As important as it is to inform a reader of the value of a book and whether it’s worth their time and money, It’s equally important, in my opinion, to clearly lay out how I review books I receive from authors, publishers, book stores, marketing agencies as well as ones that I buy myself. Unfortunately, I regularly come across books that have high ratings on Amazon, simply because the author or literary agent has got a bunch of friends to post a “favorable” 5-star for goodies in return. It’s easy to spot those shady reviewers, simply by a look at their profile, their shallow two or three line “review” that’s usually a copy of the book blurb or their downright flattery. That is shameless deception, and I endeavor to ensure that readers of my reviews are better informed.
My Background
I have been reading books since I was a kid, and what I’m talking about is books other than the bare-bones mundane school curriculum. The night before my 10th birthday, my father gifted me a massively bulky Websters Dictionary, which became a guiding light through the maze of words in the books, periodicals, magazines. comics, newspapers, and every other odd bit of paper I could get my hands on and devour. Remember, this was the age before the internet, when a physical dictionary like Collins, Oxford or Websters was the rage. I was a regular participant in spelling bees, elocution contests and debates, which gave me a strong hold over the language.
I devour books like a kid gobbles up candies. Akin to other mortal beings, I have my favorite books and genres, however, I read anything and everything that interests me or tickles my fancy. I prefer the good old physical paper book rather than electronic versions. The intoxicating aroma of those crisp new leaves, the promise of a new tale and the whiff of fresh ink make me feel good about myself and my newest purchase. However, I polish off hardcovers and paperbacks, eBooks (PDF & ARC versions etc.), audio books and podcasts without discrimination of any kind.
In the tender times of my juvenescence, I was smitten by The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton, The Hardy Boys, classics like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Dorian Gray, Wuthering Heights, The Count of Monte Cristo, even creepy stuff like Dracula and Frankenstein. A grumpy aunt of mine, had a huge collection of Agatha Christie novels, and I unabashedly confess, I spared not even one. Then a school time friend of mine Bruce, got hold of a couple of naughty novels – aka Mills & Boon; the naughtiest at that time … well, I forayed into romance and erotica with those too! I even owned and read Archies, MAD, Asterix and Tintin. Later during my high school days, I was introduced to the mighty Shakespeare and advanced poetry and novels like The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Seven Gables & Godfather were prizes I won for elocution contests; I own those copies to this day. Thus, my journey into reading, building my thoughts on them and discussing them with like minded friends began and continues to this day.
What Do I Look for in a Book?
Someone once said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, I judge books on several parameters, including the cover! I usually do not have much time to spend reading many pages of a book shamelessly at the book store. Unless of course, the owner/ management is really kind and I sit with my mute button on and cause no inconvenience to other literary buffs in the same, often crammed spaces. I must mention stores like Natraj Green Book Store in Dehradun, Bahri Booksellers in Khan Market, Delhi, Faqir Chand Bookstore once again in Khan Market, New Delhi, Om Book Shop inside The Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon, some of the tiny non-descript little stores in Boi Para or College Street, Kolkata (Calcutta), Smoker’s Corner in the Fort area of Mumbai (Bombay), Midland in Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Kinokuniya housed inside the Dubai Mall in Dubai UAE, Waterstones in Piccadilly, London, and of course how could I forget to mention The British Council Library, in New Delhi which is a fantastic place, but you’ll need to sign up for a membership.
I personally believe … and very strongly maintain, that no part of a book is ‘less important.’ First impression matters. The initial two things we all probably set our eyes upon, are the spine of a book or else the front cover. The way it is designed, the colours and picture used, the title itself, and then of course – the blurb. These little pointers give my mental compass something to feed on and help me decide if the book is worth my time and money. Thus, it does not matter what others swear by, I talk for myself and for me the judging of a book begins with its cover.
