tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post5442246587540407..comments2024-03-29T07:49:33.169-04:00Comments on We Live and Breathe Books: Discussion: #Reviewathon! and Reviewing BooksKiersten Kozbialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538943081866009856noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-76915183963920149492019-09-06T19:05:04.796-04:002019-09-06T19:05:04.796-04:00Or they know which articles to point us towards. S...Or they know which articles to point us towards. Some were NG writers, but there were a few other articles. All were worth looking at for me. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-75284745523294073532019-09-06T15:51:59.290-04:002019-09-06T15:51:59.290-04:00I agree that these are all great tips. Sounds like...I agree that these are all great tips. Sounds like the people at NetGalley know what they're talking about!<br /><br />Nicole @ <a href="http://feedyourfictionaddiction.com" rel="nofollow">Feed Your Fiction Addiction</a><br />Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08637114079800138680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-79761851921295678582019-08-29T05:47:26.208-04:002019-08-29T05:47:26.208-04:00I am always open for tips and ways to improve. I l...I am always open for tips and ways to improve. I love sharing anything that I thought was helpful. OMG, yes! I get really frustrated, when I read a negative review, that doesn't even tell me why. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-84584286824672691902019-08-28T21:20:35.985-04:002019-08-28T21:20:35.985-04:00Those are honestly the best tips that someone coul...Those are honestly the best tips that someone could give! People sometimes ask me how to write negative reviews, which can be very hard. But I mention to them that however much they dislike a book and can explain why it wasn't for them, give AT LEAST one reason why it might work for someone else. Because I know there are so many books out there that I hated but someone else could easily love. Olivia's Catastrophehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12706765857201768908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-10755201807248926982019-08-22T19:12:22.834-04:002019-08-22T19:12:22.834-04:00It's a pet peeve of mine, when the recap is es...It's a pet peeve of mine, when the recap is essentially the whole book. I always include the synopsis from GR, but sometimes they don't provide enough context, so I include 2 or 3 sentences to set up my reviews, and I do all that is in my power to keep spoilers out. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-21493013311776281842019-08-22T11:47:45.025-04:002019-08-22T11:47:45.025-04:00The plot tip is funny. I actually hate when review...The plot tip is funny. I actually hate when reviews include too much info on the plot. I prefer just a copy & paste of the synopsis from Amazon or Goodreads, and then the review. Usually plot points in the review can be a bit spoiler-y so I try to avoid them!Molly's Book Nookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08346751934349831416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-1006056638946958152019-08-19T18:23:54.651-04:002019-08-19T18:23:54.651-04:00I totally limit myself to how long I am allowed to...I totally limit myself to how long I am allowed to recap. Most of the time, it's one paragraph, and the rest is opinion/gushing. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-59944706599787506232019-08-19T18:22:59.388-04:002019-08-19T18:22:59.388-04:00I can be pretty lazy about non-blog/non-review boo...I can be pretty lazy about non-blog/non-review books, because those are just thoughts for me, but my "official" reviews always have a little something to set up the opinion part. Some are shorter than others, but there's something. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-60430548985520743812019-08-19T18:20:54.757-04:002019-08-19T18:20:54.757-04:00I think most of us find reviewing to be a challeng...I think most of us find reviewing to be a challenge, but I do feel as though I am getting better with each review I write. I'm like you, and I pretty much adopt that attitude with everything - art, movies, TV, clothing, politics -- critique the thing, not the person. It frustrates me even more, that people encourage such behavior. I guess I am old and not into that sort of confrontation. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-83028274647658686882019-08-19T16:02:19.471-04:002019-08-19T16:02:19.471-04:00These ARE really great tips. It's so hard not ...These ARE really great tips. It's so hard not to sound like a book report.Deanna @ A Novel Glimpsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08527505715939357796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-61489792547055907822019-08-19T15:52:12.659-04:002019-08-19T15:52:12.659-04:00I'm definitely guilty of the first one. I find...I'm definitely guilty of the first one. I find when I'm struggling that hard to drum up the enthusiasms to write reviews - I just wait now because I'll give my thoughts with no context. lol<br /><br />Now on Goodreads - if I'm just writing what I thought for my own record - then I don't care. It's just 1-2 sentences to remind me of what I thought. <br /><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net" rel="nofollow">Karen @ For What It's Worth</a>Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-36557924619220957962019-08-19T11:13:51.522-04:002019-08-19T11:13:51.522-04:00Totally agree with you about how tough it is to st...Totally agree with you about how tough it is to strike the right balance between sharing enough of the plot to provide context, but not sharing too much. I read some reviews that seem more like a very long retelling of the synopsis without offering any opinions. I want to hear what the reviewer thinks! And being critical of the book and not the author... oh boy, that seems so obvious but I cringe at the number of times I see authors critiqued (or even attacked) for content when it’s really just a matter of personal preference. Tanya @ Girl Plus Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357204133826428572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-21094572389856839632019-08-18T19:14:07.480-04:002019-08-18T19:14:07.480-04:00When I first started out, a surprise batch of appr...When I first started out, a surprise batch of approvals would tank my ratio, but now, because I am at like 500 approvals, it's a bigger chunk of books to move the ratio either way. It's nice to get a bunch of holiday books. Are you doing Ho-ho-ho-a-thon?Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-10379056871638052092019-08-18T16:57:28.639-04:002019-08-18T16:57:28.639-04:00I struggle with reviews and hold my hands up as no...I struggle with reviews and hold my hands up as not the best reviewer but I try to say why I liked/didn't like. I really need to work on my netgalley score... It's went below 70% with the surprise acceptances for all the holiday books! Niccihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122972546470154598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-54835717391576945852019-08-18T12:17:27.065-04:002019-08-18T12:17:27.065-04:00I am not part of the book report review audience, ...I am not part of the book report review audience, I can tell you that much. I have seen some that are SO LONG, I totally skimmed it like a school assignment. It's kind of sad, that society at large elevates and promotes bad behavior, but I will never be one those rude, ranty reviewers.Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-59917132990655913842019-08-18T12:15:40.675-04:002019-08-18T12:15:40.675-04:00One of the formative testing techniques I used whe...One of the formative testing techniques I used when teaching, was having the kids summarize the lesson, and it was really hard for a good portion of the class. Summarizing is not an easy task, and then when we are talking about a book, we have to be careful not to reveal anything important too. I always post the synopsis with my review, so between that and the summary I provide, I hope there's enough context for the reader. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-87412673066238958912019-08-18T10:41:17.662-04:002019-08-18T10:41:17.662-04:00There is so much that goes into writing a review a...There is so much that goes into writing a review and so many ways to do it. I am not a fan of the book report reviews but I guess I always thought that they much have their audience. I think that negative reviews can be an extra challenge. Meaner reviews seem to be popular on Goodreads but those aren't what I want to write and it is never okay to attack the author. Great tips, Sam!Carole's Random Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06737905249530702688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-28890089760706850802019-08-18T08:24:49.678-04:002019-08-18T08:24:49.678-04:00Yes yes and yes! This is very interesting and help...Yes yes and yes! This is very interesting and helpful Sam! I confess that the most difficult for me is summarise the plot to only give the context and not write a book report. I know that I am not always successful as sometimes I barely hint at the plot and sometimes I wonder if I gave too much away ....Beware Of The Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146867538038694877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-37997071868243685192019-08-18T05:16:45.120-04:002019-08-18T05:16:45.120-04:00Those reviews always leave a bad taste in my mouth...Those reviews always leave a bad taste in my mouth. I usually unfollow bloggers, who continuously do such things. There is a way to express your dislike with a book without making it a personal vendetta against an author. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-34510275468981477272019-08-17T23:29:15.288-04:002019-08-17T23:29:15.288-04:00I agree. It's not classy to bash an author bec...I agree. It's not classy to bash an author because you don't like a book.Ali @ Ali's Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07487595062262883183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-22590047546226057692019-08-17T17:59:38.819-04:002019-08-17T17:59:38.819-04:00I think the hardest reviews to write are for those...I think the hardest reviews to write are for those 3 - 3.5 star books. I liked them, but I didn't necessarily love them, but they weren't bad. See, I can hardly explain it. I am looking for opinions, that's why I read reviews, and I think the opinion part should dominate the review. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-40267149679477016882019-08-17T17:26:55.426-04:002019-08-17T17:26:55.426-04:00I think when I first started writing reviews they ...I think when I first started writing reviews they were book report-y, but I realized if someone wants a summary of the plot, they can read the book description. It's really hard to write reviews sometimes. My mind goes blank, especially on books that I didn't love, but didn't hate. Just liked. I do try and give my opinions because I know that's what I'm looking for when I read a review. What worked and didn't for the reader. Great post, Sam! :)Rachel @Waves of Fictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008473307411943476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-62071449773310471202019-08-17T15:24:11.277-04:002019-08-17T15:24:11.277-04:00I am the complete opposite of you. Maybe it's ...I am the complete opposite of you. Maybe it's because I never finish books with HUGE issues. I DNF books like those, so, for the most part, I enjoy the books I finish, but there is something, and I think that maybe it's more a case of something that is missing versus something that is there being not for me. You know what I mean? I am so much better at gushing about what I adored. It is hard to properly communicate what you didn't like, if it is too closely tied to something that you feel is a big plot point and would then be spoilery. Reviews are hard. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-1283325471718660962019-08-17T11:34:11.830-04:002019-08-17T11:34:11.830-04:00Great post! I agree with these points. It's so...Great post! I agree with these points. It's so important to provide some context and be clear. I can actually pinpoint why I don't like a book, but I have a harder time writing positive reviews because all I want to do is talk about everything I love, but that would lead to major spoilers!Crystal @ Lost in Storylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16345599133841390127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6528395365771263864.post-30243404562391346792019-08-17T11:31:37.420-04:002019-08-17T11:31:37.420-04:00That's the writer in you, but at least what yo...That's the writer in you, but at least what you write is written well, right? The spoiler thing is what makes many of my reviews difficult to write, and I can see this being an even bigger issue with SFF, mystery, and suspense-thriller type books. Samantha@WLABBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11589486165371852904noreply@blogger.com