Picking out the right book is difficult—there are so many to choose from and you’re not allowed to judge it by its cover. So, how do you know which one to pick? That’s where book reviews come in. Book reviews are book recommendations written by people you don’t know.
Professional reader people read books and tell you what to think about them. They write book reviews that can help you decide whether or not to read a book. Except who cares what anyone else says about what you should read? It’s easy to be critical of critics and view them as too snooty or subversive. I’ve never put much stock into reading book reviews—I’d rather just determine for myself whether I like the book.
As a writer, I’ve often thought about writing book reviews of the many books I’ve read. What better way to memorize each of these books and to share my thoughts to others. Except writing a full book review takes away time from reading more books.
So I resolved to write shorter book reviews—five-word book reviews, to be specific. For each book I read, I write five words that best reflect my thoughts on the work. In some ways, it’s more difficult than writing a 500-word review. Because you’ve got to squeeze all of those ideas into less words than the book title itself.
It is also helpful to read reviews from multiple sources, as this will give you a more well-rounded view of the book.