verity book review

verity book review

The Importance of Book Reviews

1. Introduction

Despite the existence of book reviews in the world of literature, in fact, the numbers aren’t very encouraging. Their existence may be huge, but the quality of information is still very low. This can be seen from the unprofessional reviewers, most of whom are just elementary students. They are reviewing complex adult books. Furthermore, no matter how good the book is, are they worth enough to be reviewed and become a guideline for readers to read it?

Book reviews exist to answer these kinds of queries. Their existence can be considered as a mirror of the value of a book. If a book is important enough, there will be dozens of reviews made; conversely, there may be very few reviews.

As a home to the mind, a book carries a key role in human life. The act of reading is quintessential for humans to develop their comprehension and knowledge in a particular field. It is also a medium for individuals to pleasure their time. Nonetheless, the value of a book may differ from one person to another. A book may be significant for certain people, although for others it may be insignificant. Thus, it is very common for people to ask for opinions regarding a book before they read it.

2. Benefits of Book Reviews

Consumers of books (whether print or electronic) frequently depend on book reviews to have the choice to purchase a book. It is anything but an ambiguous practice. However, numerous readers depend intensely on the assessment of specialists, for example, librarians and book experts, others go to their preferred individual book commentators. Purchasers needing to purchase a book have a few assets accessible to them and generally use book audits to figure out whether to make a purchase. Printed distributions, for example, magazines and newspapers have consistently highlighted book surveys. These can likewise be found in various papers on the web. Numerous books can be found on distributions exclusively committed to book surveys simply like “The New York Review of Books”. A portion of the most up to date and many energizing book commentators are, in actuality, normal people who have a blog committed to understanding audits. Since so many book dealers are additionally selling books straightforwardly to buyers with no bricks and mortar storefront, shoppers are finding it incredibly valuable to peruse the publisher synopses just like perusing the several book surveys before making a decision to purchase.

3. How to Write an Effective Book Review

This is the most important part of your review, and will be the main part of most book reviews. Give your opinion of the book. The only rule here is that there are no rules. If you hated the book, then say so; if you loved it, then the same. But every point you make should be backed up by some form of evidence. This could be direct quotes from the book or specific references to incidents in the book. And also consider the following: What is the aim of the book and has it been achieved? The book’s strengths and weaknesses. Compare the book to others by the same author, or in the same field. Are they similar? Which is better? And compare it to others on a similar theme. Is this one more focused? Is it more informative? This last bit won’t apply to everyone, but it shows a really good understanding of the book. Anyone can say what they thought of a book, but in order to comment and analyse, you need to read with a clear understanding of the book’s purpose and content.

Critical comment

Your book review should focus on the book’s central idea, or thesis. This needs to be given in your own words and it should be the main point of your review. Then, give a brief summary of what the book is about; this is your opportunity to show you’ve actually read it. Be concise; a review is an opinion, not an essay on the book – keep it to the point.

Information and ideas

To write a good book review, you’ll need to read the book very carefully. You don’t need to get into the fine detail (unless the book is really short); you’re just looking for the main ideas. It’s a good idea to take some notes while you’re reading. This will help you to remember and use the ideas in the book as you write your review.

Read the book

An effective book review will help the reader to decide whether they would like to buy the book. This is the purpose of a book review; it’s not a book report. The review should also help the reader to see how the book compares to others on the same topic – the strengths and weaknesses of each. All this will help the reader to make an informed decision.

Guidelines for writing a book review

4. The Impact of Book Reviews on Readers

There are various elements in the contents which explain the effect on the readers. A review can either make or break the readership of a particular book. Dissecting the concept of this statement unfolds a detailed outline of how and why books always stand the threat of making and breaking its readership. A positive review is a sure shot way to get the reader’s attention. People always have a tendency to think in the line of what’s popular is good. So when a book sustains a good review it marks the beginning of its journey into being a bestseller. Reviews more often than not give a very honest opinion about the book. This is where the credibility factor comes into play. A reader on many occasions might not be sure if that book that has caught his/her attention is worth purchasing. The decision to purchase the book may be a result of the previous reputation of the author in his earlier works. But if the review gives an honest opinion upholding that the particular work of the author is not very great, it might intercept a sale. On the contrary, if another reader has read that same book and managed to get a personal opinion that it is indeed very good, then he/she might not be hesitant to purchase the book. This particular example shows how a reviewer’s opinion of a particular book can persuade readers to the extent of choosing the book that might not have been in their priority.

5. Conclusion

The readers are always concerned that they are investing their time in buying or borrowing the right book that suits their taste. It is seen many times people buying books just by looking at the cover and the title. This may often lead to disappointing ones and the readers may have to leave the book incomplete. Nowadays, a quick solution for the readers is checking the online book reviews. These are much helpful as there are plenty of reviews on the same book just at the click of the mouse. This saves a lot of time for the reader. Usually, a book review has to be a precise note about the contents of the book indicating the brief implications about the various characters, the plot, and the way it is presented. Now the modern trend is the detailed summary of all the chapters. Although this is helpful for the readers, a reviewer should always remember that the charm of reading the book should not be marred due to his detailed indications. Last but not least is the presentation of the personal reaction about the book. This is more important as basically a reader would like to read something about others’ experience.

It is obvious that the importance of book reviews is immeasurable. A book review indicates a lot about the contents and the context of the book. It can describe the book as merely an object of beauty, may be a valuable piece of literary work or even an absurd presentation about the contents, the choice is well influenced by the review. Thus, it is the book review that contributes to the building reputation of a writer. Many authors have remarked that they are writing for their readers and it is their assessment in the form of a book review that can give them an exact idea of what the readers have perceived. A good review is always constructive in evaluating the contents of the book and the various implications. This may help the author to re-judge if his perceptions have been rightly transformed to the readers, and if not, he might take it in a constructive way to rebuild his work. Even a negative review has its own importance, as it helps the author to know where he has erred and what can be the possible reaction to his absurd implications. A professional book review always rates the book and this rating has a lasting impression on the readers.