tips – mylittlebookblog

Hello readers, a really interesting post for you today I think. Critical reviews are really difficult to write; there are so many parts to reading a book. Say you might not enjoy a book for one reason but might really adore it for another – how do you write the review? For me critical reviews are really important and play a vital part in the blogosphere and I’m going to try and put down why they really aren’t such a bad thing.

WE all Enjoy Different Things

Type in ‘book blog’ on google and you will be hit with 34264758482948584 different results each looking at different genres of books; some specialise, some like MLBB don’t – however we all have niche’s that we enjoy. Add in different writing styles, different plot-lines, authors and taste in terms of characters and there’s a lot of difference there to deal with.

I am quite honest about my dislike of fantasy books but will often review them based on the style of writing/character build up/ pace and whether I enjoyed it overall rather than base in on the genre. If you adore fantasy books then my 3/5 could be easily a 5/5; it depends on what we love and what makes us enjoy something. Often I might read and review something I disliked but still recommend it because of something utterly different. We take what we want from reviews based on our own likes and dislikes.

We have our own opinions

Nothing is worse than being part of a book blog tour and realising that the book, well, it’s really not for you but in little over a week you’re going to have write a review and steer the course between being honest and treading on an authors feelings – it is super rubbish.

Saying that when I read reviews I will often look at the critiques and think, ‘I wonder how if I was reading it I would react.’ Weekly I add books to my TBR just to see whether my thoughts add up with that of the reviewer. Goodreads wouldn’t be as big as it is if we didn’t constantly want to rack up our thoughts next to our fellow book worms.

My final thought on this is that well-written reviews, more critical or more positive sell books, either way. Whether it makes a reader think I want to see why you disliked it, or whether your views were justified a review is still a review.

They create conversation

All of these reasons kind of link, but more critical reviews create conversation.I remember for months after The Casual Vacancy came out it was still being discussed. The reviews were terrible and yet, it was talked about over and over; why was it disliked? Why was it so different from the wonder of Harry Potter?

Negative reviews spark debates, and they often create more conversation. I reviewed Fifty Shades and some of the comments were almost reviews in themselves; it lead to deeper discussion of the book as you talk about the parts that worked and those that didn’t.

5*’s doesn’t mean a wonderful book

I don’t know whether I’m the only one but when I see a book with all 5* reviews, it makes me think; where have these reviews come from. In my opinion it is very rare to find a book that has no faults, none whatsoever and yet it’s something I see regularly. I know that some bloggers tend not to review books they dislike but something in that irks me; I want to know what you thought? Why it wasn’t great? Not all books are worth reading, but I kinda want to decide that based on the whole spectrum of reviews rather than just the best ones.

Getting to know you

Finally I find that negative reviews let me get to know a blogger better. I can really see what they like and what they don’t like and then I can decide whether our reading needs align. If I read a review and it picks up on things I find difficult or tend not to like when reading I know that our choices may be a little different and therefore their 5* may be a 3* for me. It’s all about personal choice and negative reviews allow us a little more insight.

I really enjoyed writing this post but as always would love to hear your thoughts. Is there anything you agree with or critically disagree with. Do you read negative reviews and if you’re a blogger how do you go about it? Let me know in le comments book worms.

If you are considering making the transition from hardback books to digital books you have a fun journey ahead of you. The Kindle provides lots of fun and is not too overwhelming to get your head around although it may feel a little different to regular paperback books. As you take the time to navigate around your new device you will soon pick up lots of tricks and tips.

To help you we have come up with seven tips for protecting your Kindle including shopping for Kindle cases, ways to protect your device and how to minimise battery usage. I asked Case Happy a Kindle cases provider for tips and they were happy to discuss in a little more detail.

SAVE THE BATTERY LIFE

New Kindle owners are often not aware that an active wireless connection can drain your battery. The majority of the time you only need to access the internet for a few minutes to download or purchase a Kindle book so turn the Wi-Fi off and only turn it on when you need it.

SHOP FOR KINDLE CASES

One of the biggest benefits of owning a Kindle is the ability to take it with you everywhere. Protect your Kindle from falls and accidental knocks with a Kindle case from Case Happy. Shopping for Kindle cases can be a lot of fun as you will quickly notice there is plenty of choice on the market. There really is something for everyone.

Did you know Kindle cases are effective at gripping surface space? Many have additional features such as an automatic on/off feature when you close and open the cover

SAMPLE BOOKS BEFORE YOU BUY THEM

It can be very easy to buy every book on the Kindle store. Unfortunately you only have so much time to read so many books. Be wiser with your choices and sample books before you commit to purchasing. If you like the sample then purchase the books you are most drawn in by.

MAKE THE FONT LARGER

If you find at bedtime when the lighting is not as bright your eyes struggling to adjust, give your eyes a rest and adjust the font size.

PUT ADEQUATE SECURITY ON YOUR KINDLE

Not only is it important to protect the exterior of your device with Kindle cases you need to put the relevant controls in place to secure the interior. A password will protect any information you have on your Kindle. Putting sufficient security in place will also reduce the chance of people looking at your content without permission to do so.

If you have children, consider putting the child lock on too.

LEARN NEW THINGS

Your Kindle gives you almost the same features as you would expect from you hardback. You can look up certain words with the built in dictionary or write notes on the side of pages. You can even highlight sections and bookmark. Don’t be overwhelmed by all these extra features, you will soon get the hand of them.

PROTECT YOUR SCREEN

A large proportion of the Kindle is made of an LCD screen and it can be very easy to damage this. We cannot stress how important Kindle cases are; they look good but they will also provide sufficient protection from falls. It can be very easy for your Kindle to fall from the side of your bed so protect it with Kindle cases.

There you have a couple of handy tips for looking after your Kindle. As always thank you to Case Happy for such a lovely little article, hope all you bookish readers enjoyed! Also, if you’re looking to invest in a new case – Case Happy have a really brilliant selection for you to take a browse through!