Book Reviews are more important than they ever were.  Why?  Because readers are always looking for recommendations for their next good read.  They also help sell books. One of the best things you can do for a fellow author is review their book and post it on Amazon and Goodreads.

A book review does not have to be long or complicated, either.  The most important thing is to let people know how you feel about the book.  A good length for a review is 250 to 400 words.

 

Take Notes

While reading a book, I write down what I am thinking on a post-it note and attach it to the page. I also use the post-it to mark the page by using it as a tab. That way, I can thumb through my notes without looking at each page again when I am writing my review.

Introduction

The best way to start a review is with an introduction.  What lead you to read the book in the first place?   Was it the title? Did the cover attract your attention?  Was it written about a topic that interested you?  My interest in Anastasia lead me to read Candace Fleming’s book “The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia.”  In the introduction, I share the fact that when I was a teenager I saw the movie Anastasia staring Yul Bryner, Ingrid Bergman and Helen Hayes.  The thought that the Anastasia, the youngest Grand Duchess of Russia, might have survived the death of her family always intrigued me.

Brief summary of book

Next, I try to give a brief summary of the book. This is also a good place to quote from the book.  In my review of “The Impossible True Story of Tricky Vic:  The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower,” I quote from the first page: “In 1890, the man who would one day be known for forty-five different aliases was born to the Miller family…” I thought this was a great way to start the book.  I couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would need forty-five aliases.

Evaluation

While writing my evaluation of a book, I ask myself the following questions. What is my overall opinion of the book?  Did I like the book? What was my favorite part of the book? How many stars would I give the book?  Did the book meet my expectations?   Was the writing clear and concise? Was the ending satisfying?  Was there something that really stood out and impressed me about the book?

Conclusion

In conclusion, I like to summarize my thoughts and mention the author and, if the book is illustrated, the artist.  If a book has won any special awards, I also like to mention it.  For instance, Candace Fleming won Orbis Pictus award from the National Council of Teachers of English for “The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia.”

 My Final Advice

Don’t wait too long to write your review.  The book needs to be fresh in your mind.