► Book Reviews 101

So, you like books. Maybe you read a lot, and you feel really strongly about them. I bet you want to blog about them, don't you? Or maybe you just want to write a nice review on Goodreads, to encourage (or discourage!) people to read the book you just did. C'mon, admit it. Of course I won't laugh! If you don't feel you can write a quality review, I'm here to help! Often, all you really need are some tips and a boost of confidence - lucky you, I can provid some of both!

First things first, this is not a book report for school. Throw away all those preconceived notions. Never open your review with something like "I'm reviewing False Awakening[1] by Ashlie L'Homme." Do not say something like, "It's a fantasy about a girl who exists in two different worlds - one while she's awake and one while she's asleep." Nothing about that is entertaining, let alone engaging. People read to know what a book is about, if it's good, what it's high and low points are - but they also want to be entertained, or they'll go find a new review!

And while we're talking about openings, I'll share a bit of advice with you I learned from my years of journalism. NEVER, EVER BEGIN WITH A QUESTION. Ever. Questions seek people out, and you are not looking for a specific audience, but to reach out to everyone. If you ask "Have you ever felt trapped in your dreams?" you will likely lose a lot of your audience. If they don't remember dreams, or haven't ever felt that way, you've lost their interest. Capture them with your first lines and continue to lure them in. 

TAKE NOTES

My first tip applies to your reading process: ALWAYS TAKE NOTES AS YOU READ. This is probably the best thing you can do, and will help you the most. I confess to not always doing this - especially if I'm caught up in a book (and trust that I regret it when I sit down to write my review, too!) Take note of quotes you love (and dislike), moments you like or hate. When you write, this will be important, because being able to use points enforces ideas.

You can tell people something is badly written, a character is droll, a plot is awful, but to back it up with proof shows readers. Likewise, what good is saying, "I loved Annie!" if you don't say why you do? Tell us traits and actions that readers can see. As long as they aren't spoilers, you can use quotes, too. When used strategically, the quotes can help tell your review, or prove your points! It's a simple concept, and one easily taken care of. 

 ORGANIZATION IS KEY

When you sit down to write, remember the order in which you write is important. Including a brief synopsis or set up of the book towards the beginning is useful. Readers get a quick run down of what the book is about and it sets the scene for you. Less work telling! The keyword is brief, though - remember it is not a book report. You don't need a detailed retelling of the book. Your job is only to engage the reader and ignite (or douse) their desire to read.

Example:

When insomniac Annie stars having a series of recurring dreams, she thinks something is off - especially because each dream seems to pick up as though the world exists without her. Even stranger for her is the familiarity of the world. The strange Dreamworld she visits nightly is inhabited by people familiar to her, who've dotted numerous dreams before and fill the pages of her diary. But the strangest part is that these people don't seem like recollections of dreams, but memories. Which can't possibly be real. Except, the more Annie visits the world, the harder it becomes to tell which world is real and which is imagination. Even worse than that, though, is the possibility that each world is a separate reality - and eventually she may have to choose between the world from which she comes, and the world in which she feels she belongs. 

And then, you go ahead and write about how you enjoyed or disliked the book - how it lived up to your expectations or came up short and had much to be desired.

Try to be orderly in your review, so your readers don't become confused. Bouncing ideas around is simply too disorienting, and I hardly think I need to explain that to you. I mean, sure, you can do some things out of order, but make sure it's clear! Maybe you open your review talking about how that's the worst cliffhanger ever. Readers are intrigued - we loathe and love cliffhanger endings, especially if they're well done and leave us grappling for more! Move on and discuss the book. In the end, come back to the cliffhanger point - and there you've utilized the full circle effect!

If you find yourself really into an aspect of your review - that's really great! But be careful not to be running away on random tangents. It's really easy to do, and some people just happen to be REALLY good at random tangents. But these are great! So are personal anecdotes and elaborate thoughts and opinions. What ISN'T good is when you start to go off on this tangent and lose direction. In the end, you're left with a cluttered review. If you find this applies to you, try using notes[2]. See what I did there? If you scroll to the bottom of this entry, you'll find a notes section, and corresponding notes apply to the number in the brackets. This is where you can go on and on! Readers get to know you, get to read more of your tangent, but you haven't lost them in the reading! Win for all!  

ENGAGE THE READER

Here's something else that bothers me about most reviews. They're so boring. By that, I mean, they don't engage me, the reader, at all. I have honestly read views that seriously go something like this:

"I really liked False Awakening. The idea was interesting. It was romantic and made made me happy to read. I enjoyed reading it. I also enjoyed Annie. She was so interesting and I felt bad for her. I liked her adventure. It was so interesting. I loved it!"

What did that even tell me?! Do you want to read that book?

