What's are the ways to make creative book reviews and become successful paid reviewer? Smart tips and tricks of systematic book reviews... What, How, Where, Means, Methods, Opportunities and much more...

INTRODUCTION

Let's start the most interesting topic of Book Reviews. A book review describes, analyzes, and evaluates a book by examining its purpose and its contribution.

A book review should address the following:

• Purpose: What was the aim of the book?
  • What are the authors trying to accomplish? 
  • What is their argument?
• Audience: Who was this book written for?
  • Who is the author trying to convince?
• Strategy/Approach: How does the book attempt to achieve its aim?
  • What strategies and evidence did you see in the book?
• Evaluation: Is the book successful in accomplishing its aim?
  • To what extent are you convinced by the book? 
  • To whom (if anyone) would you recommend this book?

In this article, I shall be attempting to explore all facets of book review. 

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You will get to know about

1. What is a review?
2. What is a book review?
3. What's qualities essential in a reviewer?
4. What's the steps of reviews? 
5. What are the authors trying to accomplish? What is their argument?  Purpose: What was the aim of the book?  Audience: Who was this book written for?
6. Strategy/Approach: How does the book attempt to achieve its aim? 
7. What strategies and evidence did you see in the book? 
8. Evaluation: Is the book successful in accomplishing its aim? 
9. To what extent are you convinced by the book? 
10. To whom (if anyone) would you recommend this book?
11. SOME SELF CREATED EXAMPLES OF BOOK REVIEWS 

 1. What's a review?

A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms. This handout will focus on book reviews. For a similar assignment, see our handout on literature reviews.

Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into dialogue and discussion with the work’s creator and with other audiences. You can offer agreement or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its knowledge, judgments, or organization. You should clearly state your opinion of the work in question, and that statement will probably resemble other types of academic writing, with a thesis statement, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Typically, reviews are brief. In newspapers and academic journals, they rarely exceed 1000 words, although you may encounter lengthier assignments and extended commentaries. In either case, reviews need to be succinct. 

1.1    Common features of review

While they vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features:

• First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
• Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content. This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy, whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding of the issues at hand.
• Finally, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not the audience would appreciate it.

2.    What is a book review?

A book review allows reviewers to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas.

A book review describes and critically evaluates a (usually recent) book. Like any kind of review, for example a review of a film or television programme, it will offer a description of the main points, consider the strengths and weaknesses, and give an overall evaluation, in order to allow the reader to decide whether or not it will be of interest to them and therefore a good investment of their time and money. Book reviews are sometimes used as assignments on undergraduate courses, and are a common component of academic journals. They are typically short pieces of work, around 500-750 words in length. They may sometimes be shorter or longer, but will rarely exceed 1000 words. A book review should not be confused with a book report, which is a relatively short and purely descriptive assignment, common in high school (rather than university) courses.

Qualities of an Effective Book Review 

1. First-person voice: semi-formal, between a book report and a journal entry 

2. A plot summary that doesn’t reveal too much—let the reader decide if he or she wants to read it; give a hint of things to come 

3. Quotes from the book that reveal something about the characters, plot, or 100 hOT bOOKS theme 

4. A brief description of the main character. 

5. Where and when the story is set 

6. What genre it is (science fiction, romance, comedy, fantasy, chick lit, etc.) 

7. Descriptions of good things the author did (ex., flashback, realistic details, fast face, hopeful ending, etc.) 

8. A description of the problem or theme 

9. How the book fits in a larger context (the BIG picture)—any political, historical, or social messages. 

10. A suggestion of who would like the book and why 

11. Comparisons with other books and genres 

12. What’s different about this book, contrasting with others of the same genre 

13. Comparisons with works by other authors. 

14. Comments about the author’s style or use of language (tone and style) 

15. The reviewer’s feelings about the book: his or her specific reactions 

16. The reviewer’s reading process: how he or she read the book 

17. A grabbing lead and an emphatic conclusion

3. Willing to be an expert reviewer: Must posses these essential qualities

Reviewing can be a daunting task. Someone has asked for your opinion about something that you may feel unqualified to evaluate. The point is that someone—a professor, a journal editor, peers in a study group—wants to know what you think about a particular work. You may not be (or feel like) an expert, but you need to pretend to be one for your particular audience. Nobody expects you to be the intellectual equal of the work’s creator, but your careful observations can provide you with the raw material to make reasoned judgments. Tactfully voicing agreement and disagreement, praise and criticism, is a valuable, challenging skill, and like many forms of writing, reviews require you to provide concrete evidence for your assertions.

3.1    Skills for a book reviewer

Here are a few skills that a book reviewer might need:

• Excellent reading and comprehension skills

• Strong writing abilities

• Time management skills

• Communication skills

• Critical thinking skills

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4. What's the steps of reviews? 

