Another day another library book arrives I sometimes get carried away on the library catalogue system.but this is one for me plan to pimp up the reviews for the blog add a bit of blind as this blog slowly clock up it 600th review two to go. I feel need to learn a little bit about reviewing not enough to lose my own voice but enough.to given my own voice a sound of the knowledge Base I have but sometimes struggle to convey in words. So this book is a collection a reviews interview and pieces about writers from John Freeman many years in the lit world.
Oh, sometimes I read professional reviewers and I think, I could and should write like that.
And then I think, no, I’d lose half my readers if I did. What people like about book blogs like ours is an enthusiastic voice, and the way we relate the books we read to our own lives and what else we’ve read and plan to read in future.
So while I occasionally read books of LitCrit and reviewing, I don’t plan to change what I do at all. Except maybe make my reviews a bit shorter. Sometimes I don’t have time to read long reviews and so I skip them and then somehow never get back to them. So I try to keep mine between 1000 – 1500 words if I can, though it depends on the book, of course. (I mean, you can’t review James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1000 words IMO, I wrote my thoughts about every chapter and posted them separately when I re-read that.)
I like Kim’s occasional ‘catching-up short reviews’ as well as her more detailed ones at Reading Matters. Sometimes all you want is a taste of the book so that you can decide, yes, I want to read that one, or no, that’s not for me.
Couldn’t agree more I don’t want lose my voice just maybe focus the way I review books I like kim short posts as well I’m aim to get to 1000 words average for my reviews
Well, whatever you do, don’t change too much because you are my go-to reviewer for translated fiction and my shelves are full of books you’ve enticed me to buy!
Not to much just want a little more meat to what I write
Love the idea of this one Stu – some great novelists included too – so much so just ordered a copy… agree with Lisa I’d hate to see you change or lose your voice but I know what you mean about getting ‘inspiration’ for posts & reviews… look forward to comparing how we each find it.