Lately, I’ve been in a reading mood, more than a writing mood so although I have finished several books from my staggering TBR pile, I don’t feel like writing about them right now. That’s a problem when you have a book blog. Then again, maybe not. I never seem to have a hard time finding something to talk about in person, so why should that be any different here? Afterall, my blog is called Book CHATTER, right?

Ahem… (head cold in full swing, Sudafed cloud to follow)

Have you ever disliked a book and then changed your mind after hearing that one of your friends, or in my case, a respected book blogger, liked it better? Without any research at all, I can tell you that this year, I was swayed by other readers at least three times. At first, this confused me. It confused me because when I finished these books, there was no doubt in my mind what I was going to say about them. However, when I sat down to write those reviews, I suddenly had a change of heart.

At first this bothered me, because it made me feel as if I didn’t really know what the heck I was saying. Then it made me think that I was being wishy-washy or sugar-coating how I really felt about the book. After pondering this for months, I’ve decided that neither is correct. It’s no different than going to a book club meeting, prepared to discuss what was in your opinion, a real stinker, only to realize that you totally missed one aspect of the story, or you neglected to consider A and B. Suddenly, clouds part and with a furrowed brow, you sit down to write about said book but from an entirely different angle.

Does this mean that the review you read is not my true reaction to the book? Not at all. I have never given a book a glowing review if I didn’t feel it deserved one, but because of some very influential readers and bloggers, I’ve opened my mind to other viewpoints which in turn, makes the review more well-rounded, as opposed to my “gut reaction” which is often how my first drafts are.

I’m not even going to ask if this has happened to you, because I know that it has, but do you find that it happens often? Just for fun, I am going to share with you the bloggers that influence me the most. When they talk, I sit-up and take notice.

Sandy from You’ve Gotta Read This! (she doesn’t always sway me, like with Ready Player One, but she sure makes me question if I’ve completely lost my marbles)

Arti from Ripple Effects (we have similar reading tastes, but she nearly always brings up something I didn’t initially consider)

Zibilee from Raging Bibliomania (I hesitate to use her real name as she goes by Zibilee, but if this woman shrunk herself down and crawled into my brain, I suspect that my book reviews would be much, much longer than they are and no doubt, better. She includes the most interesting perspectives. If she’s read a book after me, I nearly always go, “Hmmm…how could I have missed that?”)

These happen to be book bloggers, but there are also readers who influence me just as much. But these three are the ones that are constantly shaping me whether I realize it or not.

Just for fun, who influences you the most when it comes to reading or writing up your reviews? It doesn’t even have to be a blogger. Maybe it’s your husband or wife or a sister from afar. Maybe even a bookseller you deal with regularly. I’m curious.