When I started my blog,
I had no idea what a book blogger was or that I'd become one. Fast forward 8
years, I'm reading and reviewing books by indie and published authors alike. Many
don't even mind waiting a few months till I get their review published on my
blog and Goodreads. They even understand that I can't post my reviews to Amazon
because I'm not in a region where Amazon has direct services.
I've been reluctant to
"disclose" what differentiates my reviews from others'. But if it
helps others write better reviews and eventually help authors with their books,
then why not?
In this post, I'll be
sharing what I focus on when reading a book. Sometimes these points might not all work,
like when I'm reading a short story or poetry collection. But that's another
post to come.
For me, saying that a book is good or bad isn't enough. I feel obliged to say why. Possibly because I majored in English literature and possibly because giving a superficial 'yay' or 'nay' isn't my thing.
This list will focus on
fiction. I plan to write another post on non-fiction books, which I'm picking
up more of now, and another on poetry. I'll update with links when I publish
those.
So on to 8
main criteria that I focus on when reading fiction.
Narration
The first thing I focus
on when I read is the narration. Is it first or third person? Is it clear or
confusing? If it's in first person, is the main character and narrator
interesting and funny? Or are they too talkative and self-absorbed? Because if are,
I'm going to be bored to death and will probably drop the book.
Narration may include
multiple points of view (POVs). Like having two main characters or two
timelines. Are they easy to navigate? Is one view point slower or faster than
the other?
I've read a book that
had two POV characters, both were narrated in third person but one was action-packed,
while the other was tortoise-slow, which had me skimming the slow parts and
gobbling the quick-paced ones. This eventually had me docking off a star or two
from my review.
Language
and imagery
Is the language of the
novel I'm reading easy or is it wordy? If it's wordy, can I understand or glean
the vocabulary as I read? Or do I have to look up a lot of words in the
dictionary? If you're thinking those I had to suspend my reading to check
word-meanings for, got a star downgrade in terms of rating – you're definitely
right.
I also focus on the smoothness
of the language itself. Do I forget that I'm reading and become suddenly
transported to the time and place of the book?
As for imagery, it's not
a priority but books with imagery help with visualization and can generate
ideas for me for poetry or short stories. Some books have great imagery, some
don't and that's not a pain point for me. But some others weave their imagery
in their text so well, you can't help but point it out in a review.
The 'Show Don't Tell'
thing all writers are obsessed with, falls under the imagery. Done well, I point
it out because the author has gone to lengths to show and not tell and they
deserve to be applauded for it.
Note: In children's and middle grade books, I find it hard to show. So in these genres, you'll likely find a lot of telling – but don't
take it out on the author. They are, after all, addressing a much younger
audience.
If the book has
memorable quotes or speeches, I like to point out those too. Sometimes they may
include an image but sometimes they're just beautiful quotes worthy of
mentioning. There were several beautiful ones in Isobel
Blackthorn's The Drago Tree.
Setting
While I don't often
directly comment on the setting, it's something I focus on while reading. Can I
visualize the setting and events? Or is the setting ever-changing and I can't
picture the house where most of the story is set? If I can't imagine the rooms
right or if things aren't clear for me, I'll point it out.
Setting also includes
world building, especially if the book is set in the distant future, alternate
dimension, or a fantasy realm. Being able to see the setting, where the
characters are moving and interacting is important.
Plot +
Ending
We all focus on the plot
or story line; does the story actually have a story within it. What's going on?
A lot can be said about
this but the main thing I focus on is how I got from start to finish, were
there unnecessary events or details in the text that shouldn't have been there?
The ending is part of
the plot. If it's abrupt, was there a need for that? Or did the author make it
seem like the lights went out in the middle of the movie? Also, did the ending
satiate me as a reader? Or was it cliché or lame? All of this is part of the
plot structure and plays a role in my reviews.
Of course, you'll notice
that other points mentioned here, like setting, narration, characterization,
contribute to the plot one way or another. But I chose to handle each
separately since I focus on them separately in my book reviews.
Again an
exception to plot movement may be found in book series. Something may happen in book 1 that would have an impact in book 3. It's
tough but I know from my personal work in progress that some events that take
part in book 1 will affect what happens later in the series. You may not find a
direct effect but for me, there will one, I promise.
Suspense
vs (Comic) Relief
One of the things I
focus on regularly is the suspense and relief equation. Relief can be comic or
it could just be a calm scene after a war or heated discussion between the main
characters. The thing is, continued suspense will fry a reader's brain.
I had this issue with
J.K. Rowling's last installment in the Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows. I was shocked and I kept stopping in mid-chapters
(something I abhor doing). But I literally couldn't keep reading. There aren't
a lot of books that do that but it's important to remember that relief is
essential in the makings of a story.
In some novels, the main
character is sarcastic and/or funny, which allows the author to sprinkle humor,
and relief, throughout the book. One of those I recall was The
Secret of the Lost Pharaoh by Carolyn Arnold,
where one of the characters was hilarious so even when things were suspenseful,
Arnold added a little humor to lighten the mood. And I loved it (and the book).
Characterization
Possibly the most
important aspect in the entire novel, or of equal importance as the plot,
characterization involves both the whole cast and protagonist's development.
Are the characters likable? Are their flaws and positive aspects balanced? Do they
start out as scared but then build courage and end up being stronger than they
started? Does the novel begin with a character who is too
emotionally-controlled but end with them being able to share and communicate
what they need? All this is character development. And it's super important for
me.
I've read a few books
where the main character wasn't likable. And honestly, it was terrible. I
couldn't stand the protagonist and barely made it to the end of the book. You
can imagine these books didn't rank very high on my list.
I must note that character development is slow or rare
in two instances, mystery books (which often have installments) and book
series. The characters
need to develop both on the course of a single book and the whole trilogy or
series. If you're looking for character progression in a mystery book, you
won't find much. Or so I've noticed in the dozens I've read.
So, if you're reading
mystery or starting a series, don't take it too hard on the author, they need a
larger space to develop their character.
Genres
Depending on the genre(s)
of the book I'm reading, I might point out to other aspects. For example, if
it's a horror novel, I'd say it gave me goosebumps or I couldn't sleep because
of it. If it's a science fiction novel, I often comment on whether the sci-fi
aspect was understandable or over the top and so on.
I noted this in my
review of Hero:
The Hero Rebellion Book 1 by Belinda Crawford.
I was afraid to pick up the book because of the sci-fi element but Crawford
made it seem easy. Well, easy for me to read but she put a lot of hard work
into the setting and world building.
Covers
Again not one of the
things I regularly comment on but I do point out a gorgeous cover when I see
one OR when the cover doesn't reflect the
content of the story.
I recently read a novel where the main character was an elderly knight but the cover indicated a much younger knight. I felt that it was a discrepancy because, let's be honest a lot of people can pick up a book based on its cover. If the cover is misleading, many may feel cheated.
So,
these are the main aspects I focus on when reading and reviewing a book. I write
down mini notes as I go and add bookmarks.
What do you
focus on? May be I can consider it in my next work of fiction.
Also,
if you're an author or book blogger, tell me what you think of this list.
Check out my book reviews page for the genres I've read and I'm currently reading.
