It's a bit of a predicament, reviews. Book reviews are one of the easiest ways to get published in little magazines, whereas they take a lot of experience to be worthwhile. While we have them, it seems like reviews-of-books are generally better on that. But then it's which axe blades are being sharpened for use, and so on. Online reviews I guess have the benefit of being much closer to "this toaster doesn't work" than "does this toaster do the idea of bread singing real justice?"
I’m skeptical of five star reviews unless they very thoroughly discuss why the book is so awesome. Too many of them don’t even have any text. The same goes for one star reviews. If the book is that bad, you really should say why you think it sucks My personal reading system is that a five star book is so good, I will read it multiple times for the rest of my remaining life. A four star book I will probably read at least once more. A three star book is pretty good but I may or may not re-read it. A two star review would be for a book that is just so so but I will definitely not reread it. One star would be reserved for anything else, which pretty much means books that suck.
“I’ve known Denis King for many years but in spite of that, I would strongly recommend this book.” Barry Cryer
"If you read one book about music this year - forget the stodgy ghost-written celebrity tomes - this is the real deal. Turns out Denis King is as witty and wonderful at the typewriter as he is at the keyboard." Richard Curtis
“His skills as racy raconteur and dry-as-a-bone humorist are as legendary as his tinkling fingers and classic compositions.” Maureen Lipman
"Denis King has delighted us with his music over many years, now he has written one of the funniest and most honest tributes I have ever read to the vanished world called Showbusiness." Barry Humphries
“Denis King changed my life. I remember seeing The King Brothers on TV and I thought, ‘Yes! I could do that!’ but I was too tall. So I had the operation and the rest is history.”
Bill Oddie
“Standing On The Corner – yes, one of the great records of that year. Or that month, certainly. I know Elvis borrowed a lot of tricks from The King Brothers.” Michael Palin
“Denis is a trusty friend, a favourite collaborator, a fine musician, and a true original. Though what exactly he was originally, I really couldn't say.” Alan Ayckbourn
“Denis is a witty anecdotalist; the stories he tells are funny, poignant, and eye-opening. Mostly. Sometimes.” His Wife
I'm very happy to support an embarrassment to humanity. And you are not the only one.
(PDFs. It's an acronym, so like UFOs, BMWs, and KOs.)
Word-of-keyboard is a great term!
It's a bit of a predicament, reviews. Book reviews are one of the easiest ways to get published in little magazines, whereas they take a lot of experience to be worthwhile. While we have them, it seems like reviews-of-books are generally better on that. But then it's which axe blades are being sharpened for use, and so on. Online reviews I guess have the benefit of being much closer to "this toaster doesn't work" than "does this toaster do the idea of bread singing real justice?"
Finding out how hollow other-author blurbs are was a sad day in my reader life.
Blurbs are harder to write than the rest of the book. I didn’t enjoy doing my bio either.
I know! I tend to make my bio very short. Like, "Never mind the guy behind the curtain, read the story."
I’m skeptical of five star reviews unless they very thoroughly discuss why the book is so awesome. Too many of them don’t even have any text. The same goes for one star reviews. If the book is that bad, you really should say why you think it sucks My personal reading system is that a five star book is so good, I will read it multiple times for the rest of my remaining life. A four star book I will probably read at least once more. A three star book is pretty good but I may or may not re-read it. A two star review would be for a book that is just so so but I will definitely not reread it. One star would be reserved for anything else, which pretty much means books that suck.
I liked these, for my husband’s book:
“I’ve known Denis King for many years but in spite of that, I would strongly recommend this book.” Barry Cryer
"If you read one book about music this year - forget the stodgy ghost-written celebrity tomes - this is the real deal. Turns out Denis King is as witty and wonderful at the typewriter as he is at the keyboard." Richard Curtis
“His skills as racy raconteur and dry-as-a-bone humorist are as legendary as his tinkling fingers and classic compositions.” Maureen Lipman
"Denis King has delighted us with his music over many years, now he has written one of the funniest and most honest tributes I have ever read to the vanished world called Showbusiness." Barry Humphries
“Denis King changed my life. I remember seeing The King Brothers on TV and I thought, ‘Yes! I could do that!’ but I was too tall. So I had the operation and the rest is history.”
Bill Oddie
“Standing On The Corner – yes, one of the great records of that year. Or that month, certainly. I know Elvis borrowed a lot of tricks from The King Brothers.” Michael Palin
“Denis is a trusty friend, a favourite collaborator, a fine musician, and a true original. Though what exactly he was originally, I really couldn't say.” Alan Ayckbourn
“Denis is a witty anecdotalist; the stories he tells are funny, poignant, and eye-opening. Mostly. Sometimes.” His Wife
Please check your e-mail, sir.