sometimes I get annoyed with negative reviews of books I really enjoyed. At the same time everyone has their own opinion and I respect it.

@waniyaaneel

4 жыл бұрын

Me too

@nikolaiarchie5958

3 жыл бұрын

A trick: you can watch series at flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.

@urielamari170

3 жыл бұрын

@Nikolai Archie yea, have been using flixzone} for years myself :)

i love how thoughtful you are with your book reviews and explained the structure of what makes a good review! it's interesting that you bring up synopses because i realize that i prefer booktube videos to not spend the majority of the time explaining what the book is about, but i don't have that standard for reviews on goodreads. i'm not sure why that is, but it might be because i like seeing how written reviews try to explain the story (because it differs depending from person to person), whereas booktube tends to summarize it in a more generic way (no shade tho) and i'd rather spend less time waiting for them to go through it and more time hearing their opinions. BUT, i might feel that way because i tend to watch reviews of more popular books that i would already know the plot about. IDK, basically my opinion seems to be the reverse of most people, but i never realized that until watching yours and now i have a lot to re-think about!

@HaileyAnnReads

5 жыл бұрын

I totally agree with you Cindy! I feel like I want a brief 3 sentence max summary and then on to what you liked and didn't like about it. Plus I feel like I get more of a grasp on what ACTUALLY happened in the book that way. It can be hard when you're trying hard not to be spoilery though

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

That’s so funny! I hardly ever pay attention to the plot summary of written reviews 😆 I get what you mean about Booktube summaries usually being more generic. I’m with you about not caring to hear the synopsis for popular books. Sometimes I want to skip over those if I’m doing a wrap up or something, but I try to at least give some info in case someone has by chance never heard of the book. All that said, I love listening to you talk about books! Even if it’s something I wouldn’t normally pick up, you make me interested 💗

I don’t add synopses on amazon or goodreads reviews... because the synopsis is above and I find it redundant

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Haha, yes, I meant more for video reviews :) You’re completely right about written reviews! 😂

@shawnatheeclecticbookworm2408

5 жыл бұрын

I don’t like that in written reviews, as well. Kinda drives me crazy actually.

I think this is right on. I don't always do book reviews because I don't normally take extensive notes so I often feel like I cannot convey things accurately. But yes people's emotions get in the way so often and it frustrates me.

I feel like synopsis isn’t that important in a review, unless it’s being used as a point for why you liked/disliked a book. It just feels repetitive to me when you can find the synopsis on the book, amazon, goodreads, etc. Just my opinion otherwise I agree with you. I usually just give a star rating on goodreads and I have a reading journal for my personal thoughts. I do it this way because I have a lot of anxiety issues and just don’t like putting my thoughts out to be judged. I want to get out of my comfort zone a little bit though so one of my goals for 2019 is to leave more of a review for my records and to hopefully help people find good books. I will definitely be keeping these points in mind.

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

I find that if someone expresses themselves well and someone judges them for it, then they’re the dumb ones :) But I completely get if you’d want to keep them in a journal-that actually sounds really fun 💕 The brief synopsis is more for video reviews then it is for Goodreads and Amazon. Because, in that case, the synopsis is right there 😆

@ola-amudatosinmile828

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Jennifer. This is 2021, did you eventually step out of your comfort zone? Did it turn out the way you expected it would?

@jenniferpeterson530

3 жыл бұрын

Yes actually I started writing reviews pretty consistently and have enjoyed being able to go back and read my thoughts on books.

@ola-amudatosinmile828

3 жыл бұрын

@@jenniferpeterson530 that's so amazing and truly impressive.

I personally avoid reading book reviews before I read the book because I feel like it influences my opinion. Usually I only read reviews of books I either really loved or really didn't like because negative reviews of books I liked but didn't love sometimes ruin my opinion of the book. On the other hand, critical reviews can draw your attention to problematic aspects. For me a good review has to include 3 aspects: a short synopsis (or maybe a few additional informations for new readers if the synopsis above is very short), the things the reviever liked/didn't like about the book and (if it's a positive review) a short interpretation of some deeper aspects of the book. I also admire the people who write amazing in-depth reviews because I feel like I could never do it, haha.

