Book Blogger Hop: Your Preference for Book Reviews

Posted on by BonnieReadsAndWrites
Book Blogger Hop asks bookish questions every weeks. This question is about how long are your book reviews with a large quirky font and pictures of rabbits.

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy at Caffeine Addicted Writer. Each week, a new bookish question is asked. This week’s question is above.

Answer

I usually write a book review of between 200 – 300 words, because I have been reviewing for The Historical Novel Society for about six years, and their word limit is usually 200 – 300. It works well for me. I see a lot of really long reviews on Goodreads and I usually quit reading halfway through, because they are just too long. I don’t find mine either quick or very long.

Here is an example of one my reviews. Julia by Heather B. Moore.

How About You?

Do you prefer writing long book reviews, or quick, punchy ones?

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Published by BonnieReadsAndWrites

I love to read and write book reviews in my free time. I review advance review copies of books on Netgalley for various publishers. I am also a reviewer for Historical Novels Review Magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I review books from publishers of all size, large to small. I have a special place in my heart for indie authors. I will sometimes post a little writing that I might dabble in occasionally. I also am lucky enough to live in the Smoky Mountains, so I'll be sharing photos of the beauty around me from time to time.

25 thoughts on “Book Blogger Hop: Your Preference for Book Reviews”

  2. I should work on writing shorter reviews. I know the value of a review, and a shorter one would work as opposed to the longer one I plan but never finish.

  3. I write short punchy reviews. I myself don’t read long reviews. They are usually just a summary of the book which is not what I want to read in a review.

    1. For my HNS reviews, I have to put a short summary of the book, but not just a copy of the blurb that’s already there. Then after the short summary, a critique, and the whole thing has to be 200 – 300 words.

    2. I feel like I’ve been trained by this point to do the book justice while keeping it to less than 300 words. But that doesn’t mean 500 words is wrong. It’s what works for you.

      1. It’s all about streamlining I suppose. Sometimes I think have I just repeated what I said earlier, but phrased it differently 🤣

        Thank you 😊

  6. A 200–300 word limit sounds like a good target. It’s enough space to share your thoughts without overwhelming the reader. I tend to prefer reviews somewhere in the middle, too, and I agree that really long reviews can be hard to get through. Happy Reading! 📚

  7. I am completely behind with reviewing some great book by fellow Indie authors and feel very guilty. I like writing short reviews so there is no excuse. Some good writers can write really interesting long reviews, but short snappy reviews can draw you in without giving much of the story away.

  9. I prefer writing long-ish reviews of about 500 words, long for Amazon and Goodreads, short for literary magazines. I have a hard time doing short and snappy, evidenced in difficulty writing blurbs. I have to write an entire review and then grab a pull-quote for the blurb I’ve been asked to write.

    1. I didn’t know 500 words was short for literary magazines. I enjoy all your writing, and even though I don’t usually read long reviews, I read yours and I don’t notice that they are long.

      1. I’ve inferred the length of lit mag review requirements by reading reviews. Whew! I’m glad you don’t think my reviews are long. I do try to keep them at a reasonable length, and don’t include all my thoughts about he book!

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