Using description and supporting facts really aids you. If you can explain why (and what) you love, what makes things "interesting" (what a generic choice when used on its own!), you already have a picture painted. Is the writing beautiful? Tell me how and give me an example! Are the characters realistic? Is the book riveting? Did the book make you fall in toe-curling love? Once again, this goes for dislike. Don't just say a book is trash and it's the worst thing you've ever read. You haven't convinced me. Tell me how the plot is cliched and overly used and nothing about it feels original. Tell me that the word choice feels like someone opened a thesaurus and tried to use the least commonly used synonyms.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE & OPINION

Remember. This is your review. I want to hear your thoughts and your ideas. How did you feel during and after the books? Were you completely sucked into the book and immersed in the world? Maybe you just couldn't get into it, no matter how hard you wanted to? In the end were you left reeling and breathless and dizzy, or did you have to force yourself to keep reading through obvious "twists" and insulting writing? Maybe you began it in love, but as it went on, your agitation turned into loathing? Tell me! I want to know! What should I expect? Your experience may not be mine, but if I read it, it gives me a clue.

While we're at it, what did you love? Even if you hated the book, did you enjoy anything? Maybe it was that secondary character who felt more real than the stereotyped main cast? This is doubly important, because readers uncertain about a book are looking for a reason to read. Always use examples when you can! Snippets of witty dialogue, fantastic moments, brilliant characters. Tell me more, tell me more!

This goes for criticism, too. Just because you loved a book doesn't mean you didn't like everything - and that's perfectly okay. Maybe you really hated this side character/something the protagonist did/the final choices and ending/the overly mature dialogue/how long some scenes were/how naive so-and-so is/ the romance plot/ the best friend/ a bad portrayal. It's okay to dislike, I promise. No one is ever perfect and the more you explore that, the more you notice it. Go ahead and tell us what you didn't like or what really help up a book. Readers will appreciate it, I promise.

Note: If you were lucky to receive a book as an ARC, you are in no way obligated to write a glowing review. I see so many blogs that seem to love EVERYTHING they EVER get their hands on, and maybe for some people they really do. But sometimes I wonder if people don't just feel obligated to write glowing reviews because they don't want a publisher to never give them another ARC. But here's the thing. Publishers give those books out because they want to know how people feel about the book. I bet, if enough people read False Awakening and loathe the same, mutual aspect of it, they might rethink said aspect. ARCs let readers know if it's even worth it to preorder this book. Don't cheat them out of their money. Tell them the whole story - not just a glowing, raving review of lurve.

THE BENEFITS OF GOOD STYLE

Some people have an incredible talent for comedy or come equipped with wit. I am not one of those people. If you happen to be one, make good use of it! I know so many people who can just SAY things and it has me laughing. Seriously! Use it! Just because you're writing a review doesn't mean you have to be overly formal about it. Certainly, you want enough formality to be taken seriously, but you should sound like you. You have a clear voice and you should channel that. Chances are, you're writing for a blog or Goodreads, so you don't have to worry about journalism professionalism.

If, like me, you happen to be someone who lacks natural entertainment, but you haven't any faith in your abilities, style can be useful!

One of my favorite blogs to lurk is CuddleBuggery - both for her fantastic wit, her sharp tongue, but also for her style. She uses memes (and images in general) to back up her review. Trust me, it's lulzy. Her images are like the asides in television, when sitcom characters break the fourth wall, and typically, they earn a chuckle out of me.

Those who don't feel they're strong in writing can try the break down aspect, like Peace, Love, and Books does. She breaks books down into Initial Thoughts, Writing, Characters, Plot, Other, and Final Thoughts. This helps you as the writer organize everything and prevents overly cluttery reviews.

Over at Hippies, Beauty, and Books, they break their reviews into the First 50 Pages, Their Review, and Their Final Thoughts. This is, personally, one of my least favorite styles, but maybe this is what helps you warm your way up to writing!

Have a look at these blogs, and around at others if you need ideas! Of course, the best way to do it is to just start writing. Write a draft, ask someone to read it. They can likely tell you what you need to work on. And if you want, I (Reader Girl) would be more than willing to look over your reviews. Feel free to email me and I'll have a look at it. But the only way to improve is to DO it. Just like writing, you never improve without effort.

If you have ANY questions, comments, suggestions, or need assistance, don't hesitate to comment! I'd be more than willing to help you out! That's what I wrote this for! I realize this is probably far from a great guide, but it should provide assistance. And I mean it - I will help you if you need it! So, go ahead and ask. But you should probably just get to writing your review! 

NOTES

[1] Uh, you probably noticed. False Awakening is not a real book. It's one of my works-in-progress. I figured, surely, the most unbiased way to utilize a book is to use a fake one, yeah? So, you know, no books were hurt or offended in the writing of this blog! While we're at disclaimers, I cannot promise you will become a perfect reviewer over night. Remember - PRACTICE. Organize! Use support and examples. And ENTERTAIN your reader!


[2] This is an example of a note. It's a great option to utilize. This way, you keep your review from being so cluttery that people don't know what they're reading. Check out Snarky Writer's review of Fallen for a GREAT example of how she has use her notes! Thanks, Snarky Writer, for the idea!