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Haha, I don’t write reviews, so I’m with you on admiring people who write really amazing ones! Sometimes people bring up such amazing points or come to conclusions I would’ve never come to 😆

That makes so much sense...love how you break down how you do your reviews

Thanks for this. Your advice was really clear and concise. Will definitely be thinking of what you said when planning my next review!!

I'm glad you made this video! There are definitely some things we could work on in terms of book reviews here on booktube and from what I've seen it comes to not going deep enough into the whys of what you're saying. Take your point about pacing if someone says "this book had slow pacing it was bad" doesn't give me a lot, it just says the pacing is slow, however if you wanted to turn that into a more fleshed out criticism you need to explain why you thought it was bad. "the pacing in the middle section of the book is slow, and this was really jarring in comparison with the intro which had incredibly fast pacing and the end which was even faster, the middle part of the book was slowed down by a lot of subplots that didn't add a lot to the overall themes and elements of the book which made it feel like padding and left the middle bogged down and just overall too slow for what the writer was trying to convey. " Sure that's a much wordier way of saying the same thing but it gives the person reading that review more context. Not every negative thing said about a book can be boiled down to personal preference. When I review a book I try to think about what an author was trying to do and analyse how well they did it. I'm not going to criticise shallow character development when the point of the book isn't to develop the character for example. I could comment on it and say "there isn't a lot of character development for the protagonist. The author used a very rigid and set in their ways character to highlight how he clashes with the other characters who do get fleshed out a lot, he's more of a window into the world than the primary agent of change. " My guideline is Point - making a statement about what is in the book (E. G. Great world building) Example - giving an example of how this was done well (e.g. The magic system is explored in great detail during the magic tournament scenes) Analysis - how did this enhance / detract from the story overall (E.g. By explaining exactly how the magic system works in these scenes it made the novel feel more grounded and let the author play with elements of his system without making it feel cheap at the end of the book) When in doubt P. E. A.

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

I like that! P.E.A. Is a good way to put it :) I do get frustrated when people make really extreme claims and don’t provide examples, so that’s a good point to make. On your point about pacing, that was one of the things that I didn’t love about The Poppy War. I could see why others enjoyed it, though those specific reasons aren’t worth mentioning in the comments here 😆

Thanks you very much for informative information. I just started book review so this video really helps me to get better idea on book review.

Some nice bits of advice here. I am currently prepping for my first review and this was very helpful. Thank you 👍🏻

At first I didn't like giving a synopsis and I was very vague about giving away key elements, because I like going into books knowing next to nothing, so I didn't want to ruin it for anybody. However, reading back some of my reviews, I now try to briefly cover those points (still a bit vaguely), because I feel it makes more sense even to me, and remember I've read the book already, so I think it will be more helpful for the person considering picking it up.

I really appreciated this video because when I try to review books or recommend them, sometimes I get overwhelmed by all of my thoughts and when that happens I’ll just give a synopsis and then my thoughts or opinions on the book which isn’t necessarily the most productive thing I could be doing 😂 That being said, I really like watching people whose reviews are concise, and usually if I’m searching for a book review it’s because I’m either already interested or have read the book so I’m just looking for that specific persons thoughts and opinions on it!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Haha, the night before I film a book review I almost always have a hard time falling asleep, cuz I just keep thinking about what I’m going to say! I’m the same about watching reviewers whose opinions I’m interested in. Even if they have a totally opposite opinion than I do! 😄

@HaileyAnnReads

5 жыл бұрын

@@ebnovels I have seen a lot of people talk about how they take notes before hand and I've thought about doing that! Idk if you do that, but maybe you could do that the night before haha

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I do! Other times I just think through it 😊

What a great idea for a video! I'm just starting becoming public with my thoughts on books so this is really helpful. I love your non-disclaimer disclaimer! lol at your past book review self imitations. Also OT how do you get your hair up like that it looks how you have such long thick hair?

This was soooo helpful! Thank you!! I always do that thing where I tend to say that the book sucked because I didn't like it. I should stop doing that. I didn't even realize I do this in my reviews tbh. But you're completely right, we should definitely recognize the difference between preference and quality. :D

Thanks for sharing.. I'm about to try writing a book review. and I think you make some very good point here

I think a good book review is saying the book is the stupidest book ever and also criticising the color of clothes the character wears,oh wait,that is a bad book review!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha, I think criticizing the color the characters wear is really legitimate if you hate that color :P Just kidding, just kidding.

