Under Further Review

My first delivery of the year was a sizable box that included a treasury of books . . . all to be read and reviewed.  I'm now underway, pages deep into the endeavor, already formulating my synopses of these titles.

Writing book reviews is a most different kind of writing.  It is at once powerful and humbling.  There is the sense of urgency combined with the tedious plodding through pages, an unwillingness to take chances with another writer's handiwork while at the same time an eagerness to comment on it.  Being fair and honest, while also insightful, is a difficult business.

But I enjoy writing book reviews and, as the publishers and authors look to me for my insights (as I look to other reviewers for theirs) there is a sense of camaraderie, of being a part of a great industry of words, with my reviews serving as part of the bridge between the writer and the eagerly-awaiting public.  (Are they eagerly awaiting?) 

I don't write reviews for all the books I read.  I have made it a point not to write negative book reviews.  If I can't tolerate a book, I won't pan it.  I'll simply ignore it. 

Under further review, this seems like sane practice to me.  I don't have to engage in all conversations.  Sometimes, just reading a book is enough.