why don’t we read/ review underrated books anymore?
With all the hype surrounding new releases I’m more tempted than ever to read them but I’m also more disappointed than ever when they aren’t as amazing as everyone is saying they are. Plus it seems like only popular books get reviewed nowadays?!? Am I the only one whose noticed that unpopular or lesser known books are talked about less and less on blogs? and when it it not become cool to talk about a really good popular book from a few years back? It seems like every time I write a post about an old favorite its hardly read compared to if I post about a super popular new release.
And its like I get it, it makes sense that people are into whatever is new at the moment ( I too enjoy a good new release every now and then) I just wish that it was more accepted in the blogging community to post about already released, good books! I mean a good book is a good book am I right? But enough about me:
What about you guys? Do you feel more pressure to read hyped books over older books? Does the hype influence what you think about the book (maybe even before you read it)? Should older books be reviewed more on blogs or no? Let me know in the comments below!
-BubblyBooks
I know I've had my expectations raised to near impossible levels if a book I'm interested in receiving a lot of hype. Thankfully most of the time I haven't ended up feeling let down, but yes, there are occasions when I've just sat there like 'I can't believe people love this book so much. What am I missing?'
ReplyDeleteYes! I so know what your talking about! Like when I read Warcross (don’t get me wrong I liked the book) I just feel like I was expecting I don’t know... more? And it just seems like more and more I’m getting swept up in the hype and even reading books I should now from the get go I wouldn’t like but yet I end up reading anyways because--Hype.
DeleteI have been meaning to post on this since the day you posted it and just have lost my book mind. I 100% agree with this. I never thought about it until you posted it, but it's just so ridiculously true. A big thing for me to pick up a book is to have that name factor. If I haven't heard of the book, I don't pick it up. Meaning those poor lesser known books that are a couple years old? I literally always glaze over them when at the library and on Book Outlet because I guess I don't want to waste my time on a book that hasn't had it mainstream for its goodness - and I'm sure I miss out on a ton of great books out there. Wonderful post, and I might be trying to find some new old loves!
ReplyDeleteSo glad I’m not the only one that feels this way! I so understand when I’m looking for a book to read next I imediently find myself gravitating towards popular new releases... like when did I stop giving older books a chance?!? Hope you get a chance to check out some old favorites! (I recommend Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgens and Obsidian by Jennifer L Aremount if you like a good paranormal read!)
DeleteThis is such an awesome post! This literally JUST happened to me a few weeks ago. I tried to listen to the audiobook of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and I just could not get into it. I don't know if the story just wasn't for me or if it was the narrator, but I wasn't a fan and I felt completely bonkers. Everyone loves this book, what's wrong with my brain?! Lol. But strangely, book blogging has made me MORE ruthless about DNF-ing books??? Now that I have to WRITE about the books I read, I just don't have time to waste energy on a book I'm not feeling.
ReplyDeleteAnd I completely agree about the lesser known books not getting enough blog time! I always try to balance the books I read with known and not known stuff, but I'm totally guilty of falling into the hype trap. I think sometimes reading a book that the blogging community is talking about makes me feel more... included?? But we also shouldn't be afraid to stand out, that's why we blog in the first place! Gosh, sorry about the novel! Lol. Great topic!
I know what you mean! Now that I know I have to review certain books for publishers if a book I’m just reading for fun isn’t keeping my interest I’m more likely to dump it less than half way through (oops!) and YAAS the hype trap is real!! I’m thinking about doing a post full of reviews of older (or less hyped books)! Thanks for stopping by :)
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