Anything Goes Book Reviewers discussion

It appears that we have a lot of members looking for ideas to improve their reviewing skills. If you are a reviewer and willing to share some of your tips, feel free to post them here.

Tips from Kristine:
I'm no master of reviews or anything but I have found a format that works well for me. I don't post pictures in my reviews, it is simply writing. My reviews are generally 3-4 paragraphs long.
Paragraph One: I start my review with my general thoughts on the book as a whole. I don't go over the synopsis here. In my first paragraph are phrases and blurbs that an author may use when telling others about their book and some reviews it has received. I usually state the stars that I have rated it as well here.
Paragraph Two: This is where I dive into the synopsis. I try hard to ensure that I don't give any spoilers so my information on the storyline is usually vague. I explain any emotions felt during the reading here. This paragraph is generally the positives I found with the book.
Paragraph Three: This is where I go over some negatives. If I found no negatives then I will not use this paragraph at all. This paragraph is where the author will see any issues with their writing and things they should look closer at in order to improve. I maintain a respectful tone and I do not bash. I encourage the author and their work and attempt to be subtle about what needs improvement.
Paragraph Four: This is my closing paragraph. It ties up the rest of my review with more general comments and a praise for the authors work. I state who I would recommend the book to, what genres it may fit into.

That's basically my style of reviews. You can see some of my reviews on my blog at (http://theschwartzreviews.blogspot.com/). If you have any questions or more tips to add, feel free to post. :)

Kristine

I have seen several reviewers use this style of writing as well:
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Book-R...

I've often tangled with the idea of adding in more about the author, which I still may do in the future. I currently get multiple requests a day from my blog though, so it is all I can do to read and review quick enough to catch up to my request list. I figure I will do some author blurbs for the books that amazed me the most. :) We shall see.

Thanks Kristine, lots to think about from both of your posts.

This is another article for I found useful myself:

http://www.writing-world.com/freelanc...

What I tend to do is keep a word document to keep track of my thoughts while reading. Just key words really. As I read on a kindle, I also highlight lines I love and I use both of those then as a guide when writing my review.
I love the tips about structure that you have given. And I'd say one the best things we can all do is practise, practise, practise!

I highlight things in my kindle as well! I highlight mistakes, parts I loved, things that could have been cut, etc.