Writing book reviews

[Tammy Thomas]

I have only been doing book reviews for two weeks or so.  I'm wondering if there is a right or wrong way to write reviews.  Should I post what the book is about, my opinion on the book or both?  I am really enjoying writing the reviews since I am always reading.  I started my blog just to have somewhere to write them, but I always feel better when I get comments.  So far that's not going great.  Any advice on how to write a review would be helpful.  If you are an author, how do you prefer reviews to be written on your books? 

[Andrea]

I think you just need to find your own voice, just write the review the way you want.  To get the comments, you need to network, comment on other blogs and maybe participate in memes.

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help!

[Marian Perera]

As an author, I let the reviewer say whatever they like, but there are some reviews which I don't find helpful when I'm deciding which books to buy.

 

1. Reviews which could apply to anything - for instance, "I loved reading this. I couldn't put it down. The author has done a great job, and I want  to read more of her books. I'm giving this five stars!" Yes, but what is the book about?

 

2. Reviews which make it clear the reviewer is unfamiliar with the genre. If someone says Love of a Highlander is the only romance novel ever to have a Scottish hero, there may be other things wrong or inaccurate about their review.

 

3. Reviews which are poorly spelled, ungrammatical and so on. I once read a review which referred to a character's "unborn adolescent".

 

I don't mind spoilers in the review, but there should be a warning about this at the start. And I always like to read a reviewer's opinion as well as what the book is about - a good review, IMO, shouldn't just be a rephrasing of the blurb on the back cover. You could say how this book compares to others that the author has released, what it contributes to its field, what didn't work for you, etc.

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help!

[Bookish Hobbit]

I know that when I like to read reviews I need what the book is about and what the reviewer thinks of it. But I prefer to have more content present on what they think about it than the synopsis of the book.

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help.

[Marie Wreath]

I personally vote that you write BOTH.  Not an author here, just a blogger, but an aspiring writer.  I have had some interactions with authors who appreciate personal feedback.  Just mu opinion.

 

I'll check out your blog!  Here's mine:

 

www.thelazyw.blogspot.com

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help!

[Gareth Wilson]

The best way to write it, is to say what you think and be able to back up your points, no one likes a negative review but if you can sugar the medicine by saying things that the author did well for you as a reader, thats all to the power.  Just have fun, network and be honest, that way you'll keep going.  It's a hard slog but as long as you find it rewarding thats all that matters and others will soon pick up on you.

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help!

[Grace]

I tend to start out my reviews with a brief summary of what the book is about, while avoiding major spoilers.  I try to make sure that this covers aspects such as the setting and the main character.

After that, I tend to give my own opinions/commentary/criticism of the book.  One thing I value in a review is objective honesty.  I don't enjoy every book that I read, but if I don't like a book, I explain why.  Different people like different books for different reasons, so someone else might love a book that I disliked.

Some bloggers like to use a system of stars for their books.  I don't, because I find giving a book a star-based rank to be rather arbitrary.  The reasoning for whether a book is enjoyable or not is more important.

I think that the biggest way to get more comments is to network and visit and comment on other people's blogs.  It helps to find people who have similar taste in books as you do. Also, if you're posting at all on this site, I'd suggest linking to your blog at the end of a comment, as it's easier for people to find you that way.

Best of luck!

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Books Without Any Pictures

[Tammy Thomas]

Thanks for the help!  You all have been so helpful!