Reviewing Novels

 I signed up to review books on The Niche Reader. It sounded like an interesting thing to do. I like to read, and I would get to read new books. I get regular emails from The Niche Reader with descriptions of the novels that are ready to be reviewed, and can choose which and whether I would like to apply to read and review. When you apply you have to say why you want to review this particular book and you may or may not get chosen to read and review.

One of my reviews is up on Amazon, the other two are not yet posted. So far I have read two historical fiction novels, one set during the American Revolution and the other during WWII. The third book is a fantasy novel. 

When I read, knowing that I have to write something about the book, I sort of use two trains of thought. One is the usual, getting engrossed in the story. The other is critical, thinking about the writing, does the plot make sense, are the characters and setting realistic, who would this book appeal to? In reading the historical fiction novel, I also compared what I know about the American Revolution, which I taught for 17 years, to the events in the novel. I make notes as I read, but also think about my overall reaction to the book.

Then writing the review -- The first two books were easy because I really liked them. For the third book, I thought carefully about what I wanted to say and how to say it because I didn't like it. I actually had a hard time finishing it. And it was long. It's not that I don't like fantasy -- I do. I loved the Tolkien novels, Harry Potter, Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, etc. etc. I wanted to be even-handed in my review. Since this book was part of a series, I went to Amazon and read the reviews of the other books in the series. I saw comments that reflected what I thought, so I came away with a better idea of how to express myself in a thoughtful way.

One of my former teaching partners had a way of recognizing growth and achievement in her classroom. She had a marble jar, but it was for "growth marbles." When anyone, including her, had a moment -- a realization, a breakthrough, an "ah-ha!," that person put a marble in the jar. I don't remember what happened when the jar was full, but I'm sure it was something fun - maybe extra recess? I feel like I earned a marble with this book.