When I tell people I've known for a while in real life that I've started a blog and write book reviews, their first question is usually 'what do you get out of it?'. I never really know how to answer that question. Usually I just say it's fun but then they'll respond with 'but so is doing the actual reading and doing anything besides that! Have you ever tried skiing?'. I don't know, maybe I just tell the wrong sort of people but it always seems like non-bookish people don't get what's so great about writing reviews!
The thing is, I spend so much time on my reviews and I've thought several times that I should just review certain books and not every new book I read. But when I look through my Goodreads shelves for recommendations for other people, I like having my review to remind myself what I thought of the book: what was great and what wasn't so great.
Do you write reviews for every book you read?
So that's one reason I guess. Number two would probably be because it just helps me sort out my thoughts. I'm in the higher level English class and we frequently pick apart essays bit by tiny bit. I find that blogging actually helps me with analyzing texts just because I do it unconsciously now every time I read a book.
Do you like analyzing books like you would a classic essay/book?
Other than that... it helps my typing skills? I'm now officially a pro-typer with 83 WPM! I don't know why but this makes me happy :D
Well actually, I write reviews to help other people decide on what to read and to also help authors gain exposure for their books. I always hated when I found a particularly obscure book I wanted to read but there were no reviews so I couldn't tell if I should just buy it or not... I don't want that to happen to anyone else so I'm sort of on a mission to review as many books as possible (as you can probably tell by my crazy overflowing currently reading shelf). As for helping authors, I realize how incredibly difficult it is to get your book recognized in the bookish community, especially if you're self-published. I hope to help those authors get some opinions on their books and let other people know that their book exists! It's always enjoyable to find hidden gems in the indie pile!
Why do you write reviews? Have you given up on writing reviews?
I do write books for every book I read. I like writing reviews because it helps me remember why I liked them and how I felt about them the first time I read them. Plus, I have a few friends that use my reviews/blog to find books they want to read, so I like sharing the love. I don't analyze them. I hate analyzing them. I feel like I'm school when I do that. I just talk about my feelings and such. That's about it.
ReplyDeleteYay someone else! Yeah! Otherwise you just look back at it after a couple months pass and have no idea what it was about or even who the MC was! Haha I'm sure school was the best part of your life then :D
DeleteI write books for mostly every book I read. If it's a long series then I might do a series review instead. I like to review almost all the books I read though. Sometimes I wonder if people even read book reviews anymore and what the point is of it!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
That's a really good idea! Then if a bunch of the books are similar you wouldn't have to try to write a unique review every time. Me too! As a reader of blog posts, I know I do tend to read more of discussion posts but it makes me sad that people might not read reviews as much.
DeleteI started rating books when I joined Goodreads a couple of years ago. I didn't write too many reviews at first but I did write the occasional review for a book I loved or really disliked. I found that a few of my friends on there enjoyed reading my reviews and I realized that, since I love sharing books with friends, I could write reviews and help people decide what to read. So I started a blog, which helps me meet new people and helps me really sit down and actually write reviews. I mostly write them to get my ideas out there, to share my opinion, and to provide a resource for anyone considering a book. :) And, at this point, I review nearly everything I read.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I didn't really think about rating books before then. Oh MY GOODNESS that is basically the story of my life! Seriously! All of that happened in the exact same order to me!
DeleteI started writing reviews because I wanted to rant about a book that was really-really bad. Then I realised how good it feels like to finally speak, or rather write about novels that I had no one to talk to about before. Also, these reviews remind me of how I felt right after reading the book. I mean I always used to remember if I liked it or not, just not in detail. Another reason why I write reviews is because sometimes I'm having a hard time rating a book. I've read 99 Days recently and while it wasn't such a bad book, I definitely didn't enjoy it. Writing down the good and the bad in a book makes the decision easy.
ReplyDeleteLovely post. :)
Haha oh yeah for sure! It's an awesome way of venting and then finding other people who share the same opinion! Me too! I'll remember I really liked it or hated it but other than that it gets kind of hazy. Really? And the cover is so pretty! I'm hoping to read that one soon... Thanks!
DeleteI write reviews because I think I'm helping someone decide what next book to fall in love with. Sometimes I just don't because well I don't want to. Great post Laura!
ReplyDeleteIt is so helpful to have other people's opinions when you're figuring out what to read next! With the millions of books out there, it can get kind of overwhelming... Thanks!
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