Though occasionally I follow my instincts in selecting the books I read, most of the time reviews drive me to them. Yet there were instances, where a book with exciting reviews totally disappointed me. I am personally thankful to all the reviewers out there (not the professional ones), sharing a word about these wonderful books. Without them I wouldn't come across a lot of the books, those made into my way.
These reviewers help the readers like me to get to some books, other wise wouldn't have even know that they exist. It is their art of presentation, that convinces you that your time is worth investing in it. So, I call it both, a public service and an art OR Art of Public Service in short.
Here is an interesting article on the topic of book reviewing. Is Book Reviewing a Public Service or an Art? I liked some of the views expressed in this article.
The point of the review, after all, is not the reviewer: It’s the book. The book that somebody else wrote.
Book reviewer, I salute thee. You absorb whole books and rotate them slowly in your mind. You stagger to the keyboard. You fulminate, you glorify. You try and think of something clever to say. Then you take off your rubber gloves, and fall asleep.
Book review bombast comes in three flavors: highbrow (“Every page witnesses the overflow of his vast erudition”), middlebrow (“magisterial . . . that rare thing”) or lowbrow (“Wade through burning gasoline to get this book”).
And in the Internet era, in which everyone is a critic and provocative “smart takes” reign supreme, the bar has been set ever higher in terms of standing out from the crowd. As a result, writers often feel pressured to perform rather than inform.
Disclaimer: I don't write book reviews. Though I love to write introduction to the books I like, I wouldn't dare calling them reviews. Even if they classified as one, they are completely positive, since I only write about the ones I absolutely like.
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