So how do I approach my reviews and what character am I? I never have been, nor will I ever be a Charlie Brown. Nobody involved in this process has the time for that! I know that I am not a Schroeder. I try to look for at least one thing in each book that stands out to me personally, and then I build my review around that. I will mention plot and characters, but usually briefly, and even then it is dependent on the genre of the book. I am definitely not a Lucy; I don’t retell the plot. In fact, that type is probably one of my biggest pet peeves, especially when it comes to psychological thrillers. There is a special place for people who don’t know the meaning of “Spoiler Alert” (but that’s a different rant for a different day). I’ve already illustrated how I have been a Snoopy, and I’m probably guilty of a being a Linus here or there. But if I can recognize that in myself and my writing, and realize how potential readers view it, I can only improve on my book review skills.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m relatively new to writing reviews, but I’ve always been a reader of them, especially if the reviewer is someone I know and I trust their opinion on other things. I do think that is an important aspect to reviewing that cannot be ignored. If someone can write a review that brings other people to an author, then their writing can be viewed as trustworthy, which will in turn lead to more people following that reviewer, which will lead to more people picking up authors who are new to them. It’s like that shampoo commercial from the 80’s: You tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on…. Word of mouth is everything. Just make sure that the words you’re sharing can make a difference and that you keep it fresh. As Lev Grossman said, “I mean, when you’re tired of book reviews, you’re tired of life.”
ON BOOK REVIEWS CONTINUED...