The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing – A Review

I have reviewed my share of books, but this one takes the cake. So what makes this one different? it’s almost the same as an auto mechanic taking his car to the garage to be fixed. You’ll note I said almost. At least here all I get thrown at me is the bit bucket. This is a review of a book about how to do reviews. It’s almost like the match telling the stove the fire is hot. Well, I did it, she liked it, now it’s your turn. Read how to review books in the following book review.

Title: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing
Authors: Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Copyright: June 2008
ISBN: Paperback 1-933353-22-8, E-Book 978-1-933353-22-7
Format: Paperback and E-Book
Genre: Non fiction

This is the ultimate book review, a review of how to do book reviews. It’s not as easy as it sounds. As a reader you can simply say this was a good book, I liked it. But as a professional reviewer, there is a protocol to follow. Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards walk the reader through all the steps required to put together a good review. But before they get into the formats required by libraries, Internet sites and various publications, this pair of writers knows how to tell the story of how to tell the story to future readers.

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is divided into parts, each containing enough chapters to thoroughly explain that part without overwhelming the reader, nor leave them with questions. Herewith is a brief description of those parts.

The Art of Book Reviewing is the heart of this reference book. Not everyone can nor wants to be a reviewer and this part starts off explaining why. What is a book review and what purpose does it serve are also succinctly told. Not all books written are worth the paper they are written on, but how is that handled? There is a format for bad reviews as well as good. Each market or site that asks for reviews has a specific format and each is explained in great detail. There are tips and strategies for how to do the job correctly (like I hope this review is).

The influence of book reviews continues with what and how a good review is designed for. Where are they used and how is done individually. What a library seeks is different than bookstores and readers clubs. Which design is best for which market is again detailed with the reason behind it.

No decent book would be complete without a section on resources. This is more than an ordinary appendix. There is a vast array of links pointing to where to post the review you’ve written. A book of scary stories does not belong on a children’s site. Young readers don’t fully understand higher books of math and science so why post reviews of those types of books there?

Overall, this book is very well written with enough detail to enrich those that do book reviews and those desiring to get into the business. Do you want it as a hobby or a job? Pick up a copy of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing and find out. This is a must have for any library whether you do reviews or not. It is very good at explaining what a review is and how to tell a good one from a bad one.