BOOK BLOGGER HOP | THOUGHTS ON BOOK-TO-BOOK COMPARISONS

This week’s prompt: What are your thoughts on book-to-book comparisons (for example, “It’s the next Harry Potter”)?

It’s interesting, because I have bought books before based on a combination of being attracted to the blurb and also seeing a comparison to a book that seems similar to me and that I enjoyed. I cannot, however, say that this was always a successful strategy for choosing my reading material. I find that some of the time these comparisons are based on a superficial similarity between two books that don’t follow through in the style or feel of the book. A book about traveling in Italy isn’t going to be the same as Under the Tuscan Sun unless it also manages to provide scenic descriptions that make me feel like I’m there and a feeling of wonder at a new place and the culture and people there. Someone writing about Australia isn’t going to produce a book like In A Sunburned Country unless they also have the eye for interesting facts, keen wit and sharp sense of humour that are Bill Bryson’s hallmarks. So I guess I feel like if a book’s blurb is going to claim that it’s the next INSERT MAJOR LITERARY PHENOMENON HERE then it damn well better be able to live up to the claim, otherwise not only will I be annoyed at being tricked into reading a sub-par book, but I’ll judge it against said phenomenon and that will do it no favours.

What about you guys? Anyone else have a different take on this? Anything I didn’t think about that might adjust my perspective?

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly blog link-up that gives participants a different book-related question to ponder each week, and allows them to share their thoughts, find new blogs to follow and connect with new readers. The Hop was originally created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and is now hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. To see a list of upcoming prompts go here.