Bibliobanter: Review Philosophy ? On a Book Bender

I have been doing a lot of thinking about reviews (mine in particular) lately. ?What makes them good? ?What information is necessary? ?I don?t exactly have concrete answers to these questions, mostly because I think it is highly subjective, but I can talk about how I approach reviewing, and more importantly ? reading. ?The short version of this can be found in my Review Policy page, but the following discussion provides greater explanation.

Last year, I took a graduate course on reading and listening comprehension. ?It was more geared toward reading and listening in a foreign language, but we first had to learn what reading (and listening) entails. ?I won?t bore you with the technical details (and to be truthful, I probably don?t remember all the details), but one important factor in a person?s reading experience is the purpose for reading. ?As a teacher, this means I should give my students the reason(s) why they are reading a particular piece (gain knowledge? practice a specific skill?). ?As a reader, it means that my purpose behind reading a book influences the way I will eventually perceive it.

I am not a critic. ?And despite being 1 course shy of a Master?s degree in English, my emphasis is on teaching the language to non-native speakers, not literature. ?When I read a non-school book, I read for entertainment. ?When I do this ? and when I?m truly entertained by the book ? I read faster, and I notice fewer details because my mind is focused on the overall meaning and story line. ?So reviewing a book I especially like can prove to be difficult to utter anything more intelligent than, ?OMG, this book is awesome.? ?If I read a book I am not overly fond of, I read slower and I begin to pick up the details ? especially those that contribute to my dislike of the book. ?Writing a book review about I book that I enjoyed is actually more difficult for me because the speed at which I read caused me to focus not on details that would be useful for review, but on the story as a whole. ?Which makes me wonder: What do people actually look for in a review?

Another thing that I learned in my course was that factors such as our background knowledge and previous reading experience can also affect how we eventually perceive a book. ?Our own personal preferences play a role in this as well. ?I read a post someone?s book blog recently (I don?t who it was or how I found it) that drew attention to the fact many people use a lot of ?I? in their review. ??I liked/didn?t like?? etc. ?To me, it is impossible to explain a book without offering my reaction to it. ?If you?re looking for an objective summation, read the back of the book (I always include a summary in my reviews, but it is never written by me). ?Reading a book is an incredibly subjective and personal experience, and how I see (and review) a book will differ from the rest of the book blogging community ? even if many of us review it favorably. ?Something that made the reading experience?excruciatingly?slow for me ? short chapters, for example ? may not have the same effect for other readers. ?And when I review a book, I want people to know why I did or did not like it; my review is not objective, it reflects my opinion. ?This is why I try to include a ?You Might Like This Book If?? section. ?Just because I wasn?t fond of a certain book doesn?t mean I think everyone else will dislike it, and I believe that every book deserves a chance.

Do you have a review philosophy? ?What do you look for in a review?

Source: http://onabookbender.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/bibliobanter-review-philosophy/

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