Thank you Elliot that really helped 😊

really loved this video. I really wish I was better at reviewing books, but I think I'm one of those people that gets way too carried away by emotions 😅

I love this video and all the points you brought up. I enjoy reading a really good review that takes the book apart and analyzed it to see what works and what doesn’t. Having said that, I totally suck at reviewing books, myself. 😂 It’s something I’m trying to improve and this video is full of goodies!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Well I’m glad! That you thought the video was full of goodies-not that you think you suck at reviews 😆 My earlier reviews were TERRIBLE and it’s taken awhile for me to figure out what I like in reviews. That said, there’s always room for improvement, so I still enjoy watching and reading other reviews :D

@JasonsWeirdReads

5 жыл бұрын

Elliot Brooks For me, I have a lot of trouble separating the subjective from what could be considered objective on elements that work vs what doesn’t. If I really loved a book, for example, when reviewing I tend to stick to the reasons why I loved it. It takes serious effort for me to think critically when a work has affected me. The “goodies” in this video are a great way of separating perspective from pointing out flaws and, of course, what actually works. 😀

OOOH I was just about to film my first book talk so this is super helpful, and i have a lot to consider now for when I plan that video!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Which book is it for? :)

@hayleymarie630

5 жыл бұрын

ADSOM by VE Schwab! I’m late to the game but it was my first time reading it :) I’m working on how I wanna annotate books and it was one of the first books I read and annotated that I felt like my system worked well for me!

I started making my own book reviews and that was actually quite helpful.

@nbaclips4040

4 жыл бұрын

Me too

Thank you so much! So helpful 🌸

I think a short synopsis is ok if your review is on a platform that the synopsis is not present. For example, a KZread, blog, or Instagram review makes perfect sense to give a brief overview of what the book is about. I personally don't think there is a need for a synopsis on Goodreads or any other website that has what the book is about already and then you just scroll down to see what people thought. What is your thought in that?

I do the same thing and look at negative reviews first then positive - because often these reviews actually provide information on as to why they disliked the book - it will tell me if I am more likely to not enjoy a book - but most reviews give little insight into the book or the writing - just say how much they loved a character or just plain loved the story but no details to support that adoration. I use my book reviews primarily for myself - but I include supporting antidotes for my love or hate - but mainly it is there so that if someone recommends a book - I will know if A.) if I have already read it B.) if I liked it or not and C.) if I have read and hated/loved the writing of this author in the past. Oh and I am not a fan of the recapping of the book - typically I am already on a site that provides a synopsis ( i.e. Goodreads, amazon.. etc.)

Your impression of your fangirlling reviews 😂😂

I am the one at the beginning: “This is what this book is about. It was good, I liked it!” 🤣😂 Except I usually skim over what it’s about. Basically: I suck at book reviews! Bahahaha!

I listen for the "wow"s. If a person seems passionate about the book and is so glad they read it and they think everyone should, I tend to write the title down.

This was super helpful for structure ideas for reviews, totally gunna use this in my videos - hope you don't mind 😋

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Of course I don’t! 💗

@sophiasthoughts

5 жыл бұрын

@@ebnovels 😁😘

You might be the queen of book reviews...

Honestly to me, I think a Good review consists of person telling what the book is about, stating the good & the bad including the pacing. Basically a brief synopsis of it. Cuz usually based on that; it helps me determine if I wanna try it or not. They seem knowledgeable of it in case I have questions. I do understand that a book review is also the person sharing their opinion of it so I can't really fault them for that cuz basically a review is an opinion. Lastly it's their personality! They have to have a friendly vibe to them & cant seem all snarky & asshole like ya know lol. Basically someone like you Elliot 😁. Anywho what we hate about book reviews coming soon lol. Have a bless Happy Reading day pal 🌠

@GEORGIOARCADE

5 жыл бұрын

Also if they answer comments like you Elliot lol 😉. I mean to me that shows they really care about their viewers. Just honorable mention 👍

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha, well thanks! I’m not a fan of the snarky behavior either 😂 I think personality helps a lot too! It’s probably harder to do in written reviews, but in video reviews I definitely think that’s a fun addition 😊

@safinan8008

5 жыл бұрын

Hi how are u??? Sorry I have not been much around.... I hope things are well with u?? I hope u have great weekend 🍁👋🏻

