I must thank Zeek (The Way I See It) for bringing this to my attention:Lisa Warren from The Huffington Post internet newspaper has written an article questioning blogs and their capability to post well written book reviews. I, for one, was a bit insulted as a reviewer and one who takes part in a book reviewing blog.
Some excerpts:
"I'm tempted to say it's an issue of format. Blogs are, by nature, brief. They give the appearance of having been dashed off even though many bloggers (though I'd argue not enough) spend a good deal of time crafting their posts. For that reason, we tend not to assign them the same "weight" as the reviews we see in the San Francisco Chronicle or the Washington Post."
"So if it isn't just a "size" thing, what is it? Well, I think book reviews on blogs -- particularly those of the Blogspot variety -- tend to be self-indulgent. Book reviewing bloggers need to move away from opinion in favor of judgment. How does the book compare to -- and fit in with -- the author's previous work? What's the book's place in the genre? The canon? Does the writer succeed in doing what he or she set out to do -- meaning, is it the book they meant it to be? Whether it's the book the blogger wanted it to be is of much less importance to me, frankly."
Any thoughts? How do you feel as book reviewer and/or a owner of a blog or website where book reviews are posted? Are you one of the bloggers who, "jettison the use of personal pronouns"?
Katiebabs (KB)