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

• What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
• Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
• Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
• Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
• What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

Developing an assessment: before you write

There is no definitive method to writing a review, although some critical thinking about the work at hand is necessary before you actually begin writing. Thus, writing a review is a two-step process: developing an argument about the work under consideration, and making that argument as you write an organized and well-supported draft. See our handout on argument.

What follows is a series of questions to focus your thinking as you dig into the work at hand. While the questions specifically consider book reviews, you can easily transpose them to an analysis of performances, exhibitions, and other review subjects. Don’t feel obligated to address each of the questions; some will be more relevant than others to the book in question.

• What is the thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world you know? What has the book accomplished?
• What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? What is the approach to the subject (topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive)?
• How does the author support her argument? What evidence does she use to prove her point? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author’s information (or conclusions) conflict with other books you’ve read, courses you’ve taken or just previous assumptions you had of the subject?
• How does the author structure her argument? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
• How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your reader?

5.    What are the authors trying to accomplish? What is their argument? 

Reviewers can be found everywhere. In magazines, newspapers, universities, supermarkets, and even blogs. Their thoughts and opinions about a book become as important as the author’s look, if not more. They create a short review from which readers can get an idea about the book. let's understand more precisely;

AUTHOR’S PURPOSE 

An author’s purpose is his reason for or intent in writing.

 An author’s purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition. An author writes with one of four general purposes in mind: 

1. To relate a story or to recount events, an author uses narrative writing. 

2. To tell what something looks like, sounds like, or feels like, the author uses descriptive writing 

3. To convince a reader to believe an idea or to take a course of action, the author uses persuasive writing.

4. To inform or teach the reader, the author uses expository writing. An author’s purpose is reflected in the way he writes about a topic. For instance, if his purpose is to amuse, he will use jokes or anecdotes in his writing. Clues to an author’s purpose may be found in titles, prefaces, and the author’s background. 

Beyond the internal workings of the book, you may also consider some information about the author and the circumstances of the text’s production: 

6.    Strategy/Approach: How does the book attempt to achieve its aim? 

Really, strategy is about making specific choices to win in the marketplace.

A strategy discussion is not an idea review. A strategy discussion is not a budget or a forecast review. A strategy discussion is how we are going to accomplish our growth objectives in the next three to five years.

Strategy is sustainable competitive advantage over its rivals by “deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver unique value.” Strategy therefore requires making explicit choices—to do some things and not others—and building a business around those choices.

 

7.    What strategies and evidence did you see in the book? 

Strategy is a coordinated and integrated set of five choices: a winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, core capabilities, and management systems.

1. What is your winning aspiration, the gap found and willing to fill up through this book? The purpose of your enterprise, its motivating aspiration.
2. Where will you play, the students, faculties, practitioners or who else? A playing field where you can achieve that aspiration.
3. How will you win, major methods to convince and usability? The way you will win on the chosen playing field.
4. What capabilities must be in place, within the book, clear and concise? The set and configuration of capabilities required to win in the chosen way.
5. What management systems are required, to address the issues in a scientific way? The systems and measures that enable the capabilities and support the choices.

So while reviewing a book you must see the strategy of these 5 points

8.    Evaluation: Is the book successful in accomplishing its aim? 

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

1. Introduction

• Describe the book cover and title.
• Include any subtitles at this stage.
• Add the Author’s Name.

2. Thesis

• Write a brief description of the book
• Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
• Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.

3. Body

• Use about 3 important findings quotations from the author’s book chapters.
• Summarize the findings / quotations in your own words.
• Mention your own point-of-view of the findings / quotation.
• Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.

4. Conclusion

• How well the book has achieved its goal,
• What possibilities are suggested by the book,
• What the book has left out,
• How the book compares to others on the subject,
• What specific points are not convincing, and
• What personal experiences you've had related to the subject.
• Briefly summarize the findings / quotations.
• In short, summarize the explanations.
• Finish with a concluding sentence.
• include your final opinion of the book.
• Star-Rating (Optional).

9.     To what extent are you convinced by the book? 

I now know that the world is not black-and-white. That people are not always who they seem to be. I have decent knowledge of the working of human psychology, of why economies crumble, why increasing the minimum wage is not a good idea, of social media strategies, of the dangers of religious extremism, of how governments are elected, what Bitcoin is, how Elon Musk is changing the frontier of science and technology, on what makes a particular song good.

In strategy, there are no absolute answers or sure things, and nothing lasts forever. Having a clear definition of winning, a robust analytical framework such as the logic flow, and a thoughtful review process can help organize thinking and improve analysis, but even still, a successful outcome is not guaranteed.

