For a blog entitled “Read Think Travel”, you’d think that book reviews would be high on our To Do list but we’re probably too busy reading, thinking and travelling to make that a reality – until now!
Does the book call us to action (actively or passively) or does it merely pique our interest but does nothing more?
We’ve all read book reviews that take us step-by-step through each chapter or ones that do not critique or challenge the author’s viewpoints and overall message. A book review should make the reader understand what they’ll get out of investing time (and money) into obtaining the book and how the book may impact their lives.
Popular, mass-market fiction resonates with those who desire a superficial escape from their daily drudgery – which is most of the modern-day working populous.
Our goal to review books by answering the questions posed below:
- What is the overall message of the book? Does it make sense and is it coherent or does the author jump from theme to theme without tying them together? What story is the author trying to tell and does he or she achieve this?
- How applicable is the book in our lives? Does the book call us to action (actively or passively) or does it merely pique our interest but does nothing more? Can we derive tangible results from digesting and actioning the words printed in the book in question? Of course, this applies mainly to non-fiction, self-development-type works.
- What are the author’s voice and experience in their respective field? This is important, especially when reading books that are directly or indirectly heralded as authoritative. A book on being the best space engineer that you could possibly be written by a hairdresser may not stand up to scrutiny compared to one written by a NASA engineer 40 years deep into his career.
- What’s missing? No book is an island. What do we feel is missing from the book’s message? What sections could be improved?
- What chapter(s) stood out to us? We firmly believe that a book chooses us and not the other way around. When you’re browsing the shelves of a bookshop, you’d stop at a particular tome for a reason unbeknownst to you. This is the “calling” of a book and different books resonate with different people. Popular, mass-market fiction resonates with those who desire a superficial escape from their daily drudgery – which is most of the modern-day working populous.
- What are the key takeaways? What key messages do we take away from the book?
- Is the book enjoyable? Reading should be enjoyable!
Keep an eye out for our forthcoming reviews: