This week's weekly geeks challenge is around review formats, inspired by a detailed questionnaire that Dewey liked to use. I've blogged before about my thought process (are you sure you want to venture inside my head?) so I think I'll keep this brief and give you some links, if you're really interested.1. Explain your review format - if you have one. Or maybe your rating system? My format is very free-form. I try to include a graphic of the book cover, and if the review is posted before the book's release date, I try to remember to include the release date. I have kind of a mental checklist of items that are important to me in a book and I tend to write about whichever of them stand out as especially good or noticeably not so good. More details here.
At a really picky level of format, I try to use plenty of white space, and to break up the text with graphics when I can think of (and find) something good to include. My blockquote format kind of bugs me; it's on my list for the next template revision. I've been trying out using different fonts to set apart the quotes to make more of a visual distinction. I do put some effort into making the posts visually easy to read.
I don't do ratings. Too much pressure.
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! I'm not sure this is a format so much as a philosophy, but Tumperkin's post on Emotional Criticism really resonated with me. Objective, questionnaire or checklist -based assessments only go so far.
I also really enjoy Chris' one-to-two line reviews at Stumbling Over Chaos. Way to cover a lot of reading ground quickly!
3. Do a review in another book-blogger's format of your latest read. Hmmm. Not sure I'm really up for this; it sounds too much like homework. I shall take it under consideration for a future review. ;)
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. I had a lot of fun doing a slightly snarky spreadsheet-based comparison of Ward's vampires vs. Lara Adrian's vampires. This format doesn't work all the time, but I'm an excel geek from way back, so I find them geekaliciously entertaining.
5 comments:
LOL - glad you like my reviewettes!
I like free form and being able to adapt what you do to what you read.
I also really like the format at Love Romances & More.
This is bad. I really don't have a "format". I kind of just say how the book made me feel. Which sometimes is bad because it leads to lengthy reviews.
I don't really have a format, either, which means my reviews are a little all over the place. Something in that formatting thing, perhaps ...
Happy Weekly Geeks :)
Yay for white space. Reading a screen is not the same as the page and eye strain and fatigue are biggies for me. I spend a lot more time at blogs where it is clear the writer has considered how visitors process the information. Okay, I worked in reference publishing early on when everything was going online so I'm really into how we process information.
Having said all that, I like things relaxed and comfy so I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks.
geekaliciously entertaining! love it. Thanks for playing. (and being lazy, I ditto susan's comment!)
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