[Cam’s Bookish Tales] TITANS OF THE TBR PILE aka Book Reviewers Who Influence My Reading

A majority of the books I read are either picked recklessly from secondhand stores or they’re the books that are constantly talked about and recommended. But when the hype can be deceiving and utterly disappointing, how do you make a decision by yourself?

Sure, the blurb sounds great and cover is gorgeous, but is the writing good? Is the story going to wreck me or lead me down a reading slump?

In order to keep my button nose clean, I rely on certain reviewers to find my next book pick. And yes, I mean rely. These reviewers are the ones I trust to find me my next great read or steer me away from a book I might not love. So here are my top four book reviewers who I undoubtedly trust to turn my TBR into a ice-breathing monster.

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Evelina is my go-to person for book recommendations. She has an eclectic reading taste; from the books she has reviewed I find that she has a penchant for the dark, historical, and for humanity. If you’re looking for books with well developed characters, she’ll lead you right to them!

Though most of Evelina’s reviews are short, she manages to analyse each of the books with important details.

Just as the name suggests, Dani from Perspective of a Writer critiques books with the eye of a writer. Their reviews includes their first impression, a rating for the cover, and then Dani goes in detail about the authenticity, writing style, plot & pacing, and worldbuilding. If you’re an aspiring writer and are looking for tips, Dani provides that. Perspective of a Writer reviews a wide genre of books so you won’t be lacking in advice. There’s also reviews for manga!

If you enjoy the macabre, the dark and gritty, the bloody, the damned – Crime by the Books is your paradise. From psychological thrillers to domestic thrillers, from classic murder mysteries to gothic, serial killers and Nordic Noir – until I found Crime by the Book I didn’t know crime fiction could have so many sub-genres! She also does mini-reviews on her IG stories which I always find fun to watch.

Although Lucy blogs at Queen of Contemporary, I’m citing her YouTube channel, LucyTheReader because it’s the one I most frequent. I love finding another person as passionate about the classics and Lucy always provides such an in-depth analysis and historical background of the books. Her recommendations also cover non-fiction books and goes beyond Victorian classics.  I’m probably a bit biased since we share a love for Thomas Hardy!

Which book reviewer or non book reviewer influences your reading? Do you read reviews before buying a book?

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