Now I’m not claiming for one second to be some literary critic, but I can tell you that since making the decision to write a review of my books, my switch from passive to active reading has dialled up quite significantly.
Like many of us, I’ll wager we’re not always fully concentrating when reading every word on every page of every book we work our way through. Well, if it’s not true for you, it’s true for me. So I needed a way to engage myself more actively and feel more responsible and accountable as a reader. It’s the least I can offer the author. This was when I decided to write a book review after I finish each piece. I’d write the review and then share it with my Pens Around the World friends, and publish it on my website too.
I thought it important to share it with my writing peers because it left me open to feedback and scrutiny, meaning it had to be written to at least a decent level, acceptable enough to be published. It’s been a really great transition, and certainly something I’d encourage you, dear reader, to try. Now, when I read, I’m considering what I will say in my review, so I make a little note here and there about something in the book that is jumping out at me. It could be a stylistic choice, a technical execution, a plot hole, or a character study. No matter what, it’s got me pausing for thought, jotting down a few notes, and really trying to figure out what the book is doing/saying beyond the surface-level thoughts that even the most passive readers can understand.
From a reader’s standpoint, it’s helped me to remember how a book made me feel, because I invested more time in analysing the question. From a writer’s standpoint, it’s helped me gain huge respect for some writers in how they put a scene together, create memorable characters, or use writing techniques that make their work such masterpieces. Also, from a writer’s perspective, when I actively read how a book is being written, it teaches me how not to write, and the general pitfalls to avoid. It’s all helpful stuff.
The other benefit of committing to a book review at the end of each read is having the discipline to sit down and think critically about it. I have no one else’s help to bail me out, because ultimately it’s my lived experience. AI can’t write that as well as I can. As time marches on, critical thinking seems to be a seldom-used skill that seemed fundamental during university. It’s great to tap into this natural way of being without much friction.
I just hope that once you start reviewing, you’ll see another layer of how awesome a book really can be.
