Writing book reviews and how to approach them

[fashion_piranha]

What is a book blogger's review?

Recently, I finished a book and began jotting down notes for its review. As the tip of the pen hit the paper, I froze. The book presented a small problem, one that crops up occasionally for me as a blogger.

I write book reviews. No debate there. But who am I writing them for?

The way I see it, reviews can manifest in three forms:

1. The “Diary” Approach: I write my thoughts on the book as it applies to me and my life. If I don’t like a book, I tell you why it doesn’t work for me. Sometimes they can be very personal or silly reasons; I don’t like books that rely on brand names to create descriptive passages (“She tightened the belt of her Burberry coat, sprayed on Chanel No. 5 perfume, and adjusted the strap of her Manolo sandals before slipping into the stranger’s BMW.”) because I think it’s lazy writing that quickly dates the story, so stories that do this typically get knocked down a star or two. But in some genres (chick lit) this style of writing is expected; fans of the genre might even like it. So is it fair to critique it? In the diary style of reviewing, the reader gets a sense of the reviewer’s preference and this can be really helpful. “I know that she doesn’t like writers who use brand names, but that doesn’t bother me, and the plot sounds really fun! I’ll definitely buy that book.” In fact, I’ve had several people tell me that they’ve picked up a particular book after a negative review because even though I hated it, it sounded right up their alley.
2. The “Intended Audience” Approach: In this version of a review, I write how I think the audience for whom the book was intended will react to it. This comes up a lot with children’s books. Remember Goosebumps, one of the most popular book series of the 1990s? Many of those books are awful, filled with cardboard characters and predictable plot “twists” that an adult reader will see a mile coming. But when I was eight, I loved them. Five stars all the way! (It helped that my mother banned them from our house; nothing makes a book more appealing than making the reading of it forbidden.) Judging those books through the lens of my adult experience isn’t fair, because R. L. Stine didn’t intend them for a grown-up reader. But a truly good children’s book, like those in the Percy Jackson or Harry Potter series, will appeal to readers both young and old.  I don’t discount my personal feelings entirely, I just try to take into account how I would have reacted when I was the age of the book's audience.
3. The "Neutral" Approach: Some might suggest going for a neutral approach, sticking to facts and trying to keep my personal quirks out of the review. That's the third approach that I take for "business" blogging when I write for the bookstore. But even that isn't truly neutral - clearly, I'm holding forth on some sort of opinion or else I'd have nothing to write about.  Still, one reason that I like having this blog is so I can spew forth my personal opinion without censoring or avoiding the mention of elements that bother me. So never mind neutrality.

For this latest book, I don’t know which approach is more appropriate. It’s a young adult book that, had it been published when I was fourteen, I would have loved. It hits every fangirl trope that would have made me squeal at the height of my anime fandom. But my adult self didn’t really enjoy the book because it has some serious flaws. Do I focus on the problems that I found disenchanting or on the joy that a certain segment of young fandom will experience as they read this story? After all, the author intended the book for those teenagers, not me. I don’t like representing the opinion of a demographic of which I have not been a member for many years. The fact that I'm not a member of the target audience doesn't invalidate my experience, does it?

What to do?

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
2013: Limit Vol. 1 by Keiko Suenobu
2012: The Thirteen by Susie Maloney
2011: Flowers in a Storm, Vol. 1 by Shigeyoshi Takagi
2010: Fallen by David Maine
2009: Sorrow Wood by Raymond L. Atkins
2008: Guernica by Dave Boling