What it comes down to (at least, pertaining MY reviews) is what I like or did not like about the book – the plot, the worldbuilding, the characters (!) etc. It all makes a circle of awesomness (or suckiness) that I will either love or throw against the wall.

Regarding grades, I flipping hate them! Not until recently did I start rating books because I was asked to, but it’s just too hard to consistently rate a book when there are things I did or didn’t like about it.

Anyway, just my two cents!

Ana, I know what you mean about wanting that rating, it can be so useful. And I’m not against it in a broad sense. Sometimes I really jealous that people can assign a grade like that, honestly! It drives me nuts over at Lit Mob that I have to assign a 1-5 star rating. I’m so ambivalent that all of my reviews fall in the 2-4 star range since they’ve all been varying degrees of good or not good. I think my brief fling of producing quantifiable reviews solidified my inability to do so

As for the summarising: I don’t think I will ever remove than from my reviews because in many ways Summary= Plot to me. I always start with a couple of paragraphs on that because the way a reviewer summarises the book makes a difference in my opinion: it shows how someone read the book and it helps much more than the blurbs or back page summaries I think.

I agree that reviews do count: how could they not? If they didn’t, blogs wouldn’t be increasingly popular. I know we can’t quantify it, but I am sure it does help. But I think the reviewers that will quit or the ones that don’t count as much are the ones that put NO THOUGHT whatsoever to what they were doing. So we are back to the “I love this book, It was a quick read” type of reviews – they are not good to readers, authors or PR.Or not?

Kristen – thanks, that is very kind of you. We aim to be thorough whilst still having fun. You get your fiancée to read your reviews? Cool.
Re: the memory problem: I think it helps me a lot that I write down pointers as I am reading the books. Keywords to describe the characters, or how I felt at a certain point.

Kate: I know I did print it and it’s pinned to my calendar , I totally fell in love with his criteria.
The grading part is so difficult sometimes. Thea and I exchange several emails on the subject on occasion especially when we are doing our joints. But even if I find it difficult , I think it is helps to focus and to be honest, it is one thing that I am always looking for in a review. I love your reviews and Jessica’s as well but in the end I often think to myself….so was that a 7 or a 8 graded book?

Mame – I am loving this conversation as well! Thanks for taking part. You know, one of the things that I find REALLY hard is to carry on reading poorly reading books. It drives me nuts when I recognise potential in the characters and plot but can’t go on because of the writing. I find the other way around is easier.

The Larkin list mentioned is a good one, and I can see its uses, but I mainly just try to convey the depth of the characters I read, how the world around them effects them and the plot, how well-written said plot was and, finally, if the authors particular style made an impression, I’ll comment on that as well. I don’t use this every time though, like I said, it depends on how each book impacts me. I suppose I believe, because books are individually so different to me, that one structure isn’t necessarily reasonable. It would be like trying to assimilate us all into one mindset on reviewing, hence wiping out our individuality and what makes our reviews uniquely enjoyable.

I enjoy, so much, the differences in all of our review “styles”, or voices, if you will. I wouldn’t want to see one set of rules for everyone. Larkin’s rules/list as a guide? Sure, but a guide only.

One concession, or change I’ve made recently in my reviews was to stop personally summarizing the book. I’ve seen so many comments from readers over the last year that the summaries aren’t what they want, they want the reviewer’s opinions on the book itself. I admit, the lack of time lately has made this switch to using back cover blurbs easier on me, but it also allows me to get that much quicker into the meat of the review before I lose any key points I want to make. So, win win. I expect the way I review will keep changing in little ways over time. To try to structure that into ONE process, stifle it, wouldn’t enable me to write reviews very well.

And this is slightly off topic, but it’s still about reviews – reviews do count. Even if you’re an amateur blogger/reviewer like me, they do matter to someone. I see so many people these days saying that in terms of book sales, PR for authors, etc. that reviews don’t make a difference one way or another, and this has led to some people feeling they don’t need to bother writing reviews anymore. I say even if it’s only something you enjoy doing, your pastime, then do it. Reviews are important. I have no clue HOW important what I do is to someone else, but it’s important to me and that’s got to count for something.

Anyway, nice post!

I actually have very little method to my reviewing, which strikes even me as odd. Actually I have a pretty strict method for reviewing academic books (as I suppose one must) but strangely that hasn’t melded much into my fiction reviewing. I mean, you don’t come upon a lot of fiction with bibliographic notes I guess.

I think when I review I just simply try to hit upon the facets of the book that hit me the most, be they good or bad. I often feel like I put up very mixed reviews – I don’t grade or give stars or any sort of quantifiable method – which can result in me reviewing relatively favorably a book I enjoyed, even though I may harp at the change of agency in the character or anachronism inherent in the plot. And et cedera. But I’ve really resisted giving quantifiable reviews and will continue to do so, since I really don’t feel my reading experience should be summed up that way – most books are both good and bad, and even books I love may have bits that drive me nuts.

I guess I’m sort of rambling. That’ll happen on three cups of coffee. At nine p.m.

I think you and Thea both doing an excellent job of giving enough information to get an idea of whether or not a book will jive with someone’s personal taste – and you make it entertaining with lots of personality. And that’s why I (and many others) keep reading.

I’m constantly thinking about and trying to refine my own review process, too. The hardest part for me is explaining what I liked/didn’t like and why without spoilers. Sometimes there’s something I really want to talk about liking or not liking but I can’t because it would give too much away! And then I obsess over whether or not I’ve given too much away in what I have said and get my fiance to read it and ask him if I should/shouldn’t have said something. Then he usually tells me to chill an awful lot.

The other part that’s hard is what you mentioned about sometimes you just can’t put your finger on what exactly is missing. That’s so aggravating!

Letting a book sink in for 3 weeks or so is a good idea. I don’t often do that since I’m afraid I’ll forget too many of the things I want to say, but there have been books that I find I forget easier than I expected or that linger in my memory a lot longer than I expected.