My Views on Book Reviews

I have felt very inspired to read recently but much less inspired to write and I think this is due to a little creative dip. I can’t really think of different types of posts to write that I am excited about. Of course, book reviews are one of the main types of posts that bloggers upload but I’m really not feeling inspired to write reviews right now, even though I do really want to write about the books I’ve read recently.

I think my main issue with writing reviews at the moment is that I feel I have to write them in a more conventional way, with star ratings and explanations of what I like, dislike, plus critical analysis. Now, I personally do find fun in reading books critically – for me, it adds something extra to my reading.  Sometimes however, I just want to write a post about how much I loved a book. I usually add a little to say a couple of things I wasn’t a huge fan of or if there is anything that wasn’t done too well. However the usual structure of reviews just hasn’t been working for me recently.

I sometimes end up fleshing reviews out more so they’re not too short but I don’t like doing this a lot as it doesn’t feel genuine. I want reviews to show my personal feelings and to be genuine because if not, what’s the point? I’m not a fan personally of ‘objective reviews’ – all reviews are at least a bit subjective because of our personal tastes. I am more likely to read or watch reviews by others if they are more subjective, with the person talking specifically about what they personally did and didn’t like as opposed to (for example) dissecting the structure from a very analytical, ‘academic’ point of view. Again, this is just my personal preference too!

I have quite a few books I’ve read recently that I want to talk about on here and they will still be labelled as reviews but they’re probably going to be a little shorter and more chatty and casual, like when you’re having a conversation with someone and they recommend you a book they’ve loved. This is more the vibe I am aiming for and it’s what I enjoy writing. When I make a review fit a certain structure, I think it comes across as less personal and even a little detached, which I hate! It may only seem that way to me, but even so I want to change this.

My reviews after this are going to be chattier and more like I’m having a chat with you in person – or at least, that’s my aim! I’m going to see how this feels for me but right now I think it’s better. It means I will still write a post about the books I want to share my opinions on but I’m not put off doing it by a structure that I really don’t enjoy. I’m looking forward to writing about some fab books I’ve read recently – keep an eye out!

What are your thoughts? What kinds of reviews do you enjoy reading and/or writing?