How to review books question

[Kari]

I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to write good book reviews. I can sometimes seem to write a good one. I want to eventually be able to join NetGalley, but have to really get my blog/reviews established and better first.

Thanks!

[Beth]

An intresting question. I'm anxious to read the responces that you get

[Elle]

It depends on the type of book and target audience.

A rough outline is always good then obviously what you liked and what you didn't like.

I don't think there is a formula, but the reviews I like to read the most have a lot of the writers personality in them, not just facts about the book.

Also good to start a discussion about something raised in the book.

[Christie]

Have you found reviews you really like? You might want to use those as a template. Many reviewers break the review into areas like: plot, characters, believability, page turner, and so on.

If you find a review that stands out to you, ask yourself why. What did you like about the review. If you use a template you like, chances are others will too, and you will attract readers to your blog that are like minded.

Good luck.

[Sheri, Bookworm]

I go into writing a review with the idea that I'm telling a friend about the book. When I re-read what I've written it should give them an overview of the book and why I think they should read it. Thinking of it like that helps me to make it more personal too...talking to a friend rather than writing a report.

[Christie]

That's a great idea, Sheri!

[Renetta]

I can give a couple suggestions for what not to do! Do not write one when you're too tired and don't wait too long after reading the book. Two mistakes I'm learning from. I'm pretty new here so I'm in the learning process. Mistakes are currently my specialty! I'm glad I found this thread. :)

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

A review is more useful to me as a reader if some pros and cons on why you did or did not enjoy, including any personal preferences reviewer has that another reader might not share. Always more than great/awful comments needed and reviews that do extreme rant or raves are not helpful without details.

[Mirvan.]

I usually do not summarize or narrate the book anymore. The summary is already doing that. I go straight to how the book made me feel or its impact on me. I talk about what I like about the book or what I did not enjoy about it. Sometimes I compare the book to other books I have read or books that the book that I am reviewing reminded me of.

[Yzabel]

I usually give 2-3 reasons why I liked the book/why I didn't like it. Unless a book is absolutely excellent or abysmally bad, I always have something positive and something negative to say, if only to mention editing problems, for instance (they won't bother some people, but they will be for anyone trained to notice mistakes).

I very seldom summarize plots in my reviews—GR and most booksellers' websites already do that well enough—but I do it when the novel is brand new, because I know that it won't be so well-known, and that the people who see my review may not have read anything at all about the book before.

On the other hand, I try to keep my reviews short—3-4 paragraphs at the most. Long blocks of text on a screen tend to send a lot of viewers, myself included, into skimming after a while, so I want the essential information to be available quickly. (Yes, I'm a lazy bum, I know.)

[Kari]

These are all great ideas! Thank you so much.

[Lynxie]

I never write a synopsis or plot outline of the book (here on GR/Amazon/wherever the book information is readily available to the public, so you're just adding bulk to your review that is unneeded!) I always try to include things I liked, things I didn't like.

General feelings about the writing style/characters and their development. Also information about how a book made me feel and my reactions to it.

I also tend to include any typos or errors in the book too, but that's only because most of what I read is written by indie authors and often they don't catch them all, even when they hire an editor. It's just one more thing I can do to help them get closer to that elusive perfect manuscript! :D

[Mollie!]

Lynxie wrote: "I never write a synopsis or plot outline of the book..."

Definitely agree with Lynxie on this one. Except for key points to emphasize what I'm saying, I don't include summaries because, well, they're already on there.
It's hard to get people to comment on your reviews--believe me, I've been trying since this summer and have had mild success on GR and my blog--but stay true to your voice. Ultimately, that's what sets reviewers apart for me. If they inject humor/sarcasm/wit the way they would in real life, then I stay interested in their reviews.

I'll start following you though, sometimes we all need a little help!