I just wanted to say that I think giving ARC to popular bloggers like Larry and Werthead is a brilliant marketing move on the part of the publisher. Many of the books I read are on the recommendation of blogs/forums. It costs the publisher very little and they get lots of free, targeted advertising. (Of course, this assumes the book gets a good review.) It's a win for everybody. The bloggers get free books, the publishers get free publicity, and I don't have to wade through pages of Amazon reviews on vampire chick lit.

I think one of the keys for it working so well is the bloggers giving honest opinions. If the reviews are honest, I trust the blogger, and will buy the book. If the blogger was just kissing publisher ass, I figure it out fairly quickly and no longer frequent that site. Larry and Werthead do an excellent job of posting honest reviews (though often Larry's recommendations are too esoteric for my lowbrow tastes ). Some of Pat's reviews have left me shaking my head.