What do you look for in a book review? - Page 2

Joykins · 06-17-2011, 08:19 PM

I think this blog has reviews that are really fun to read. Sometimes I find them long and overly spoilery, but that seems to be part of the fun.

I write reviews here (since some people enjoyed my book journal and told me to start blogging). While most of my reviews are short, conversational, and snarky, I sometimes vary it up by delving deeper.

Crusader · 06-18-2011, 03:56 AM

Thanks for all the great feedback. There's lots of very interesting points to consider.

In general I use the blurb from the back of the book as the summary, but keep that separate from my review. Then I focus on what I liked in the book (characters, setting etc.) ending with a brief verdict.

KierstenFay · 06-18-2011, 12:03 PM

First off, it would be good to state what you expected of the book before reading it. Did the book live up to expectations? Or fall a little flat?

Perhaps then a basic—not too revealing—summary with opinions of characters, and on the writing style.

There should be some good points, as well as bad. I've actually purchased a book based on a bad review. What the reader didn't like was exactly what interested me in the book.

The review should offer some sort of conclusion as to what the reader got out of the book, and if they themselves would recommend it or not.

That's the kind of review that helps me decide if a book is worth it.

Crusader · 06-18-2011, 03:16 PM

Ok, just posted my latest review - Bad Blood by Amanda Coetzee. I would love some feedback, if you guys get the chance.

lestatar · 06-18-2011, 03:40 PM

Good question and interesting thread IMO.

my 2cents:

TBH, I generally don't care too much what any reviewer says about anything. I will read/watch/buy whatever the hell I want and have long since stopped caring what some invisible person might say/feel/think. I ain't them, they ain't me and they sure ain't buying me the book/movie ticket/clothing/dinner/etc.

While a reviewer's opinion will not necessarily sway me one way or the other, I do enjoy reading amusing, literate, tongue-in-cheek writing that I feel doesn't patronize me or go out of its way to criticize the subject matter being reviewed. For most reviews, I tend to look for facts where possible [e.g. restaurant prices, movie lengths, excessive typos in books, etc].

I detest reviewers that try to come off as "the smartest person in the room" or who consistently ridicule the work of others in an effort to make themselves appear more clever. Really? You hated Matrix 2? Gee, let's see you do better - don't tell me...show me.

So, FWIW, I say be honest, have a sense of humour ahout things and try to be as objective as possible about the subject matter, all without trying desperately to be oh-so-clever.

Not giving away major plot points and posting spoilers is simply common sense and a matter of common courtesy to me as well.

Crusader · 06-18-2011, 03:47 PM

I agree completely with what you've said. I make up my own mind on what to buy (or not). Where I do find reviews (more importantly book bloggers) very helpful is when it comes to discovering new authors or novels you wouldn't normally have come across. I've got a couple of blogs I follow and they tend to like the same type of stuff I enjoy. If they review a new novel and like it, I'm more or less certain that I'd enjoy it as well.

benham · 06-18-2011, 09:27 PM

This is a really good thread. I am not good with reviews and they are always short. You just want to be careful not to offend the person that recommended the book.

GraceKrispy · 06-18-2011, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benham

This is a really good thread. I am not good with reviews and they are always short. You just want to be careful not to offend the person that recommended the book.

What do you mean by that? What person who recommended the book?

crich70 · 06-19-2011, 01:58 AM

I tend to look at what the reviewer says about the structure of the book. Is it well written or does it look sloppy. Is there a working TOC or isn't there. And of course if it does have a working TOC is it easy to use it or do problems show up when you try to use it. Also of course I look at the blurb about the story and see what (if anything) the reviewer says about it.

VydorScope · 06-19-2011, 06:46 AM

I have to pretty much agree with most here...

1) Little to no summary of the book. The author typically provides that on the back book, or listing description. Now if the author's provide summary is poor repenstation of the work that should be covered.

2) If something is horribly wrong (ie the author writes like I would with out an editor LOL!) with grammar, spelling, or etc such that it impacts the ability to understand what is written, then that should be covered, however if the author merely misspelled 3 words in the 80k word work, then let it go...

3) Any key points of suspense should not be mentioned. I.e. I hate when the reviewer mentions that so and so did some action, when 1/2 the book is about the discovery of who did such action. Be careful this is easy to do accidentally. For example "Jack's description of the scene where Michael kills Beverly was masterfully written" as a description of a murder mystery....

4) Who would enjoy the work? Is it great for teen girls facing relationship problems or perhaps adults that are looking for an escape back to the worlds of their childhood? Any warnings like "Parents may not want children to read this book due to its glorification of hard drugs"

5) If its a series, does the work stand on its own, or should the perspective reader go and get the full series before starting?

Anyways... just some thoughts...

Crusader · 06-19-2011, 07:17 AM

Those are some great points. Especially no 5. I'll have to remember that for when I do another review of books that are part of a series.

