How do literary awards influence which books you choose to read, if at all?
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I love following the awards and if I see a book making multiple award lists I figure it’s a pretty good bet for me. For no specific reason my irl book club this year has chosen a good number of books from the Booker lists of the past couple years and we’ve been having the best discussions. At the last meeting someone mentioned that an upcoming popular title wasn’t going be nearly as discussable as the recent books.
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I pay attention to the award winners as well as the usual finalists list. I’m aware of many lists for different fictional genre, but does anyone know of an annual award list for South American fiction books? Or African? Or Asian? Yes, I know these are continental, but I like to read about different cultures written by their top authors.
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That’s a really great question, @NanK! I’ll have to do some research.
My POV is a little different because I’m fortunate enough to snag books before they’re published. If I read an award-winner at all, it’s almost always before it’s won an award. When I see one of my review books show up on a list, it’s actually quite gratifying, knowing that my opinion of a book wasn’t off-base.
I agree @kim.kovacs. IT is nice to have our opinions of books confirmed by the awards, assuming we liked or appreciated them. Often I’ve read some of the books before the awards start making their lists public. I really do appreciate the international awards though for introducing me to books that are less familiar in the states. Some of those have been my favorites or have opened me up to new reading experiences.
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@kim.kovacs I hope this doesn’t mean you think your opinion unworthy if a book you review in a positive way does not end up being lauded by an award organization.
Thanks, @Connie_K! That’s happened plenty of times, too (most recently Vigil by George Saunders, which just pissed me off). But I have to admit I do get a little endorphin rush when awards committees agree with me, haha.
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For me, this question is mostly answered in Anne’s May 4 post about the Pulitzer winners as far as the influence the awards have in choosing a book to read in most cases. I agree that it is a way to consider a book you might not know about, especially a foreign release. In today’s world I’d say the average reader finds influence from media sources such as talk show hosts who have jumped on the book club band wagon. Usually, I look for book reviews here or for new releases I hear about I search out reviews/author interviews online and decide what sounds good to me and take it from there. Of course, I look for books by authors I know I have enjoyed recently or in the past.
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I probably don’t read as many early books as you do, Kim, but I agree that it’s gratifying to see a book I liked and on an awards list. At the same time, though, I see books I hated on an awards list, too. I always wonder who the judges were, what makes them smarter than me. I will answer my own question– – nothing. Sometimes they’re just wrong, and that makes me wonder what made them pick books that I know are lousy. I think that, very often, they judge books on the basis of their subject matter rather than their readability.
I don’t specifically refer to the prize winner lists for books to read, but if I see a book at the library or bookstore that I know is a prize winner I’m more likely to pick it up and peruse it. I’ve found that I seem to gravitate to Pulitzer winners the most. Although not a prize based list, I tend to avoid the annual Goodreads list books.
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Oh goodness no. I think I read one that received awards and adulation, and it was a big miss for me. I think the lesson in high school English Lit class about non-conformists and following the beat of your own drum stuck with me! (That’s basically all I remember – that it’s okay to not go with the crowd!)
RE: Goodreads lists – I agree! I haven’t seen many books that I’ve liked (or would be interested in) on their lists in years (probably since the buyout by you know who).
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As a very eclectic reader, I find myself reading some titles that have been on the awards lists and some out of pure curiosity. I find online resources such as BookBrowse or the BookReporter are often my sources. And then my favorite. . . “word of mouth” friends, other book club buddies and Podcasts Always good sources for this reader
Oh, yeah, I never bother with the Goodreads lists. Too much YA/Romantasy ends up on their “best of” lists.
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I don’t really consider Goodreads a prize. I think of it more as a popularity contest. I’ve stopped using them except for an occasional lookup. It’s too bad the new owner wasn’t willing to invest in some upgrades that are desperately needed. I think they just wanted the numbers to tweak their algorithms. Sorry, I have strong opinions about this one y’all.
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A vast majority of books that hit the various award lists, including Pulitzer and Booker, I have found underwhelming. (And yes, don’t get me started on the “best of” book lists like Goodreads.) I do enjoy perusing the various literary award lists but “reading a list” is something I no longer attempt to do and seldom do I select a book based solely on an award designation choosing instead to stumble onto hidden gems. BookBrowse, BookBrowse community and friend recommendations are also a few of my go-tos if I am at a loss for what to read.
I continue to search for these international lists too as many of the literary awards are predominantly “English-centric” or “first world-focused.”
It gives me ideas for books I haven’t read yet. Especially lesser known prizes like the Stella.
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