B – Books and Book Reviews. #AtoZ

Posted on by writershilpa

 

“Books are a uniquely portable magic!”

_Stephen King.

Isn’t it true?

You open a book and begin reading the words carefully put together by the writer and you are transported to a  world where live people leading lives you might never, or, you wish you could.

Books, for many of us, give the relief we need as we face the vagaries of Life.  For some, they are the best friends who make their need for people redundant.

But, apart from it all, books are the best teachers we could ever have. And, being writers, the need to read books can never be discounted.

Some of my favourite books are from the fiction genre, especially suspense/ thrillers. In non-fiction, I  like the real-life inspirational stories, like the ones by Dr.Brian Weiss, and Anita Moorjani.  And, it’s these non-fiction ones that have inspired me while writing my posts.

I love mythological ones, too! Jaya, by Devdutt Pattanaik,  for instance. And, some historical stories, as well. No romance, or chick-lit for me, though. Guess, I have passed that age where we know what Love is all about!

I was a voracious reader earlier,  but then, Life took over and reading became a luxury I could hardly afford. So, it was only after I began writing that I realised how important it is to read; read so that you improve your writing,  and develop your craft, rectify your syntax errors and learn the magic formula required to grab a reader’s attention.

 

Book reviews happened by chance. Couple years ago, motivational speaker, Priya Kumar had her book release. She approached many a blogger to review her book and publish the review on their respective blogs. I was one of those bloggers, too. It felt wonderful being requested to do the review by her, but daunting, as well.

Never having done a book review, I had to first learn the art of reviewing books and writing an honest, impartial review. Sentiments cannot be hurt, and yet you need to put across your views about the book – whether it is good, likable, or read-at-your-own-risk kind.

There are a few book reviewers whom I follow closely. Bloggers who have carved an identity for themselves reviewing books, and from whom I learned a lot.

So, if you wish to learn what book reviewing is all about, do visit these blogs. Just reading the different genres they have reviewed will give you a fair idea of how to go about it.

There are also some blogging communities that offer books for reviews. If you wish to try your hand at it, do visit these sites and register there to receive books. Do follow the rules they have laid out for book reviewing.

Book reviewers I admire:

Shantala Nayak

Tulika Singh

Anamika Agnihotri

Mithila Menezes

Lata Sunil

Ramya Abhinand

 

Things to remember for book reviewing:

 

Read the book, thoroughly.  Of course, that’s understood!

However, try not to skip the parts that seem tedious.

Write an honest review.

Never trash the book, especially if it’s a début work, and do not praise it to the skies, either. 

And remember, not all might agree with your view of the book. So, do give reasons for the criticism, as well as the commendation. 

Take care not to reveal the end!

And, if there is something you wish to disclose, mention “spoiler alert”!

 

That’s it.

If reading is a hobby, then sharing reviews of books you enjoy reading is one of the best things to share on your blog!

 

Love,

SHILPA…

If reading is your hobby, reviewing a book is the best thing to do on your blog!

 

April 2018 A to Z blogging Challenge

 

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge is all about my blog, Metanoia, and my blogging journey from the time  I started, 5 years ago. The lessons I learnt, the tips and tricks I picked up from fellow bloggers and the guidelines I could have used back when I began. 

You will find all of my A to Z posts here.

Published by writershilpa

Writing and art are, for me, a panacea for my restless Geminian nerves. Blogging gives me peace in the chaos called Life, and art helps me distract my wandering mind. An obsession with healthy eating and fitness led me to create this health and wellness blog. Apart from health posts you will also find book reviews, my art work and experiments with words here, at Metanoia. My writing companions--my pets--offer me precious insights into Life and are a constant source of inspiration to me! So, do get comfy, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your visit. Your presence here means a lot to me, you know?

44 thoughts on “B – Books and Book Reviews. #AtoZ”

  2. Great post Shilpa, and being a book warm I just loved your tips. indeed, books are best friend, and they always help us a lot to deal with any difficult situation. #BlogchatterA2Z

    Liked by 2 people

  3. A very balanced approach to book reviewing. I completely agree with your list of book reviewers whose reviews are delightful though I must admit that when a blogger only does book reviews, I tend to give it a miss because I hardly get to read a book these days. Somehow I haven’t got down to reading on line and regular reading is getting harder by the day.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. The perfect way to approach books and reviews Shilpa. My problem is most often I need to review book thats totally not the genre I enjoy reading. However I still try to get the gist of it all, and appreiate what good the writer has done to it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Sonia, as much as my A to Z posts are for bloggers who have just begun on the blogging journey, they are also for me. The kind of encouraging comments you leave on my posts,it is really reassuring! Makes me feel good I chose this theme!
      So, thank you so much!<3

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Useful tips, Shilpa. I had one book reviewer who “enjoyed the story part of the book” but thrashed me for adding inspirational sections saying it failed as a novel – it would have worked fine as a devotional book. She gave me ONE star! Guess what? It WASN’T a novel! It was a devotional book! Really? Brains! Are we stuck with what we have?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Aww…that must have hurt, Shirley! I can understand. Reviewing a book is serious business, and taking it so lightly , trashing it the way she did is really so wrong.

      Like

  15. Think I’m yet to step into the book review scenario. Not sure at the moment I want to, but who knows. Interesting inputs about the same Shilpa. And yes that list of bloggers who do book reviews is fab.

    April Anecdotes
    Burden or Unburden

    Liked by 2 people

  16. I love that quote and agree with it wholeheartedly 😉 Wait for my M; its Brian Weiss’s book that changed my life for good. I have gifted that book to so many peeps now as I feel its one book everyone must read.
    I too have the same list of favourite Book reviewers; these guys are just awesome.
    I have a book review to do which I am dreading as I wasnt impressed by it – will keep your points in mind!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. ‘Sentiments cannot be hurt, and yet you need to put across your views about the book – whether it is good, likeable, or read-at-your-own-risk kind.’ – Couldn’t agree more. I also started reviewing recently, and as a policy I try to balance the negatives with the positives.
    That’s an interesting list of book reviewers, thanks for that.

    Liked by 2 people

  20. I’ll never be a good book reviewer. I am too impatient – and yes, I skip the tedious parts. At this point in my life, I feel life is too short. Actually I have, perhaps, written a book review on my blog once or twice. A book has to be prize winning material for me to be moved to do that. But how I love to read! I’ve been reading for 61 years.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Hi Shilpa! I´m glad I discovered you via the #AtoZChallenge 2018. I think it´s important to read. I got into book reviews recently and have been enjoying it.I recognise 2 names from this book reviewer list and will check the rest including yours. Some of the book reviewers I like are Ashima Jain, Piyusha Vir, Maitabi Banerjee, Anupama Dalmia, Kasturi Patra to name a few.

    Liked by 2 people

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