Write a Book Review

3 Parts:

Steps on How to be an Effective Book Reviewer

Other Book Review Tips

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A book review can be very fun yet challenging. Prejudice is not allowed, so make sure that you write a review with all points presented well.

While reviewers can have their own views, all opinions should always be supported with facts and evidence from the book. Nothing should be missed. Opinions should not be selective. Whether it is a book of your choice or just something assigned to you, it is important that you do what a good and responsible book reviewer should do.

Are you working on your very first book review? Here are some tips on how you could be more effective. Make your first the best!

1. 1
   Examine the book in general

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   Check the title and analyze what it is trying to suggest. It also pays reading the introduction or the preface part. In here, you would have a bit of an idea why the author chose to write about it, its purpose and a little more about the author. Having these as starters, you can have some ideas on how to begin the review.

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2. 2
   Take notes

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   It is important that you take some notes while you are already reading the entire book. Highlight interesting or intriguing ideas or statements included in the book. Quoting some passages that you come across is also a recommended thing to do. At first there are parts of the book that you might disagree with, but taking notes may tend to change how you feel and think about the book later on.

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3. 3
   Determine the main idea

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   If you fail to determine the main idea of the book you are reviewing, it will definitely be an epic fail. You can't teach what you don't know. It's the same thing with a book review - you can't make a good one if you can't catch the main idea.

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4. 4
   Putting yourself into the characters' shoes

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   When you are reviewing a fiction book, take notes on the characters and see if there could be someone you can personally relate to. This will make your review a little easier - injecting some of your personal experiences and presenting them in a literary and creative way.

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5. 5
   Know who your readers are

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   Knowing who you are writing for can give you a clear idea on how you should present your evaluation of the book.

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6. 6
   Conclude, don't introduce

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   The main purpose of a book review is for you to analyze if the book has been well-written or not. So at the end of the review, you should present a sturdy conclusion and not try to open or introduce a new proposition.

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7. 7
   Recommendations

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   Lastly, present your recommendation. If you liked the book, state why and which part was the best for you.

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• Even if the author is reputable, be bold enough to make an honest review. Besides, even known authors have had their own shares of mediocrity in their craft.
• Never review works of people you already know or authors you hate or adore. This will only create prejudice.
• Review books of your interest. This will make you more effective.
• Be frank and sincere in telling your readers if the book was a bore or was it a delight in reading. Were your fingers heavy in turning the pages or your fingers can't wait to find out what happened next in the book?
• Make some recommendations on how the author could have made the book more interesting by a slight revision of the plot. Give your honest opinion if the book is good enough to be adapted to the movie screen.

Before you finally submit your final work, re-read, revise, revise and revise until it gets completely polished. This should be a book reviewer's rule of thumb.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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