too long?

[Cheryl, first facilitator]

How long should a review be? What factors make the answer to that question vary?

I personally don't read every word of most long reviews, but if it's about a book I really liked, or by someone I know writes interestingly*, or is very clearly laid out, I'm more patient.

*Of course we all have different definitions of 'interestingly,' too....

[Sarah]

I think a review should be at least 3 paragraphs long.

Short plot blurb and author facts (nix if on a website that has the plot right there)

Setting/genre/characters.

Impressions/Recommend or no.

I'm thinking now that I might start bolding things that are hit points that I think are most important so people can skim my reviews more easily.

[Pamela(AllHoney)]

My reviews if you can call them that are normally extremely short. I rarely discuss the actual plot at all in my attempt to ensure I don't spill any spoilers. But I enjoy reading those that are 2 or 3 paragraphs long and sometimes longer depending on content. Those that seem to recap the plot and go into too much detail are ones I will skim over to get to the pertinent stuff. I also love those ones that take it a step further and offer "extras" like pictures of people or places.

[Debra]

Sarah wrote: "I think a review should be at least 3 paragraphs long.

Short plot blurb and author facts (nix if on a website that has the plot right there)

Setting/genre/characters.

Impressions/Recommend or no..."

I like your points. I think I'm going to start keeping a sheet of paper and pen handy when I'm reading a book so I can jot down specific pros and cons as I go along. I tend to forget key points by the end of the book.

[Cheryl, first facilitator]

I use book darts - http://bookdarts.com/ - to mark passages of the book I want to refer to in my review.

But usually my reviews are short because I'd rather be reading than writing. Maybe too short sometimes. I'll have to think about being a bit more expansive, at least when there aren't a lot of other reviews already.

(I also use them to mark things I want to look up later, like websites or vocabulary words. I've no affiliation with the maker but I love the product and recommend them to everyone! :)