Nyssa · 06-19-2011, 08:15 AM

Excellent thread so far. I am horrible at writing reviews. My instinct is to write about the story itself, but I don't want to add spoilers, so it all gets boiled down to: "The story was really good" or "I didn't enjoy that at all". Those are not the types of reviews I want to read, so I'm really not happy that they are the kind that I write.

As one who often browses reviews (especially of authors I do not know), I tend to take a sampling of the best (5-stars) and the worst (1-star), starting with the worst first. One of the things that drives me crazy is when a reviewer doesn't know the value of the stars. Just yesterday I read a glowing 1-star review. Why do people do that? Even a glowing 3-star review gives me pause; its almost as if the person is saying "I don't want people to think I liked this book as much as I really did".

I do like when reviewers refine their rating in the post (3.5, 4.5) it tells me that something about the book adds a little edge, and should be given an extra chance.

benham · 06-19-2011, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

What do you mean by that? What person who recommended the book?

Most of the books I read are authors recommended by someone on a reader's forum. Even on hear someone recommends the books to be reviewed. They do that because they enjoyed the books and want others to enjoy them too. But this is a forum, not face to face. Well intended remarks can be taken in a way that were not intended.

Xanthe · 06-19-2011, 11:06 AM

What do I look for in a book review?

I look to see if the reviewer has actually read the book or just copied the book jacket blurb.

I look to see if the reviewer had any emotional investment in the book, if they give a sense of whether they enjoyed the book or not - not merely the words telling me they did or didn't.

I look to see if they are just reciting what they read, or if they are trying to entice the reader into reading the book, or conversely, warning the reader away for specific reasons.

When I write a review on Amazon, I try to personalize it, to make it into a conversation as if I was telling a friend about the book or whatever I am reviewing. Unless the synopsis of the book has already been mentioned numerous times, I'll give a brief summary of the key points. I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. I try to convey my gut response to the book - if I enjoyed it, if I disliked it, if I learned something from it, etc. I also try to give the reasons for my reaction so people can perceive any bias on my part that I might not even be aware of.

Examples:

A scissor review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R32WUEU...cm_cr_rdp_perm

My review of "Hounded": http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UGPLD...cm_cr_rdp_perm

vulcan_girl · 06-19-2011, 11:36 AM

I don't mind a rehash of the book, especially if it's one that I haven't read. Four or five sentences, or more depending on the length of the book will do. If you put spoilers in your review, use spoiler tags. I don't care about the literary merits of the book, I just want to know if you liked it or not, and why - this is the most important part of the review for me.

06-18-2011, 03:40 PM	#20
lestatar LB's lolz Mutt Minion Posts: 2,902 Karma: 5700001 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hong Kong now but NYC forever Device: Kindle3, GalaxyTab, BB Bold9700, BB 8300, Sony Clie, Palm Vx, Palm III	Good question and interesting thread IMO. my 2cents: TBH, I generally don't care too much what any reviewer says about anything. I will read/watch/buy whatever the hell I want and have long since stopped caring what some invisible person might say/feel/think. I ain't them, they ain't me and they sure ain't buying me the book/movie ticket/clothing/dinner/etc. While a reviewer's opinion will not necessarily sway me one way or the other, I do enjoy reading amusing, literate, tongue-in-cheek writing that I feel doesn't patronize me or go out of its way to criticize the subject matter being reviewed. For most reviews, I tend to look for facts where possible [e.g. restaurant prices, movie lengths, excessive typos in books, etc]. I detest reviewers that try to come off as "the smartest person in the room" or who consistently ridicule the work of others in an effort to make themselves appear more clever. Really? You hated Matrix 2? Gee, let's see you do better - don't tell me...show me. So, FWIW, I say be honest, have a sense of humour ahout things and try to be as objective as possible about the subject matter, all without trying desperately to be oh-so-clever. Not giving away major plot points and posting spoilers is simply common sense and a matter of common courtesy to me as well. Last edited by lestatar; 06-18-2011 at 03:43 PM.

06-19-2011, 06:46 AM	#25
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	I have to pretty much agree with most here... 1) Little to no summary of the book. The author typically provides that on the back book, or listing description. Now if the author's provide summary is poor repenstation of the work that should be covered. 2) If something is horribly wrong (ie the author writes like I would with out an editor LOL!) with grammar, spelling, or etc such that it impacts the ability to understand what is written, then that should be covered, however if the author merely misspelled 3 words in the 80k word work, then let it go... 3) Any key points of suspense should not be mentioned. I.e. I hate when the reviewer mentions that so and so did some action, when 1/2 the book is about the discovery of who did such action. Be careful this is easy to do accidentally. For example "Jack's description of the scene where Michael kills Beverly was masterfully written" as a description of a murder mystery.... 4) Who would enjoy the work? Is it great for teen girls facing relationship problems or perhaps adults that are looking for an escape back to the worlds of their childhood? Any warnings like "Parents may not want children to read this book due to its glorification of hard drugs" 5) If its a series, does the work stand on its own, or should the perspective reader go and get the full series before starting? Anyways... just some thoughts... Last edited by VydorScope; 06-19-2011 at 06:49 AM.

