How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who browse books for publication in magazines and newspapers,
and many more who browse books on the Internet. If you add those who review magazines, newspapers, movies,
theater, blogs, websites, Facebook styles, Twitter tweets, what you have can reach millions (well, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point).
Some reviewers are good enough at reviewing that they are paid and well paid for their thoughts on what they read.
Some do what I might describe as a journey trip, competent, but not inspired, while others are absolutely, incredibly
scary and should not be allowed near a pen, pencil, or computer when in preview mode.
Reviewers — whether their interest is fiction or non-fiction, pop music or classics, TV shows, movies, magazines,
blogs, or whatever you have — all have their viewing styles. I have been writing, for a salary and fun, for
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
many years. I was reading too. I read hundreds of thousands of words in print and on the Internet and developed
strong opinions not only about what makes a good writer but also about what makes a good review of writing.
The following is an overview of my review style, “review style” which means how I prepare to write a review, not the actual words I use. But make no mistake, the right words come from preparation.
Because I specialize in reviewing books, primarily mysteries and mainstream, with only the bullying of blogs and
similar activities, and I have never reviewed music or movies — except among friends — in this article I will limit
myself to my thoughts on reviewing books. Another note for full disclosure: I am not talking about reviewing
textbooks, nor technical or scientific volumes written for a specific and equally technical or scientific audience.
I talk
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
about novels, anthologies of short stories, about things we read most often for pleasure. So here is my answer to my question. What makes a good review?
The first thing I do when I review a book is: I READ A BOOK! Do not laugh. Writing a review by skipping other
reviews or copying what booksellers advertise about it is not funny at all. Not only is it unfortunate, but it is also unfair to the writer and dishonest. It should not happen.
However, I read more than one book review that did not differ much from CliffsNotes. In such cases, it is easy to see
that the reviewer did not spend time with the book, other than probably the fogging of the jacket. In recent
days, I have been reading reviews of the same book in various publications that used identical language without the
merit of a reviewer, so I could not say whether they were written by the same person or whether others “borrowed”.
At times, the reviewers missed the book, started writing too early, and thus missed the critical points.
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
However, keep in mind that I am reading FOR a book before calming down to read it for my review. I look at
the publishers’ publications, knowing of course their prejudices. I read the notes on the jacket and always read the
preface and the subsequent word before I start the actual reading. In footnote books — such as the Teddy Roosevelt
trilogy I read — I look at those pages of the book before I start reading. I doubt some writers would prefer readers
not to read their subsequent text — sorry, they couldn’t resist — once they’ve finished the book, but I think that
makes the story more enjoyable to read, and that’s what, for me, for this kind of reading is at stake.
As I read a review book, I notice chapters and pages to read a second time. I do not make voluminous notes because
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
it interferes with reading; from the earliest pages I want to feel the flow of the story by making more mental notes
than physical ones. The time when I allowed the intention to publish a book review to interfere with reading is when
I find a sentence or paragraph that I might want to quote, or if there is an important philosophical or cultural point I do not want to miss.
Among the mental notes I make is my reaction to the writer’s style, the effectiveness of the drawing, making me
part of the story being told. I look for idiosyncrasies in people and places that take them out of the ordinary. I notice
How to Write Effective Book Review That Helps Readers Decide
certain twists in phrases or the use of words or descriptions that charm me or frighten me enough to include them in
the review. I am also looking for personal characteristics, for the story being told or for the writer, which I can describe that will give additional insight to the reader.
My goals for writing a review are twofold. First, I want to talk to the reader as if we were sitting in my kitchen
exchanging thoughts about what we were reading. I do not pontify or teach how to possess any unusual knowledge of
what the writer thought. I use it a lot
