book review format

book review format

The Importance of Book Reviews

1. Introduction

Book reviews are the key to the incredible treasure of books. As we all know, today writing a book has become an easy process and everyone has written at least one book, but to have complete strangers to read and critique your work is no simple task. As difficult as it may be for authors, it is something that must be done. Books are meant to be read by people, and more often than not, they offer some sort of message or aim to teach the reader an important lesson. An author would not go through the trouble of writing a book, and then publishing it, if he did not think it was worth reading. This is one of the main reasons why authors try to get book reviews. They want to know if the book is worth their time and effort in writing, and also if it is worth the readers’ time. In today’s modern times of advanced technology, book reviews are sometimes not given the attention that they deserve. There are hundreds of books published on a daily basis, but how many of them are actually reviewed? Book reviews can be one of the most effective ways of advertising a book. If the review is good, it can definitely attract more readers. As well, it is always good to have feedback from the reader as to what could be improved in the book. A good review can help boost the writer’s morale and motivate him to continue to write and improve. He knows that there are readers out there that value his work, and he does not want to disappoint them. On the other hand, a bad review is not the end of the world. It is just the goal of the reviewer to express what he did not like about the book. The author can take constructive criticism and use it to better himself for his next piece of work. So as said before, a book review is necessary regardless of what it says.

2. Benefits of Book Reviews

But it is my contention that academic reviews still perform an important service which is not always carried out by newer forms of critique. In a crowded marketplace, reviews can help to signal the existence of a book to its potential audience and also it can help to signal the content and quality of a book to its potential readers. This is very much the case for writing in fields which are off the beaten track. For example, a few reviews in scholarly journals did a great deal towards the success of Histories of Borneo by Victor T. King. On two occasions, King was given a fairly substantial and serious critique in the pages of Indonesia which helped him to re-emphasize to his fellow social scientists the importance of the comparative method in his work and to address some serious doubts which had been expressed by historians. The thin spreading of work at the boundaries of disciplines means that it is often read by only a tiny cognate minority. In this case, the author or editor may well want to draw the work to the attention of persons active in kindred fields, a job which reviews in a few specialist journals may perform better than anything else.

There are many reasons why key journals in your field may wish to embark upon reviewing books, not least because they provide introductions to new material, but for some time now scholars and libraries have been questioning whether the game is worth the candle. There is a view that the publishing of scholarly reviews is an ornamental irrelevance. If you are going to read reviews at all, you want to know whether the book is worth reading, and these days the easiest way to discover this is to go and look at it yourself on Amazon. If you have already decided to read the book, to cite it, or it is very directly relevant to your work or teaching, again the modern answer is in many cases to turn to the internet and calendar a Google session. Many people believe that the days when scholars found new books through consultation of review journals are over. Finally, the view is common that dark hints in some quarters to the effect that ‘inappropriate’ frankness in a review can result in legal action serve to make scholars nervous about writing or publishing honest critical appraisals.

3. Elements of a Good Book Review

Elements of a good book review. A good book review should leave the reader with a clear impression of the book, the reviewer’s opinion, and a sense of whether the book is worth reading. In order to generate such an impression, you may need to pay a little bit more attention to the details of the book. Take time to form a detailed understanding of the book before you write your review. Having an understanding of the book will help you consistently address the book’s substance when you write. This will help avoid vague and general statements. When reviewing, it is not important whether you enjoyed the book. Some reviewers are glowing when they write about a book they like and are cutting when they write about a book they hate. It is more impressive if you can maintain the same tone throughout the review, describing strengths and weaknesses of the book. A good reviewer will not only describe this reasoning but will offer evidence to support it. Offering evidence is crucial for forming an opinion that people will be interested in reading. Without evidence, comments are just more general statements. This is one of the principles of “writing to learn”. By writing a review, a person has a deeper understanding of a book. With evidence on the table, the reviewer’s opinion will be heard and contested by others; this discourse leads to better comprehension of the book.

4. Tips for Writing an Effective Book Review

First, know some information about the author, like some of his other books and some basic knowledge on the author. If possible, read other reviews, especially those that were well received. Reading the reviews that others have done can help you get a feel for the flow and flavor of reviews. You can also get a good idea of the structural points. (Just don’t plagiarize.) When you start reading the book you’ve chosen, try to absorb the material, the atmosphere, and the flow. After you finish reading the book, you can move to the next step, brainstorming. During this phase it’s important to include a variety of ideas ranging from descriptive to other people’s views on this certain topic. The second step is to organize your ideas. Think of the ideas that have the most depth and that can be used to create a variety of different opinions. One that has enough depth can be a good element to bring in opposing opinions and is interesting to many people is the best idea to turn into a thesis. A thesis is essential to any form of writing. Create a list of ideas that can be used to back up the thesis and one that would refute the thesis. This can be used to create a strong argument and a solid piece of writing. A strongly argued review is helpful to both the author and other readers. The third step is to write a rough draft. It’s important to write a rough draft without overly critiquing your work. You can always change it later and a mindset of only trying to create the best piece will hinder the creative process. After finishing the rough draft, set it aside for a day or so before revisiting it. This will help you re-evaluate your work with a fresh pair of eyes. After re-evaluating your work edit and rewrite. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Any good piece of writing comes from a good amount of preparation and revision. Practice proofreading, as it is very important for good writing. We’re finally on the last step. Publish the review and avidly seek feedback. The ability of good writing comes from perseverance and determination. You might not get the feedback you want but any criticism received is helpful to improve your skills. Don’t be disheartened by “flaming”. There are all kinds of people, good and bad. If people react negatively, use it as a base to change what you believe is correct and just ignore what you see to be spam. Always remember, determination is the key to reaching your goals. Step back and think of the hard work you’ve put in and how it’s improved your skills. Your thoughts. Now, blow it off! Create a kickback and share your thoughts with others like you. You’ve achieved, now relax. You’ve definitely earned it.

5. Conclusion

It is clear these days that there is not a writer who does not have an opinion of something. Whether the reviews are positive or negative, they have to be read, because it is important to see what people think of the material. Sometimes a negative review can be the complete opposite of what you stated about the material, and thus, you can learn from that. Book reviews help books to get exposure. One of the greatest problems in the literary world is that there are so many good books getting published that go unread. A review can create a hype about the book. Whether it is a good review or a bad review, that review has made that book more widely known enabling more people to form an opinion on the book. Finally, writing reviews is a good way for the average reader to become involved in scholarly discourse. It is often a lonely life for the bibliophile. Many are filled with thought and ideas about the literature they have read, but they never get a chance to express them. Writing a simple review can enable one to become part of a dialogue on the piece. Also, nothing shows a good understanding of the material like summing it up in a review in a few hundred words.