Book Reviews

Do you find book reviews difficult to write?

When I attempted my first book review, 

I spent hours working on it. 

Since then, I've adopted an easy template to use. 

I'll even share. ;-)

First, if you're blogging, it's a good idea to 
insert a copy of the book cover 
for your visual viewers. 

Just as an attractive plate of food stirs your taste buds, a well-designed book cover draws a reader in and prompts them to take a deeper look. Generally, you don't need to ask permission to use the cover. Most authors I know would LOVE the free advertising.

Secondly, I usually 
plug the back cover copy into the top of a Word document 
as a working copy. Although I don't always use it in my review, doing this keeps the names and general story idea handy, saving time later.

Journey's Edge back cover copy:

A Routine Audit? Hardly. 

Red flags—including some goon who's following her—raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart?

As I'm reading the book, I 
use the following template 
to type notes in the Word document.

• What I liked.
• What I didn't like. Was I confused about something?
• Characters ~ were they 3-dimensional? Did I like them?
• Setting ~ was it real enough that I felt like I was there? 
• For romantic suspense novels, was there an appropriate balance?
• Is there a message for the reader to take away? A faith thread?
• How would I rate the book?

Answering these questions as you read the book allows your review to flow fairly quickly and painlessly. 

Your readers may also appreciate purchase links. ;-)

And lastly, due to 2009 FTC regulations, you're obligated to indicate whether you received any compensation 
for the review. 

Want to see an awesome example? Check out Susan Tuttle's Bookshelf Friday. 

Do you have a method for writing book reviews?
What works for you?