Book Reviews by Allison Symes

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Do you review how many books you’ve read/listened to this year? I don’t. This is because while I’ve read plenty of books, I always feel I should be reading more. I remind myself I only have so many hours in the day and the better question to ask is did I enjoy the books I read? The answer to that is a definite yes. Life is too short to waste on a boring book.

I like to mix reading fiction and non-fiction. I also mix up forms of writing so will read novels, then go on to short story and flash collections, before resuming novel reading again. I mix up reading between formats - hardback, paperback, Kindle. Plus I ensure I read the writing magazines I find most helpful.

Within fiction, I like to mix genres too. I try to have a good all-round reading “diet” then.

I was fascinated by Churchill’s Wizards (read on Kindle) which looked at how artists, amongst others, deceived the Nazis using sleight of hand, camouflage, making false tanks etc. This book also shared what was learned from mistakes made in World War 1. Would highly recommend this.

I find it is easier to give reviews than obtain any for my works though. I do put out the word every now and again on why reviews help authors and these needn’t be long either. Some of the most effective reviews I’ve read (and received) have been the one or two lines type. I wonder why people are so reluctant to review. It’s not as if your words are set in stone - folk recognise this is your opinion.

I review directly after finishing a book to ensure I don’t forget. But any thoughts about encouraging folk to review would be welcome.

One policy I have on reviewing is I will only ever review books I know I’m in with a chance of liking. I think that is only fair to the author and to myself. I do the same for shows I see for the online magazine I write for. I have never seen the point of hatchet jobs. Those say more about the reviewer’s ego than it does about the author’s talent.

There are some genres where I feel I can’t give a fair review. One is horror because although I do read (and occasionally write flash) horror stories, I don’t read enough in the genre to be able to review justly (at least in my eyes). I think you need to have a deep love of the genre you’re reviewing to review fairly.

One New Year’s resolution I am happy to make is to try to read and review more in 2024. It’s a fun thing after all. I love giving a good review for a book I’ve enjoyed reading. I see that as a win-win - for me as reviewer and the author. 

Are there books/genres you won’t review? How have you attracted reviews for your work?

Happy (reading and writing) Christmas!