Legitimacy--question to readers.
When I was thirteen, I used to carry a pen around wherever I went so that people would see it and know I was a writer. I'm sure now if anyone even bothered to notice my myopic, zit-faced self, the pen just looked stupid, especially as it marked up most of my clothes. But I thought people would see past the dorky clothes, the scrawny, awkward
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Blogs might affect how I think about or view them as a PERSON, but not about them as an AUTHOR. I can admire their writting style in any form (blog, novel, etc). But I only make judgements as a person as an AUTHOR if I've read something they've written and published.
Does having access to writers (which is a relatively new thing) make a difference in how you partake of their offerings?
Not really. I have 6 or so published 'known' writers that I read blogs for, you included. In some cases, I had read their works before finding their blogs (such as yours, I'd stumbled across the Wren books first), in others I knew their blog and online persona well before I ever read anything they had written (dancinghorse for example I 'met' through your and another LJ friend's posts about her). In her case I actually was *hesitant* to read her works since I didn't want to end up disappointed after everything I like about her, her horses, her riding philosophy and the other ways we've connected as online LJ-buddies. I think it took me 2 years before I read anything of hers (fortunately, I love it :) ).
I think I still base my reading choices on my own likes as well as recommendations. I *will* say that when an author (when I like their own books) recommends *another* author, I listen up a bit more. I've read some interesting and good stuff through such networked reviews. I suppose it means I trust your (or their) opinions more because I enjoy your own writing, so things you read have a higher chance of meeting my own reading needs.
Definitely worth a bit of thought. I suspect I could write up a graduate paper on this topic if I kept at it.
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One of the things I'm thinking about with this question is the conflict between critical anaylsis (which, among other things, assumes you've read the book) and reviews, which assume you have not read the book, but which are there to provide clues to whether or not you'd like to try the work in question.
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I definitely trust recommendations that go more into *why* they liked the reading experience, but I'll consider anything that is mentioned. The decision is still my own -- in most cases I check out Amazon reviews of the book and instead of buying it, might end up getting it from the library instead. Although I do admit that I DO often buy, just to support the authors since I get such an inside view of royalties and the less than fun side of being an author.
Which isn't quite your question, but it's 10am and i'm at work so I give no credence to my ability to organize my thoughts here.
As for critical analysis vs. reviews, I probably trend towards reviews since those typically touch on *why* a book was enjoyed, be it topic or narrative issues, etc. Critical analysis write ups only interest me if the area is one I'm interested in (say, YA fiction and how 'old' the main character's voice is portrayed vs. their supposed age within the book).
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No, it does make sense. And yes about critical analysis. I enjoy some of it, but I really have to know the book well.
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Yes, that's true for me as well. I get many of my new recommendations that way.
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