This fun hop is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
This week's question:
Are your reviews more of a rehash of the story or do you comment on writing style, characters, and reflection?
My response:
Before I respond, I should explain that I like to know as little as possible before I read a book, so I can experience it with a totally open mind. If I know too much about the plot, or about a plot twist or something (or I've heard a bunch of spoilers), I find that while I read I'm busy wondering when that twist is coming, or wondering when some event will happen, and I feel distracted from the reading.
I've also found that many book summaries from publishing companies give away a lot of what happens in the book - in fact, that happened to me with a recent NetGalley read. It was a bummer, because if I hadn't known what to expect, I think the book would have been much more effective. I still enjoyed the book, but I would have preferred not to know so much, so I could have discovered it on my own, as I read.
So because of that, I do whatever I can to avoid spoilers of any kind on my book blog. Consequently, I do more of the latter type of review. My reviews are usually pretty brief and are more about my overall, general impression of the book. I try to comment on specifics of writing style if there is something that jumped out at me, or focus on the characters I enjoy - stuff like that.
How do you create your reviews?
THANKS for stopping by my blog hop.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Don't give away the plot but do give your opinion.
I like to focus on the characters and the author's writing style and comment on why someone might like the book. For example, they might like the book because it is historical fiction or a difficult-to-figure-out mystery. :)
Happy Easter and Happy Hopping!!
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog Hop Answer
The book jacket copy is often completely spoilery! I can't help reading it though. (As I told Elizabeth, sometimes I even read the end of the book first...I also read epilogues, acknowledgements, etc. I don't know where this strange habit comes from!) In writing a review, I try to include some plot summary but not too much. It's an art to get in just enough!
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