Once I buy a book or I am offered one by an author, publisher or marketing agency and kick off the reading process, a plethora of factors kick in. The quality of the story or ‘plot’ as you would call it, the use of language – is it consistent, is it relevant, is it easy to understand from the perspective of its intended readership, the suitability of the story for its intended audience, does it have few, or preferably, no spelling and grammatical errors, its pricing point when compared to the value it provides, does it entertain or inform or merely languishes like a prisoner serving a life sentence (pun intended). I tend to look at the cover artwork and its attractiveness and relevance. Other rather minute aspects I tend to look at include, the lay-out of the contents – I personally prefer chapter names rather than just dreary numbers. I even go through the epilogue, prologue, and acknowledgements, if available.
Extremely Poor & Substandard. A book I wish I never came across or read. Books that are terrible in terms of plot, characters, lousy grammar, absolutely no direction, and makes we wonder why someone would even write a book of this sort. I would strictly not recommend reading such a book or spending a penny on it. Such books, in my opinion, are a criminal waste of paper, ink and leave a carbon footprint, the Earth could have done without.
Tolerable. Such a book is not the worst, the author has tried to put in some effort, however, a lot is lacking and I would rather have invested my time in more rewarding pursuits. When I award a 2-Star rating, my intention is not to berate the author, because I do notice a genuine effort on his/her part. However, writing a book involves a lot of aspects. There needs to be a clear line of thought, a well-planned plot, coherency, superior editing and an overall well designed and executed package – one or all of these may be missing. Thus, according to my expertise, despite having a promising story idea, the final product fell flat on its face. Authors of such books need to upgrade their skillset, learn the intricacies of writing, and aim higher in their next venture.
Sunshine with a bit of clouds. That is probably how I would describe books to which I award a 3-Star rating to. These could be books by newbies or experienced authors. They have a reasonably good plot, however, despite that, books in this category did not absolutely thrill me. There could be one or many reasons for this – either the story languished, there were multiple errors in the copy editing itself, characters were not strong, memorable, or convincing enough or the plot was not properly thought out. These are books that could have been a notch higher had a little more effort been put in. The 3-Star rating is a dicey one, there are some readers and reviewers that might give it a 4-Star, to each his own, however, according to how I perceive the overall finished product, it missed the mark.
Extremely good and worth reading. A great and well-written (and in case of non-fiction – a well researched) book. The language is apt for its intended audience and not many complex words or sentences that take the readers focus off reading and towards a dictionary or thesaurus. Little or no errors in grammar, sentence construction and spellings. Well planned, well edited, aesthetically designed and presented. A book I would most certainly recommend to its target audience, simply because it is well worth the time, effort, and money.
Exceptional & memorable. I have seen and experienced a lot in life, and some books and authors are able to bring out the essence of life itself. They ‘bring life to life,’ if I may say so. These books could be incredible fiction that are almost true to life, they may be inspiring or heart-breaking memoirs, autobiographies, stores of great strength, or tales of people just like us that overcome formidable obstacles. They may or may not be based on true events. In case of non-fiction, these books are worth the time and worth much more than their price tag. The point here is that the 5-Star ratings are awarded to books that made me lose sleep, postpone a visit to the loo, skip my meals, stimulated my mental faculties, brought a tear to my eye, inspired me out of a rut or simply look up to another human as something or someone that is almost supernatural. These books leave a lasting impression and these books have a special place both in my heart as well as on my book shelf. These are books you absolutely must read. In fact, these are not just books, but works of art.
Note:
Readers going through how I rate books and award stars, may notice my recurrent use of “target audience.” To explain what I mean by this, let us assume you are an adult and like mystery books primarily, and I have reviewed a kids, YA or a romance book. You would probably not agree with my 4-Star rating, that’s okay, the book is not for you anyway, either because you are not a reader of that genre or not in the target reading age, for instance. If I am reading a book meant for kids, I am thinking from the point of view of a kid, and asking myself “does this interest me?” If it’s a YA, I’m thinking like a teen, and then rating its suitability. Similarly, does a romance novel make me swoon or a horror one scares the living daylights out of me? By now I am sure you get the gist of it? As always I’m open to constructive criticism and if you have any questions or suggestions, send me a message by clicking here.
© Shaune B. Ryder All Rights Reserved.
https://www.sbryder.com
Shaune B Ryder 
Leave a comment