This week’s Weekly Geek Challenge was posted by Care. This week we’re talking about different review styles, an exciting topic if I do say so myself. You’ll have to forgive me, I’m finishing this post after midnight because I can’t seem to fall asleep and the late hour and finals brain drain is making me a little goofy. But, onwards!
1. Explain your review format – if you have one. Or maybe your rating system?
I’ve been experimenting with a new review style, trying to put all the relevant stuff near the top of my posts so people can scan and get what they need. The problem is I like to ramble a lot… I like to muse about symbols and writing style and stuff, which is not very conducive to blog posts which seem to want you to get to the point. It’s been a tough balance trying to figure out how to write reviews that help me think about a book but also help others know if they would want to read that book too.
2. Highlight another book-blogger’s review format by linking to a favorite example – don’t forget to tell us why they are a fave!
My new review format is modeled a lot after Fyrefly’s (Fyrefly’s Book Blog) review style because I just love it! She puts everything right up front for you to see, includes a cute haiku about the story, and then makes the review scannable throughout. I admire her entire blog, actually, it’s just so darn organized.
Another format I love is Bethany at B&b Ex Libris. When she really loves a book, she gives it the “Stellar Five Chicken Book” award — an award that means the book is something she’d recommend to her friends. After some tweeting yesterday, I was inspired to come up with my own award for the most awesome books I’ve reviewed. It will be debuting tomorrow because the book I’m reviewing is one of my favorites of all time. I know you’re excited 
3. Do a review in another book-blogger’s format of your latest read.
Amy (My Friend Amy) and Ali (Worducopia) recently did a review in conversation, which I’m going to mimic when I review The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (my sister and I read that one) and The Orchid Thief (which Nicole from Linus’s Blanket and I are reading together this month). Stay tuned!
4. Highlight a past review that you are particularly proud of and why the format or structure may have had something to do with it.
One recent review I liked was my review of The Hours. I did this one as a Q&A, partly because it’s a pretty popular book that a lot of people had read. For that reason, I didn’t think a straight review would be very interesting for people to read. I asked readers to submit questions, then I tried to order those in a way that made a coherent review. It was fun, and I’m going to try it again with the book people vote that I read in May!
So that’s that folks — a lot of promises made in a pretty short blog post. Think of all the things you’ll have to look forward to on the blog as I make the slog through finals. Ha ha, blog and slog rhyme… hilarious!
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Good ideas, especially submitting questions and using that to format the review (you have to have more regular readers than I do to make use of that one, though!). When you have another book you want a partner for, let me know, cause that sounds fun.
those are some great ideas…thanks for sharing your thoughts on reviews.
Aww, thanks! I really like your new review format – one-sentence summaries and reviews near the top are super-helpful, and way more concise than I think I ever could be!
I’m also so very amused every time someone calls me organized… I just want to invite them over and show them my storage closet, or bedroom, or office at work, or… or…
Maybe I just have a finite store of organizational skills and it all goes into online stuff. 
I like these ideas and might try some myself. PS I like your review style!
Kim! Great post! I am constantly changing up my review style – or am I? I am amazed how introspective I’ve gotten with this theme.
Hi Kim,
I have been enjoying your suggestions via Sherrie at ‘Just Books’. Thought it was about time I came to visit. Will definitely have to return. Like #2 about adding the link to other blogs that have reveiwed the same book.
Thanks.
Yeah, doing a question review isn’t something I tried until I had readers and I was reviewing a book I thought other people might know about. I feel like I read sort of obscure books, so it’s hard to know if people will have questions or not. We’ll see how it goes for my next one!
I definitely want to partner again, I think it’s going to be fun, so if we find a book we have in common for TBR, let’s go!
No problem, thanks!
You write a haiku for each book, that’s pretty concise.
I think saving organization for online is just fine. I just love how easy it is to go to your site and find something you’re looking for — it’s easy to explore and find new things (especially your categories, those are great).
There are lots of great review styles out there, I love finding new ones to try out. I hope you have fun with them too.
And thanks
Before I started doing the opening info thing, I don’t think I really had a style… I did some summary and then some musings about stuff I liked, and then I just sort of ended it. I like having at least a little bit of a format because it gives me somewhere to start from. Reviewing is pretty personal though, especially on blogs — I can see why it made you introspective
Good topic!
Thanks Heather! #2 was actually a suggestion we got from a previous Weekly Geek activity, and even though it’s a little time-consuming I love to find other reviews.