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06-17-2011, 08:19 PM	#16
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,610 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	I think this blog has reviews that are really fun to read. Sometimes I find them long and overly spoilery, but that seems to be part of the fun. I write reviews here (since some people enjoyed my book journal and told me to start blogging). While most of my reviews are short, conversational, and snarky, I sometimes vary it up by delving deeper.

06-18-2011, 03:56 AM	#17
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Thanks for all the great feedback. There's lots of very interesting points to consider. In general I use the blurb from the back of the book as the summary, but keep that separate from my review. Then I focus on what I liked in the book (characters, setting etc.) ending with a brief verdict.

06-18-2011, 12:03 PM	#18
KierstenFay Author Posts: 40 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kindle	First off, it would be good to state what you expected of the book before reading it. Did the book live up to expectations? Or fall a little flat? Perhaps then a basic—not too revealing—summary with opinions of characters, and on the writing style. There should be some good points, as well as bad. I've actually purchased a book based on a bad review. What the reader didn't like was exactly what interested me in the book. The review should offer some sort of conclusion as to what the reader got out of the book, and if they themselves would recommend it or not. That's the kind of review that helps me decide if a book is worth it.

06-18-2011, 03:16 PM	#19
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Ok, just posted my latest review - Bad Blood by Amanda Coetzee. I would love some feedback, if you guys get the chance.

06-18-2011, 03:47 PM	#21
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	I agree completely with what you've said. I make up my own mind on what to buy (or not). Where I do find reviews (more importantly book bloggers) very helpful is when it comes to discovering new authors or novels you wouldn't normally have come across. I've got a couple of blogs I follow and they tend to like the same type of stuff I enjoy. If they review a new novel and like it, I'm more or less certain that I'd enjoy it as well.

06-18-2011, 09:27 PM	#22
benham Guru Posts: 882 Karma: 5565888 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Townsend, WI Device: Palm TX, PRS-505 (BLUE)	This is a really good thread. I am not good with reviews and they are always short. You just want to be careful not to offend the person that recommended the book.

06-19-2011, 01:58 AM	#24
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I tend to look at what the reviewer says about the structure of the book. Is it well written or does it look sloppy. Is there a working TOC or isn't there. And of course if it does have a working TOC is it easy to use it or do problems show up when you try to use it. Also of course I look at the blurb about the story and see what (if anything) the reviewer says about it.

06-19-2011, 07:17 AM	#26
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Those are some great points. Especially no 5. I'll have to remember that for when I do another review of books that are part of a series.

06-19-2011, 08:15 AM	#27
Nyssa Series Addict Posts: 6,180 Karma: 167189477 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Florida, USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite (2nd Gen)	Excellent thread so far. I am horrible at writing reviews. My instinct is to write about the story itself, but I don't want to add spoilers, so it all gets boiled down to: "The story was really good" or "I didn't enjoy that at all". Those are not the types of reviews I want to read, so I'm really not happy that they are the kind that I write. As one who often browses reviews (especially of authors I do not know), I tend to take a sampling of the best (5-stars) and the worst (1-star), starting with the worst first. One of the things that drives me crazy is when a reviewer doesn't know the value of the stars. Just yesterday I read a glowing 1-star review. Why do people do that? Even a glowing 3-star review gives me pause; its almost as if the person is saying "I don't want people to think I liked this book as much as I really did". I do like when reviewers refine their rating in the post (3.5, 4.5) it tells me that something about the book adds a little edge, and should be given an extra chance.

06-19-2011, 11:06 AM	#29
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	What do I look for in a book review? I look to see if the reviewer has actually read the book or just copied the book jacket blurb. I look to see if the reviewer had any emotional investment in the book, if they give a sense of whether they enjoyed the book or not - not merely the words telling me they did or didn't. I look to see if they are just reciting what they read, or if they are trying to entice the reader into reading the book, or conversely, warning the reader away for specific reasons. When I write a review on Amazon, I try to personalize it, to make it into a conversation as if I was telling a friend about the book or whatever I am reviewing. Unless the synopsis of the book has already been mentioned numerous times, I'll give a brief summary of the key points. I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. I try to convey my gut response to the book - if I enjoyed it, if I disliked it, if I learned something from it, etc. I also try to give the reasons for my reaction so people can perceive any bias on my part that I might not even be aware of. Examples: A scissor review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R32WUEU...cm_cr_rdp_perm My review of "Hounded": http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UGPLD...cm_cr_rdp_perm

06-19-2011, 11:36 AM	#30
vulcan_girl Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 1010345 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: PRS 350	I don't mind a rehash of the book, especially if it's one that I haven't read. Four or five sentences, or more depending on the length of the book will do. If you put spoilers in your review, use spoiler tags. I don't care about the literary merits of the book, I just want to know if you liked it or not, and why - this is the most important part of the review for me.