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14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can say?

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 15:29
by Zoey
I ran out of words to add to my review. The book itself is only 14 pages long including the cover and notes. I have tried and tried but I cannot seem to get my word count up without sounding repetitive. I am stuck at a word count of 298. What do I do? Please help.

edit//: I know I am not really supposed to post this in this area, but it would not let me post elsewhere since I am still a new(ish) member. I tried a few places. Sorry for the inconvenience :)

Re: 14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can sa

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 20:07
by bookowlie
Is it non-fiction or fiction? Here's some tips -

Fiction:
- You can discuss writing style - is it casual, formal, stilted, flat, textbook-book style? Some books are hard to enjoy if the writing is a little drafty.
- You can't include ending spoilers, but you can give a general opinion such as the ending was predictable, surprising with a few twists, too full of loose ends that weren't tied up, satisfying, etc.
- Errors - grammatical, spelling, formatting issues.
- You can mention a few favorite parts and what made them special.
- Did a particular character shine? Is the dialogue written well? Some books have great dialogue...other times it can be awkward or not like real people would talk to each other.
- Pacing - A story might drag along and then pick up steam, start off like gangbusters and then become be slow paced, fast, etc.
- Does the story get bogged down with too many characters, too many details, too many sub-plots that don't flow well? It's great when different aspects of a book flow smoothly instead of a plot that isn't cohesive.
- If it's a children's book, you can discuss the illustrations.

Non-Fiction:
- It's a little harder to review a non-fiction book. Is the book laid out well? Let's say the book is a cookbook? Are there photos of the recipes? Are the ingredients and steps clearly written?
- If the book contains the author's opinions of a topic, are they easy to understand? Even if you don't agree with the opinions, are they presented well? Is there supporting info?
- If it's a travel or history book, is it comprehensive (if it's advertised that way), is it like any other book out there, etc.

I could go on and on, but this seems like a good starting point.






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Re: 14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can sa

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 20:43
by Momlovesbooks
Those are great tips! I love reading your reviews, bookowlie?

Re: 14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can sa

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 20:59
by bookowlie
That's very nice of you to say! I am not worthy. :)

I think we've all been there, done that where we read a book and can't find too much to say in the review. I find this particularly challenging with short children's books.

Re: 14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can sa

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 22:18
by Zoey
Thanks for the help @bookowlie ! I ended up adding an extra paragraph :) I appreciate the help. I will have to look at some of your reviews. You seem like you really know what you are doing :D

Re: 14 page book to review- kind of limited on what i can sa

Posted: 28 Dec 2016, 23:35
by bookowlie
You're most welcome. I sometimes get stuck like you did. Then I wind up blabbing on too much and wind up cutting out a few sentences before submitting the review. :)