how to write a book review whether it is your blog or your weekend book club knowing how to
write a good book review is an important skill to have hey guys welcome back to essay pro
my name is emily and we are going to look at why you need this skill how to perfectly
structure a book review and give you some tips and tricks to make it interesting
writing book reviews is a great way to improve your writing skills and develop your analytical
skills it's also good for providing your fellow bookworms with an insight about the book whether
it's a great book that you don't want to keep to yourself or a terrible book that you want
to warn people about if you feel strongly about the book you can write your own thoughts about it
and share them with others and in some cases you can even be paid to read books and write reviews
it sounds like a dream come true if you're an avid reader but if you're going to make a living from
reviewing books you need to know how to structure a good review the three main elements of any good
review are a summary your evaluation of the book and your recommendation if you need a template
here's an easy one to follow first the hook the hook is what catches your reader's attention
and intrigues them make this statement compelling don't be afraid to get a little provocative you
want people to stop scrolling and continue reading your thoughts on
this book you can pick their interest by taking an angle less explored or by posing a question
for example let's take a book we all know cinderella if i were to write a review for it my
hook would be something like the classic rags to reach tales of another girl who becomes a princess
if you didn't know the story that hook would make you want to know how an orphan ends up becoming a
princess once you've hooked them it's time to give them some essential information about the book
the title and the awesome are obvious choices but you must also mention when
it was published and whether this is one a series or a standalone book
now that you've given them the background information you can dive into the actual review
share a synopsis of the plot so your reader gets a gist of what this story is about of course
you have to leave out the climax or any emotional ups and downs because that is a journey the reader
must go on themselves avoid giving any spoilers but you can allude to a shock factor by saying
something vague like this story has an unexpected twist
what a twist
now many websites already share
book synopsis amazon goodreads barnes and noble all these websites summarize the plot of the book
so what makes your stand out knowing how much you need to include depending on how you feel about
the book a summary on this website is most likely what the also wants you to know about the book but
you are not speaking for the author you are giving your own opinion use your best judgment see how
much of the actual summary you need and how much of it should be your own thoughts now that you
have provided the reader with a gist of the story it's time for your evaluation of course this is
the most crucial part of the review because anyone can summarize a book but what is your unique
perspective let your readers know why you liked the book or didn't like the book share details
about the pacing the vocabulary the dialogue you can even include quotes as long as they don't give
any spoilers but don't make your evaluation purely subjective while you should absolutely
weave your own personal take of a book into the review your evaluation shouldn't only be based on
your personal opinion present your reactions and feelings toward the story while being objective
when critiquing other elements of the book and now a little promo blog from our friends
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nice
the best way to do this is to make notes while reading the book record your thoughts
i'll do just that
here are just a few questions to ask as you make your notes
number one what genre does it fit into or is the book a mix of different genres
number two what is the story's theme and how is this made evident to the reader number three
how does the protagonist face challenges are they likable are they supposed to be likable
number four how does the book provide its readers with information aka is there too much exposition
number five does it have a satisfying n what emotions did you feel when you closed the book
and finally number six how does this book compare to the author's previous works
you can of course explore more elements than what i mentioned by this is an excellent place
to start if you are reviewing a book for the first time beyond the content of the book you can also
consider adding information about the awesome the inspiration for the book and the presentation of
their content their nationality political affiliation education and personal history
might all be influencing the story for example the hunger games series has unmistable political tones
what motivated the author to write such a book
hunger games is a critic of government that is explored through themes of fear and revolution
it presents this information by showing you a shiny progressive capital with a dark history of
exploitation violence and capitalism as incredible as the story of the hunger games is
its anticipation is equally fascinating and was sharing with the audience
there it is
fire in the house
when the author Suzanne Collins was flipping through channels on tv she came
across a reality show she switched the channel and saw actual footage of the invasion of iraq
the two themes blurred in her mind and the idea for the book was formed that's an interesting
bit of information to add to a review because knowing the conception of the idea also builds
intrigue in your audience like what could the result of these two completely different
and disconnected themes look like writing reviews for non-fiction books is a little bit different
you can follow the overall structure but you don't have to worry about given spoilers when writing
a book review for a non-fictional piece of work your primary job is discussing the problems the
book addresses and whether or not it does a good job of solving them
what experience does the author have in the field?
is the book actually helpful?
cover the key takeaways from the book
and state how clearly and effectively the author is able to communicate their points
once you have your evaluation it's time to actually give your recommendation
after sharing your praises and critics let your audience know if it's worth the read or not
also address why you think they should read it or avoid it for example
did you dislike the plot because of some inconsistencies but enjoy the characters
is this book in the series less exciting than the previous ones
but important because of some critical pieces of information
make your stance clear so people aren't left questioning whether they should buy the book
you don't have to expressly say i recommend this book you can say that by highlighting
certain opinions for example your final paragraph could mention how you like the unexpected ending
and wishes you could read it for the first time again just to feel that surprise again
that alone will encourage readers to buy the book because they want to know what you experienced
and finally tied all up with a rating
some review sites provide star rating which help
people decide quicker if you are reviewing a book on your personal blog and using your own
rating system explain the system as well you can also add more punch to your rating by mentioning
what kind of audience you think would enjoy the book and finally i'm going to share a few things
you need to keep in mind when writing a book review
first have an opinion
it sounds like an easy thing to remember
but if you are used to only writing book reports for school you likely share
more facts than feelings in the report people want to know what you thought about the book
so don't be on the fence about your opinions and state clearly what you liked and didn't like
second remember to back up your points
instead of saying the dialogue is rich and devotional show
it by adding a quote from the book don't just say a character is bizarrely funny tell your audience
what instance made you feel that way just make sure it's spoilers free
third follow guidelines
if you are writing for your own blog you can write the way you feel comfortable
but if you are reviewing a book for a publication your tone format and content must adhere to their standards
and finally be open to learning from others
one of the best ways of learning to write a great review
is to read other reviews and with that we've come to the end of today's video if you found this
video helpful like and share it with your someone you think might need it if you need help planning
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our experts can guide you through your assy writing journey and help you get those high grades
all right guys thanks for watching and i'll see you in the next video
bye bye
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