It’s Plotboilers’ tenth episode! In honor of my longstanding “don’t see the movie before you’ve read the book” tradition, I’m taking a look at A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s a short book, but there’s a lot to talk about so I’m going to cover characters, body image, and how the story depicts religion. Most importantly, I’m here to prove it’s never too late to finish your fourth-grade reading list.
Month / March 2018
How to Create Book Reviews People Want to Read
Creating a good book review isn’t easy. I know, I know – it all boils down to personal opinion, right? Well, kind of. The way I see it, book reviews are a balancing act between personal feelings and critical feedback. In one of my recent podcast episodes, I recommend Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Clothing of Books” but hesitated to call it a review.The reason is simple: I just gave my opinion; I didn’t offer any critical feedback about her work. As far as I can tell, that’s the biggest difference between a recommendation and a review.
I did the same thing in my 2017 Halloween episode but under different circumstances. In that situation, I had a list of books I enjoyed but didn’t spend very much time talking about them. With less real estate in the episode for each story, I didn’t have the space to analyze them critically. Hence, recommendations.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of my process, I want to clarify something: People don’t just read book reviews. They also watch and listen to them. Mine, for instance, are in the form of a podcast. That’s because I love podcasts and enjoy absorbing book reviews (and books) by listening to them. When I use the word “read,” I’m talking about principles that apply to blogs, videos, and podcasts alike. Additionally, I’ve made a handy-dandy infographic with the points outlined in this blog. Check it out and feel free to use it as a guide for your own reviews in the future! Continue reading →
Book Recommendation: The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri
May the record show this episode went live in February! Well, at least for those of us on the West Coast. To celebrate the shortest month of the year, I’ve got a quick book review (recommendation, really) for you. And since this book is actually about the writing life, I’ve combined the show’s normal segments into one. If you haven’ read Jhumpa Lahiri, I highly recommend her two collections of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. Someday, I’d like to review some of her other other works but for now, I hope you all enjoy my discussion of The Clothing of Books.
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri