A review by me.

A review by me.

A review written by me is not the typical. I was never that into the details and nuances of English literature, though I am not completely oblivious to them either. I just wanted to keep my hobby simple. I wanted to enjoy reading. I didn’t want to read a book thinking about the literary techniques at use. If I noticed them, cool! But they weren’t the reason I would read a book, or why I started to read. I read because I want to be transported away. I read because I want to realise the different viewpoints and perspectives of life. I read because I want to learn about things and situations I haven’t been in. I read so that, in an indirect way, I can interact with others who see the world like I do or completely different to how I do. I read for the magic that comes with reading a good book. 

So a review written by me is not in the typical format. Nor does it lack the depth of a simple star rating. I read all these book reviews that use these big, literary terms. They are telling me the book is good, but I want to know how they felt reading the book. Did it leave an impact? Did they laugh and smile? Did they feel sad when they finished reading it? Did they hate the experience despite it being a great book on paper? Did it hit a cord with something they find important in their lives? This is what I want to know when reading a book review. And this is what I hope to give when I write my reviews. Every book we read leaves an imprint I believe. Some leave big, long lasting ones. Others barely a mark. But it’s there nonetheless, influencing what you read in the future and your attitude to something similar. 

I believe there is a place for the different styles of reviews. Sometimes we need the blunt ones which dissect the structure and flow of a work to inform whether it will be a smooth and simple read. And we need the more emotional forms to know the emotional experience one may expect to have while reading that particular work. Obviously everyone’s reading experience is individual and may not correlate at all with someone else’s review. I think that is what is best about reading, you never quite know what to expect, reading a new book is a journey of discovery and that is why it’s so exciting. To enter a world someone has spent hours and hours creating for others to join them in discovering is exciting. 

Why am I writing this? I just needed to remind myself why I write the reviews I write. To remind myself it’s okay to be different, and just because I’m not fitting the ‘norm’ I don’t have to change who I am. The reason why the reading community is so interesting is that everyone has their own interests, their own views and experiences when reading. It’s what makes book discussions interesting. Coming together with different views over one interest is totally the best! Quite honestly I feel like I sound like a total teen talking about her newest tv binge, but that's why I keep reading. It makes me feel like a child again, simply being excited about doing something she loves and sharing that joy. 

Look forward to seeing some long form reviews on this little corner of the internet. 

Keep being curious. Keep reading. Keep discovering.

~ E ~