Bookish Musings - 22.05.26
The UK has had the oddest weather of late, which if you live in the UK really isn’t all that surprising. Not much phases us but trying to work out which coat to take that can protect its wearer from heat, cold, rain and hailstones could be probably be one of those things! As the second Bank Holiday weekend of the May draws nearer, I will be keeping my fingers crossed that Sunshine has a little, if not sizeable, part in the weather rotation at least! Happy Reading 📚💕
The Art of Reviewing
I find myself thinking about reviewing a lot recently. Up until the start of this year, the only reviews I had written were for school projects many many years ago. So with great trepidation, I started reviewing books as I thought it would be good for me to get in the practice of writing again. I wouldn’t say my early forays were fantastic but I think with each review I have improved and I like to think, not that I write good reviews, but that I write helpful or useful reviews. I endlessly worry about being too harsh or being too soft. Am I too biased or not biased enough? Should there be more words or less? Being critical is definitely a process that is not for the weak hearted, but I do largely think as long as the criticism is constructive then that should be enough. Of course, that was before I entered the world of ARC reviewing, which brings a whole new layer of worries and etiquettes. How to review in such a way that does not spoil plots or sinks ratings etc. ARC reviews feel more weighted and as reviewer there already feels like an imbalance of power and I personally do feel the weight of that power each time I write a review. So as a novice, how do I navigate these pitfalls? Well as a novice, I don’t really feel I have any particular wise words to share, but as someone with lived experience of having my longform writing regularly critiqued - I use that to my inform my approach. I currently have four key steps.
I am always honest about how what I read made me feel. I am an emotions and emotional readers. I think if a book makes you feel something then that is a huge positive worth sharing.
I find something I like in everything I read. This sounds simple but it is foundational. I might not and won’t like every story I read, but there will always be something in every story that I like. The structure, the choice of words. Particular characters or world building and associated imagery. It might not be what the author intended for my appreciation but anything that works is always worth highlighting.
I am selective about what I read. This is very important for me. There are things I definitely do not like to read and I don’t think it is fair for me to read something I knowingly dislike. It would be a disservice to myself and the author if I went in to a read in an unfairly critical state of mind.
I do not write anything I would not say to that person if they were in front of me. Words have so much power and meaning and it would be in appropriate use that for ill. That’s not to say that I can’t or won’t be critical if the occasion calls for it.
I am still early in my reviewing journey, which maybe short or long, and I hope as I continue to grow my experience so will my skills. These four points may expand or contract and my star rating system may change or disappear altogether, but I like making note of my approach so that I can see where I currently am and see if that changes as time goes by.
I am always excited to hear other people’s experiences of reviewing or how they approach their own reviewing process. Please feel free to leave comments (or ask questions lol).
