Tag: Book Reviews

What is something you wish writers knew about readers?

Bookish Question #266 | What is something you wish writers knew about readers?

Tough question, because not all writers are the same (just as not all readers are the same), and because writers should also readers. And if writers are also readers, they should be able to think like readers.

Despite this, there are a few things I wish writers knew (or remembered) about readers.

I have been reviewing Christian fiction for over ten years, so it’s probably no surprise that both points are related to reviewing.

1. Readers (especially fiction readers) read for entertainment.

Yes, we may also read to learn or to be mentally challenged, but there are other ways of learning or being mentally challenged. The fact we’ve chosen to read a book (especially a novel) is to be entertained.

2. If we are reading for entertainment, then our reviews are going to reflect that.

I recently saw an author share an article on the 13 points to include in a book review (and they weren’t obvious things like the book title and author).

It’s hard to get readers to turn into reviewers, so writers shouldn’t make it harder by making rules around what is or isn’t a good review. That’s going to turn reviewing into a chore … which is going to turn reading into a chore.

Turning reading into a chore is the fast way to turn readers into nonreaders … the last thing writers want.

3. We want to write honest reviews.

Readers want to be able to give our honest opinions of the books we read without worrying if the author is going to be offended.

There are several authors I’ve “met” on social media who I really like as people, but whose books are not to my personal reading taste. It is no reflection on your competence as a writer or your value as a person or as a Christian if I don’t like one or all of your books. So please don’t get upset if a reader (me or someone else) doesn’t like your book.

Maybe we’ll read and like your next one. Maybe we won’t. But calling out a reader for having a “wrong” opinion will not get that reader to read your next book.

What about you? What do you wish writers knew (or remembered) about readers?

Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

Bookish Question #234 | Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

Do I read book reviews before buying a book?

Sometimes.

A lot of the books I read are advance review copies. As such, there aren’t any reviews to read 🙂

Other books I buy are from authors I’ve read before, particularly books which are part of a series. This is why a lot of authors write books in series—if someone reads and enjoys the first book, they’re likely to buy the next book without bothering to read the reviews.

I do read reviews when it comes to checking out books from authors I haven’t read before.

If the cover and description interest me, I’ll check out the star rating and read a few reviews. But it’s not usually the views that influence whether I buy a book or not. It’s the writing—that all-important Kindle sample.

But that’s only relevant when I’m already on Amazon and looking up specific titles or authors I already know about.

How do I discover new authors?

That’s often through reviews on other book review sites. That’s when I do read reviews, and those reviews will often persuade me to check out the book and download the sample.

What about you? Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

Do you write to authors if you love a book?

Bookish Question #174 | Do you write to authors if you love a book?

No …

I’ve never been great at writing letters (which might sound weird, given I write blog posts …). So no, I don’t write to authors if I love a book. On the other hand, I also don’t write to author if I don’t like their book.

It’s one thing to interrupt an author’s real or virtual mailbox with a compliment. It’s something else to invade their privacy with an unsolicited rant detailing everything wrong with their book.

I do offer manuscript assessments as an editing service, but that’s different. With a manuscript assessment, an author has specifically engaged me and paid me to read and critique their book. Even then, I aim to give specific feedback and offer solutions, not deliver a detailed rant.

But kind of …

I do write book reviews.

Authors sometimes approach me and ask me to review their book. If so, I do send them an email with a link to my review. Does that count as writing to them? I don’t think so.

However, I consider book reviews to be writing to readers (or potential readers), not to authors. I know some authors read their reviews, but I’m not writing to them or for them. I’m writing to and for readers.

But I will write a glowing review if I love a book. I will recommend the book and author to other readers. I may even mention the author when I post my review on social media. That alerts them to my review, but it’s not specifically writing to them.

So no, I don’t write to authors if I love a book. Not specifically. Instead, I tell others.

What about you? Do you write to authors if you love a book?

Have you written book reviews?

Bookish Question #59 | Have you written book reviews?

Yes! I write book reviews.

500 Book Reviews

I don’t know exactly how many book reviews I’ve written. I have over 600 reviews published on NetGalley (they gave me a new badge at 500!), 800 published on Amazon US and on Goodreads. My original book review blog has exactly 1,000 posts, although not all of those posts are book reviews. I also used to post reviews on the now-retired Suspense Sisters Reviews. Those have now been deleted, so I’m reposting them here as #ThrowbackThursday posts.

It’s ironic that I’ve written and published so many reviews. I loathed writing book reviews at school, because they cut into my reading time. Our teacher gave us half an hour of reading time each day, and wanted us to review each book we read. Well, I read in my spare time, so I seemed to spend all my class time writing reviews when everyone else was doing what I’d rather be doing—reading. And we had to write our reviews in a certain format, which took longer than if I’d been able to write whatever I wanted.

Writing online reviews is easy in comparison!

Do you write book reviews? Why, or why not?

What Makes a Good Book Review?

Bookish Question #14 | What Makes a Good Book Review?

The objective of a book review is to help a potential reader decide whether or not they will like a particular book.

Should they spend their hard-earned money buying this book? Is it worth their time to read? My time is valuable. I don’t want to waste hours reading a bad book, even a free book, when I could have been doing something more enjoyable (like scrubbing the toilet, or better still, reading a good book).

So I read reviews to make sure I’m not wasting my time. And I write reviews to help others in the same way.

But what makes a good book review?

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that there are five main aspects that contribute to my enjoyment of a book, and these are the questions I try to address when I write a review:

Plot

Does the plot make sense? Do the sub-plots add to the overall story? Is it believable? Is it original, or do I feel I’ve read it before?
Characters

Do I like the characters? Are they people I’d want to know and spend time with in real life? Or are they too-stupid-to-live clichés?

Genre

Does the book conform to the expectations of the genre? If it’s Christian fiction, does the protagonist show clear progression in their Christian walk? If it’s romance, is there an emotionally satisfying ending? If it’s fantasy or science fiction, has the author succeeded in convincing me the world they have created is real?

Writing and editing

With many books, especially those from small publishers or self-published authors problems with the writing or editing take me out of the story (like a heroin wearing a high-wasted dress). Bad writing or insufficient editing makes a book memorable for all the wrong reasons.

The Wow! Factor

Some books, very few, have that extra something that makes them memorable for the right reasons. The Wow! factor is usually a combination of a unique plot and setting, likeable and intelligent characters (I loathe stupid characters), and a distinct and readable writing style, or ‘voice’. This is highly subjective and other readers might not agree with my taste. And that’s okay.

Some reviewers, especially Christian reviewers, are of the view that “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”, or that a positive review is building up God’s Kingdom.

I see their point, but I don’t entirely agree.

I don’t believe God’s Kingdom is built on second-rate work.

Praising books with basic writing faults encourages mediocrity, and we should be aiming to give God our best. This takes a combination of (God-given) talent and (our) hard work. I say this as a reviewer, and as an aspiring fiction writer.
Readers deserve to know whether a book is worth their time and money. Even a free book takes several hours to read, hours the reader can never get back, so the book needs to be good enough to justify that time.
I believe it’s important to be truthful and honest in my reviews.  It’s also important to understand that honest may not be positive. But it’s only my opinion. You might disagree—and that’s great.
Going forward, I’m going to focus on reviewing books I like and can recommend, based on the above criteria. Because that’s what I think makes a good book review. It’s what I look for in reviews I read, and it’s what I seek to write.
What do you think makes a good book review?