[Vexed]

Also, do you base your reads or what you buy based on reviews?

[Pier 56]

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd".
A Hercule Poirot novel by Agatha Christie.

No, I don't even know where to find reviews of the books I like (old ones).

[HorribleAesthete]

I sometimes select books based on reviews, or rather by reputation. More often I select books based on the recommendation of friends and family, or as required reading for various courses, or simply at random. Favorites:

Fiction:

Stranger in a Strange Land- Robert A Heinlein (selected at random in high school from the school library)
Selected Poems 1956–1968- Leonard Cohen (dog-eared copy given to me in HS by a family friend)
The Razor’s Edge- W. Somerset Maugham (recommended by my science/theater teacher in high school)
Of Human Bondage- W. Somerset Maugham (chosen because I enjoyed The Razor’s Edge)
The Fountainhead- Ayn Rand (selected at random while traveling in India)
Anthem- Ayn Rand (recommended by many, but read it because I enjoyed The Fountainhead)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being- Milan Kundera (read it after watching the film)
Identity- Milan Kundera (read it because I enjoyed The Unbearable Lightness of Being)
The Red Tent- Anita Diamant (lent to me by a colleague/ex-girlfriend)
Confederacy of Dunces- John Kennedy Toole (a gift from an aunt)
Ishmael- Daniel Quinn (recommended by a few people)
On the Road- Jack Kerouac (read it based on reputation and due to an interest in the Beats)
Steppenwolf- Herman Hesse (read it after Siddhartha, which was recommended to me by many people)
Charlotte’s Web- E.B. White (my first novel. I must have been four or five. Given to me by my mother)

Non-Fiction:

Tao Te Ching- Lao Lao Tzu (read it out of interest in Taoism/religions)
The Snow Leopard- Peter Matthiessen (chosen as reading during a trek in Nepal)
Tears of Blood: A Cry for Tibet- Mary Craig (selected in India after traveling through Tibet)
May You Be The Mother of a Hundred Sons- Elisabeth Bumiller (selected at random in India)
Civil Disobedience- Henry David Thoreau (read it based on reputation/interest)
The End of Faith- Sam Harris (chose it because I like the subject matter)
The Virtue of Selfishness- Ayn Rand (read it due to my now mostly defunct interest in Objectivism and The Fountainhead. I highly recommend it)

[PeaTea]

Fiction: The Kingkiller Chronicle
I like to think the main character, Kvothe, is an INFJ with a very high IQ. I say this because he's a jack of all trades like me, but he absorbs information much quicker. Plus I can relate to his mannerisms.
Heard about this gem of a series from a buddy of mine.

Non-Fiction: "The Happiness Trap"
A great introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It pretty much teaches you how to live in the now and not become absorbed with every thought and feeling that might arise. It's definitely helped my anxiousness and substance abuse problems.
Heard about this gem in the meditation reddit.

Conclusion: Algorithms can't come up with good books to read. You have to hear about them in places like this.

[Gray Skies]

Fiction -
-1984 by George Orwell
-The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
-The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
-Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist
-Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook
-The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

Non-Fiction -
-Night by Elie Wiesel
-Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey


No, I don't really look at reviews for books. I go off of recommendations from friends and looking around the book store and picking out books that look interesting.