Book review

We bypass ambiguity by taking the most likely meaning which, in the case of the title of this blog post, is a review of a book but you could be booking a review of nickel supply or (if this is in earshot rather than written down) a revue that's coming to town.

Then we invest our own quirks and understandings to the text. What extra do we gain by first reading the opinions of others? I would bet a lot of other readers are like me and read book reviews but incidentally in a waiting room magazine or the weekend arts section of the paper; we don't feel we need to get some idea of what is going to be in a book before we commit to reading it. Or, at least, not a full blooded summary with recommendation.
It's enough to know which genre we're looking at and whether the author's style appeals to us. Though even this is an inexact science as anyone who has enjoyed one story or book by the author only to be disappointed by the next can tell you. Never mind the landmines that exist if you stay too long in a popular genre. The temptation to participate in a field they're not particularly suited to is there for science fiction and thriller, criminal procedure, medical drama. Among the mumbling memoirs and autocratic autobiographies, there are countless talents who were undiscovered. Such is the market.