How to write a decent book review

Posted on December 16, 2013 by girasoleazzurra

This was first written in 1998. I have now been reviewing books for forty years.

I have been reviewing books for twenty-seven years and counting. I wrote my first book review for the November 1973 issue of Library Journal. I reviewed for LJ for 19 years, until I became editor of Wilson Library Bulletin. I currently review children’s books for Kirkus and children’s and adult books for Booklist. I have also reviewed for other publications, most notably The New York Times Book Review (1983-84). Here are some thoughts on what I have learned.

1. Read the whole book. That is the very least you owe the author. You can’t make a judgment on what they have done until you know all of it.

2. Review the book in front of you, not the book you wish they had written. You can and should point out shortcomings or failures, but don’t criticize the book for not being something it was never intended to be.

3. Don’t review in genres with which you are uncomfortable. There is no point in having a science fiction hater review sf, or someone who doesn’t read romances review them.

4. Think clearly about who the audience for the review is. Is this another librarian who wants to know if s/he should buy the book for their collection? Is this a parent who wants a good read-aloud? Is this review for patrons looking for information on a particular topic, or for patrons searching for a good read?

5. If possible, compare the book to others in the genre or field of study. That helps any reader.

6. Criticize clearly and specifically but gently. A bad book takes as long to write as a good one, and each book is someone’s baby. But a reviewer is charged to make a critical judgment, and fails if s/he does not do so.

7. Know the guidelines of your reviewing medium. Some don’t want plot summaries at all; some insist on them. Some want you to say outright if you are recommending a book, others don’t.

8. Be precise in your language. If this is the best book you have ever read, say so, and say why. If it is yet another nice little book on a nice little topic, say that, too. Find the words to say what you mean: the author did, and so should you.

9. Don’t be cowed by a famous name. Even famous writers sometimes do mediocre books.

10. Don’t review books by people you know, or love, or hate. It isn’t fair. Only review a book once; do not review the same title for more than one venue. This ensures that people who are looking for multiple reviews with multiple opinions will actually get them.

Enjoy! Reviewing is great fun, and deeply rewarding. It puts another spin on always having your nose in a book. And it is a kick to see a quote from your review on the back of the paperback.

GraceAnne Andreassi DeCandido, June 1998

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About writing

Posted on December 16, 2013 by girasoleazzurra
sunflower petal

sunflower petal

We wrote this in 2003.

When asked about the whole business of writing for some family members, my son Keith and I wrote what follows: stuff we have picked up from many other writers and teachers along the way.

Keith writes almost entirely fiction; I write nonfiction, mostly book- and research-related. The work is not that different, though!

There is never going to be time to write. If you want to write, you have to make the time for it, preferably five or six days a week. Pick an hour and write for that hour. Writing is like any other skill, you get better at it the more you do it. You don’t just “become” a writer any more than you “become” a concert pianist or a neurosurgeon.

The way to learn to write is to do it, and to read in your chosen area. If you want to write a children’s book, read lots of them. If you want to write a memoir, the library is full of memoirs. If you want to write a book on baseball, read a bunch of them. It always helps to see what other writers have done.

Then write. And write and write and write. Most people think that writing should be easy and come naturally. This is a myth. Writing is hard work, sometimes very hard work. There’s no use waiting for inspiration, it doesn’t come, usually. (The muse is a bad boyfriend. He’s often off smoking weed and not available, though he swears he’ll be there for you.)

A book is written sentence by sentence, chapter by chapter. Write one sentence. Then write another. Then another. It is the only way it is going to happen.

Finish what you start. Revise what you finish. Submit what you write.

The library  has reference books like Writers Market that will tell you where you can send your work for publication consideration.

Then move on to the next thing. Once you have finished something, leave it alone. It’s finished. If you pick at it, it’ll never heal. Move along and start your next piece of writing.

It is a perfectly legitimate thing to write as therapy, or as self-discovery. This is a good thing, but it probably won’t be something anyone else wiill care to read. Keep that in mind.

I review hundreds of books a year for Booklist, a review magazine mostly for librarians, and for Kirkus Reviews, a review service for publishers and librarians. Both of these are often available at your library, if you are interested, and amazon.com often quotes them. It gives me a really good overview of publishing in the areas where I review (fiction, mysteries, some memoirs, and children’s books).

Words are what we do, Keith and I. It is a real pleasure to share my profession with my son. Hope offers some small insight into the way it works.

©2003 Keith R.A. DeCandido & GraceAnne A. DeCandido

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It is time.

Posted on December 16, 2013 by girasoleazzurra

A lot of stuff needs to be moved here. And maybe stuff will be added. It could happen.

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