Having just launched this blog I've been thinking a lot about the type of content I want to create for the wonderful people who take the time to read what I have to say. One of the things I decided early on is that I want to feature at least one book review a week, not only because I want to showcase the work of other authors, but also because I'd love a place where great discussions about books can hopefully develop. To that end I've been thinking a lot about reviews lately and decided to introduce a five part series on book reviews to share my thoughts. In the process of determining what is best for my blog I've also visited tons of truly fabulous book blogs to see what others are doing and what their readers enjoy.
One of the first problems I faced when sitting down to write my initial book reviews (which consisted of sitting at my laptop, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and trying to figure out how best to express all I wanted to say) was determining the structure I wanted to use. Summaries are always helpful, but of course a review is supposed to be more than that. So how to let readers know what a book is about and my opinion on it without being boring? I think--hope--I'm developing a book review structure that sufficiently addresses the need to be detailed without being too wordy or boring. By avoiding any long summaries by moi I can focus on my thoughts of the book, which can also be problematic when trying to avoid spoilers.
So far I've decided to directly address Plot and Characters in subsections of my book reviews, although I'm also considering adding a place for Romance. As most of the books I read do have love stories I thought it would be fun going forward to have a few lines addressing this aspect, mostly because a good love story can make or break a book for me. Another recent addition to my reviews (something I'll admit I noticed on other book blogs and loved) is the inclusion of the First Line, a great way to get a fun teaser and a little bit of a feel of the type of writing one can expect throughout the novel.
One of the final aspects of the book review structure I struggled with was whether or not to include a star rating. So far I've decided not to. Determining how to give a star rating in a clear, fair way seems problematic to me. Does a five star have to be a totally perfect book or just one I thoroughly enjoyed? If a book is okay, not great, and one I wouldn't read again does that deserve two stars or three? The entire system seems a bit complicated to me, so I've decided against it at the moment.
I'd love to hear your opinions on how reviews are structured, what you like to see when reading a review (or what you like to include when writing one), and what you think about the star rating system!
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I include a star rating as part of my reviews, but I do think they're very subjective, which is why they are now situated at the end of my posts (instead of at the beginning, which is what I used to do). Hopefully then my readers will have gotten more from my written text than the actual rating. Honestly, I'm not sure if I have a structure I follow every time. My reviews do change around a lot! I do try to address the plot and characters each time though. Romance is usually a part of my reviews too as most of the books I read have an element of romance. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea, leaving the star rating until the end so there's an explanation to go with it.
DeleteI like your structure very much. It is straightforward and well organized. I think a star rating system is tough too. What does it mean? Is it based on whether you liked the book? Would recommend it? Would read the author again? Based off of the stars you've given previous books? I think I have a headache.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And I kind of feel the same way about a star rating, stressful to figure out lol
DeleteThis is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. I follow the blog So Obsessed With, and I love the format she uses for each and every review: Review Format. I tried to do something along the same lines with one of my reviews, so I included: cover, voice/character(s), swoon (romance), story/plot, quote(s), and just a general thought (in this case, a suggestion). I'd like to work that into some kind of reusable format, because it made things a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteAs for a star rating, I totally agree with you that it's difficult to really figure out. I've given books 5-stars on Goodreads that weren't the best writing-wise, but they were really interesting. Similarly, I've read really well-written books that just didn't do it for me. What star rating do you give a book like that? So I don't bother. :)
Some really good points! Love the idea of a "Swoon Factor"!
DeleteSome very good points, I need to go check out your reviews to see how everything is set up.
ReplyDeleteThanks :) Let me know what you think.
DeleteGreat post, I use the rating system that B&N, Amazon and Goodreads have but with coffee cups..and it like my review is an opinion of how I felt about the book. I break my review up too..it goes something like intro , which includes, genre,series info and how i felt about it. Then I do a set up (no spoilers), characters are next, then the world, then my summary. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteI think your reviews are great!
DeleteAwesome post, Anna! I structure my review with cover, story, characters review plus an overall review! I also put my ratings with the highest one being 5 stars (like Goodreads) but I use Forget-Me-Not flowers instead! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this lovely post with us, Anna! ♥
fantastic pics!
ReplyDeleteRegarding structure...whenever I write book reviews, I devote a section to a synopsis (plot), then describe and/or compare/contrast the plot and characters with similar books, and sum the review up with my personal opinion. :)
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