10.    To whom (if anyone) would you recommend this book?

Reasons to Recommend a Book; the points to ponder are

1. You couldn’t put the book down! 
2. The characters in the book are interesting and entertaining.
3. The problem in the story is exciting and unpredictable. 
4. The author uses descriptive language that is fun to read. 
5. The book is part of a series, and you want to get your friends interested in the series. 
6. The illustrations are unique or memorable.
7. The story is very funny and makes you laugh while you are reading.
8. The story teaches you a lesson that you think other students should learn, too. 
9. The story reminded you of something we are learning about in class. 

11. SOME SELF CREATED EXAMPLES OF BOOK REVIEWS 

1. Novel : Second Spring

Author : Sandhya Jane

Reviewed by Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto

Synopsis:

A woman who cannot compromise... A man who will not dare to care... A love blossomed was deeper than the passion in the hotel room... Avantika, as a successful investment banker, struggles against her growing attraction to her charming colleague that she fears above all else just might be her true love and soul mate. So she must tread lightly where Rohan is concerned. Rohan, an attractive, smart, aspiring investment banker is a part of Avantika's team. Her strong will to resist the idea of unconventional love, his constant struggle to exert rigid control over will and passion... only to succumb to the joys and passion during business trips that changed the course of their lives forever. Betrayed by the man she trusted, Avantika distanced herself from everything that was associated with their love. However, haunted by the deep passion that still rages in his soul, The question is, will Avantika accept him back?

Rating: (4 Star out of 5) ****                            

2.    Book: 2062: The world that AI Made 

Author : Toby Walsh 

Reviewed by Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto

Synopsis:

Today, Artificial Intelligence is the dominant topic of discussion with questions about its expected rate of growth and its impact on various aspects of human life. The outcry over ChatGPT is just one of the many examples in our midst. People want to understand how AI is going to affect their lives and Toby Walsh’s book is an outstanding read which deals with this topic comprehensively, in a very easy to understand manner. For most people, term like AI, machine learning, deep learning, internet of things and algorithmic bias seem extremely cryptic. Because of this, we don’t really try to understand these concepts properly and just stick to a surface level grasp of these issues. This would be fine for most technical things, except when these very things have the potential to permanently alter every aspect of our daily lives and humanity in general. Toby Walsh has kept this is mind throughout the book and explained these concepts beautifully, with analogies like comparing data to oil, examples of programmes and robots in use like COMPAS, real incidents like the US Presidential elections, while using simple language, all of which help a layman easily understand what the real problem is and what the probable solutions should be.

Rating (5 Star out of 5) *****

3.    Wings of Fire: 
An Autobiography of Abdul Kalam 

Reviewed by Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto

Synopsis:

Wings of Fire is an autobiography of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam covering his early life and his work in Indian space research and missile programs. It is the story of a boy from a humble village background who went on to become a key player in Indian space research/Indian missile programs and later became the President of India. Arun Tiwari has co-authored this inspirational book. Dr. Kalam’s roller coaster of a journey and humble beginnings are a gentle reminder to all Indians who blame their life and circumstances and the lack of opportunities it presents.

Rating (5 Star out of 5) *****

4.    Mapping the World

By American Library Association

Reviewed by Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto

Synopsis:

Mapping the World talks about the uses of maps, as well as how to differentiate between the type of map projection and type of map. The Mapping the World 8-book set goes into amazing levels of detail. It is a long read, but it gives an immense range and amount of information that you would not find in any other book or series on maps. The flowing way the chapters and books are organized makes it easy to link passages from different books in this series together. Mapping the World is a treasure box, filled with the seeds of cartography. Collect and plant them, and you soon will have the fruits of cartography, beneficial to those who want to be cartographers. Use this series to the utmost, then the fruits of mapping will be sweet for all who endeavor to succeed in cartography.

Rating : (4 out of 5) ****

5. Book : Industrial Engineering and Management 

Author: O. P. Khanna

Reviewed by Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto

Synopsis:

Industrial Engineering and management, written by O.P. Khanna,  is one of the critical subjects which carry a moderate amount of marks but the probability of appearing in the exam is always higher. In GATE weightage is medium but in other exams such as ESE, BARC and PSU exams, a good amount of marks are carried by this subject. Important is that it covers the complete competitive exam syllabus.  Best book for knowing and studying work study. A complete book. I am still referring this for refreshing my knowledge related to time study, work sampling etc. A must book for industrial engineers of today. The book will be more beneficial if the latest tools and techniques are updated and smart manufacturing concepts are included.

Rating : (4 out of 5) ****

So, What Next...?

Get started to review books. The publications might be print media or online as long as they are credible and pay a bit better. There are a couple of legit book review sites that one can join. These are some of the publications that I can recommend to you:

• Kirkus Reviews
• Publishers Weekly
• The US Review
• Bookbrowse
• OneBookClub
• Booklist Publications

I’m not saying that they are the only good publications out there, just recommending the ones I’ve come across. Print publications are even better because they pay usually better. So, apply for a book reviewing role in print media entities such as magazines, journals, and newspapers. Have a great career!!

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