Over at the Romance Divas forums, we're discussing book reviews. Initially, it started out as a bit of a rant by a book reviewer questioning honesty in book reviews.
Personally, I don't read reviews. Romantic Times TopPick! reviews make me take a bit of notice about such-and-such book but I have my favorite, must-buy authors that I'm going to buy until they write something I just can't stand. Even then, I'll probably give them one more chance to redeem themselves because everyone can have an 'off' book.
I suppose I should mention that at Romance Divas, we're primarily talking about e-published books (I think). Having said that, I'd like to throw out my opinions about reviews. Feel free to agree or disagree!
I believe reviews should be about the story. When I read reviews (again, it's rare), I want to know what the reviewer thought about the story and the plot. I don't care if you were rejected by the author's publisher or the author's agent or if your grandmother is the author's editor. I want to know what you -- the reviewer -- thought about the book.
Should personal feelings enter into a review? Should typos and comma usage and other gramatical problems dictate your thoughts on the story? How honest is too honest? Can reviewers cross boundaries and lines that shouldn't be crossed?
A bit of a disclaimer: At The Book Geek, I'm trying to keep up with the books I've read this year so I'm writing a bit about them. (I'm in the upper 30s with my progress even though The Book Geek has 15 or so actual entries about books.) There are at least 3 books I didn't finish and a couple of books that I asked myself "What just happened in that book?" after I hit 'The End.' Even if I don't like a book, I certainly try not to bash it. Then again, I bought it (or checked it out from the library) and am getting nothing in return or in exchange for my opinion. No one is waiting in breathless anticipation of my little thoughts.
Back to packing now....
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