Book reports – Critical Review or Positive Recommendation?

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As regular readers of my blog will know, I regularly post about books I’ve read – and I plan to continue to do so throughout 2011. Indeed my first book post of the new year will follow immediately after this.

 But first, a clarification. 

Someone pointed out to me that I liked all the books I wrote about for the blog and that there were no ‘stinkers’ included in my reviews. That’s a fair and accurate point and it got me thinking.

Like everyone I find that some books I read – no matter how carefully chosen – just don’t appeal. I don’t love every book I pick up. In fact I’d say I’m quite difficult to please. That’s to say there are many books I couldn’t get into, the disappointing follow up novels by much loved authors, the badly-written and the downright lazy. The ones I want to throw across the room and wouldn’t want to inflict on the charity shop.

So, should I be posting about the dust-gatherers?

Answer – no. I’ll continue to read and review critically, but I’ll only post on the ones I’ve enjoyed – I want to share the good, the uplifting, the educational, the thought-provoking stuff – in the hope of enriching your own reading list here and there. But I wouldn’t want to damn any book – because good or bad – it’s all a matter of personal taste. However, please, don’t think that I just write gushing reviews indiscriminately about everything I’ve read. To make it to the blog, the book has to have impressed me. Many don’t make it because, in my opinion, they’re not worth any more of my valuable time or yours.

Right I hope that’s cleared that up. Bring on the next review…