We’ve all done it — bought a book based on a good review, passed over another because of a bad review. But why do reviews affect us? And how do they do it?
Once upon a time, only professional reviewers wrote book reviews. The greater the number of publishing credits and letters after your name, the greater your chances of being taken seriously. Of course, it doesn’t take a degree to work out if you like a book (though in the case of Edward Bloor’s Storytime, you might need an MFA to work out why). And a good review is still a good review—whether it’s over at your friend’s blog, or in the Books section of The New York Times.
via Getting Inside the Book Review: How They Work & Why We Read Them < PopMatters.







Every day, we put words on a page. Some of us use pen or pencil. Some of us tap away at keyboards. Most of us do both, handwriting grocery lists, personal notes, even plot outlines, later typing emails, memos, and whole scenes. Some folks lean more toward the paper route, while others tap away on smart phone keyboards instead of grabbing the nearest pencil stub. Either way, we’re inputting words and data, right? Maybe.
Young adult fiction is full of phonies. It’s not surprising–after all, the majority of YA is written by authors in their twenties, at the least. And teen vernacular is always changing. Words that were popular a few years ago (“wicked” comes to mind) are dated now, pushed aside as a new crop of words creeps in. But forced coolness and past-their-teen authors are just the tip of the phony iceberg. The true issue, lurking like only a giant, submerged slab of ice can, is style.
Once upon a time, only professional reviewers wrote 













