[effstop]

For the book reviewers here at Mobilism, do you have a favorite method that you use when writing a review ?

Please check your inbox, thanks!

[Emmygirlie]

I usually start thinking about it while I fall asleep. Then I think about it in the shower. Then I think about it walking down the street. It's almost always a book that STAYS with me, and won't let me go, that makes me want to SHOVE it at people.

My most difficult part is picking out quotes. I almost always kinda reread the book because I can NEVER find quotes that say what I want to illustrate.

[sleepwalkingdreamer]

It starts with annotating the book while I read it. Not really on the book itself, because I developed this method while I was at uni and I couldn't actually annotate library books. I use a separate notebook, which functions as a kind of commonplace book/planner. When I start reading a book I just put the title of the book at the top of a fresh page (nowadays I print out a small picture of the cover and stick it in there under the title) and just...write what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling while I'm reading. I copy any interesting quotes and write down what I'm thinking and feeling about those too. Basically I just "talk" to the book via my notebook - silly thoughts, more complex academic-style thoughts, anything and everything. It's all relevant. Then I filter it all down when writing the review.

I don't really have a structure, per se, just talking points I feel are important: things like worldbuilding, character and character development, plot and narrative style, themes, that sort of thing. I don't give them all the same importance though; I try to cover them to some degree in the review but sometimes some aspect of the book will stand out over the rest (for better or for worse) and I'll wind up spending a lot of time on that. But apart from that though I don't really have a strict method on how I write reviews.

[athame]

I wouldn't call it a method, but rather an experiment. I've found that when I'm relating the journey from picking a book to reading it and discussing it, and incorporate that journey into the review, I'm able to translate my thoughts better, express them more clearly. I tried sleepwalkingdreamers style, but penning down the notes hinders me while reading, not being able to juggle both; although kudos to dreamy ! That's a fantastic method, but I usually write down my points after finishing the book. Then start writing the review in the next couple of days, as the impression and initial reaction which gives me me the best content starts to fade away after a week mostly. The aspects that are my touchstones are protagonists arc, character and plot development, tone, style and flow of the book. If world building is important like dystopia or fantasy, then I include it. It depends on the book honestly, the review pattern varies from one to the next, sometimes its easy to find quotes, sometimes its not. The hardest part is to write down my reaction in a manner that does not come off as ranting or venting, but logical reasons to pick up and read the book ( or not ).

I hope that was helpful !