@GEORGIOARCADE

5 жыл бұрын

@@safinan8008 aww it's ok, I know life can get busy for you sometimes. Plus you always like my posts on Instagram or leaving me comments here. I'm doing great. I had just uploaded my first legit fan music cover art on there today & the music artist loved it! All is good here minus the cold weather lol 😅. Hope you are doing great & reading something 🔥. Have a bless weekend my great friend

Loved the video! I will never forget a book review I saw by a booktuber who reviewed it on goodreads, it started off with "If you don't care about or are somehow oblivious to how problematic this book is........". Oh, okay, so if I liked the book, apparently I'm either an asshole or an idiot? Got it. 😂😂😂 I absolutely want to know specifics about what you liked and didn't like and why, but please don't crap all over people who felt differently. I would love to see a video about your favorite reviewers! If you have already done one and I missed it, I apologize. Take care!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Man, I would NOT liked that review you mentioned 😡 That kind of stuff drives me crazy. Everyone is entitled to like or dislike books, but to make others feel bad for having differing opinions is very immature. I’ve not made a video like that, but I do always like to shout out Jay from Captured in Words. His videos are always incredibly well done and really engaging, especially his reviews. Highly recommend him 😄

@shannonquinn

5 жыл бұрын

@@ebnovels Checking him out now, thanks so much!!

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome!

Lovely video great advice

Thanks mam it is very helpful for me

Alright now this is interesting

Any idea if there are any laws in regard to writing a complete book based on opposing ideas of an existing book? The entire book being based on arguments against every single point made in the book that is written and published by a well known author and a well known publisher? could one potentially be sued? Would the same publisher potentially deny the proposal of the book merely for having published the original? Thanks!!

Can I ask you a question, so I'm doing a book review on my channel (non fiction) what are the rules with regards to spoilers or am I to assume if someone is looking at the review they have already read it? I don't want to spoil the book for others or take away custom from the guy I'm reviewing by just basically telling them what the book is, thanks in advance!

Can you do a review on the boy who fell from the stars?

Hi 👋🏻 I hope ur well?? I’m almost half way through oathbringer!! Luving it so far.... I hope u enjoy ur next read??

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

I’m so happy you’re enjoying it! 💛💛💛

well, how can you say if its a good book if you dont want to know how the book affected the reader? dont you think that also a key element on a book review?

Is there a way I could send you my book for you to review? It's a fantasy novel about Peter Pan. I enjoyed this video and would love for an honest opinion on it. Thanks

I hate it when people nitpick, especially featuring mostly negative parts. I just feel attacked, as if I was the author and all. Just. That.

Thank you. Am a kind of a new writer any feedback would be useful

👍👍👍

I write them to try to practice so I can submit paid reviews to magazines, news sites and literary websites.

Most of my past book reviews are horrible lol so I'm trying to write better ones for my blog.

Your audio is really raw and harsh, but this video was made in 2018. I'm going to check out some of your other videos and see if you improved.

👍

I have been through quite a lot of book reviews on youtube and have found them to be seriously lacking both in quality and content. Sometimes I even wonder if the reviewer has read a few pages cause the review is so shallow that it neither helps one to take a decision to purchase the book nor does it help in adding some tidbits of knowledge that the supposed reader acquired.

Hello , Do you have an instgram for your reviews, Please ?

I love your points in this video! I did a similar video about How To Write a Book Review a few years ago... kzread.info/dash/bejne/rHinxreKe5XefKQ.html Please ignore the terrible lighting. haha!

Some of the worst reviews I’ve seen for a book were for No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts. Almost every negative review was because the book was marketed as an African American Gatsby, and it wasn’t Gatsby-Esque. Okay, but true actual book wasn’t reviewed.

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Grrr, those kinds of negative reviews drive me insane 😡

Hi reply me

Good explanation. Join me at my book review videos.

I do the same thing with reviews! Movies as well. Sometimes I gain a new perspective. @feeney86

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

That’s true! Although I rarely watch movies nowadays 😆

@michaelfeeney6108

5 жыл бұрын

Elliot Brooks That’s a shame- I much prefer them to TV.

So what you're saying is you want people to writing book reviews to be intelligent. I think you might be asking for a lot... :)

@ebnovels

5 жыл бұрын

Hahahahaha, that made me actually laugh out loud 😂