Do “check out a book” and “read a book” mean the same?

Question

Great book list! Must check them out soon.

Great book list! Must read them soon.

The context is informal, like a comment in a blog post. Is there any difference in the meaning of these two expressions?

Answer 1

No, these phrases do not mean the same thing.

In this context, "check them out" means "look at, and consider either downloading, borrowing, purchasing, and/or reading".

If the context involved a library, "check them out" might mean "borrow from the library".