Regular readers of this blog will already know about RBRT but I have been a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team since… well, I can’t actually remember when I joined, or how, but I suspect it had something to do with Terry Tyler. I think I’d started posting reviews for books I read and it seemed like a natural fit to join the team. And I’ve never regretted it.
I don’t accept review requests on my site, choosing instead to review any book that’s my choice to read, and that I finish. If I can’t finish it I don’t review it as I don’t think that’s fair. I also don’t give below three stars. If I was minded to give below that, I wouldn’t have finished the book, and I think you can see where I am going with that.
I like reviewing to be a positive experience. As we know, no book can please everyone and just because I didn’t like it I don’t want to slam it in case it is someone else’s favourite book ever…
Anyway, what I like with Rosie’s Team is that there is no pressure. Authors regularly send their books to Rosie for review. Thankfully Rosie does all the admin (thank you, Rosie!) and they get put on a list. We are all busy, isn’t everyone, so we do what we can. I aim to choose at least one book per month from that list. I also belong to a reading group in my village so with the monthly book there and then one of my own choosing, three is about my limit for a month.
Also by joining this group I have read books in all sorts of genres I would never normally have chosen and thoroughly enjoyed myself doing so, discovering some real gems along the way, so it has broadened my reading experience considerably.
I have become stuck a couple of times, finishing books I perhaps should have stopped reading and then feeling obliged to review when I’m not so sure I can be as positive about them as I’d like. That’s where the support of being in a team comes in as Rosie and Terry have always helped me out so that I have been able to give an honest review, as tactfully as possible.
You also don’t have to write anything elaborate by way of a review. Mine are not particularly sophisticated or in depth. Not like some that I am in awe of. I simply say how a book made me feel and what I liked about it. It’s easy. Imagine reading a book, enjoying it and wanting to tell your friends about it. I write that.
Plus, we get to use this photo on our posts to distinguish the team reviews, and we have a cool hashtag to use for sharing, #RBRT.
Nowadays I don’t get to hang out on social media or in the blogging world perhaps as much as I once was able to but my closest online blogging friends are all part of this group and I’m delighted to be able to support them whenever I can in sharing their posts. They are a great group of people, some of whom I’ve met in real life now too, so if you fancy giving book reviewing a go you will find Rosie’s Book Review Team a friendly place to be, and authors will love you for it. Plus, there are, of course, free books! What’s not to like?
Do you review the books you read? I do hope so. A few words to say what you thought of a book is incredibly important as it helps to make a book more visible.
If you haven’t reviewed a book before, why not give it a go? Let me know how you get on.
Thank you Georgia, it has been a pleasure to have you as part of our team.
And it has been a pleasure to be part of it, Rosie. Thank you for your support all the way along, it is much appreciated.
This is a lovely post, Georgia – glad to have helped, and I echo your attitude towards reviewing! Mine are similar – I don’t think I know enough literary terms or pretentious words to write an in-depth critique!
Thanks, Terry. I really appreciate you getting me involved. My best online friends have all come via being part of this team.