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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Reading Room
Views and Reviews...how I review books



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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 03 2017, 5:22 pm
So I just wanted to tell you that I took advice I got on imamother pretty seriously Smile

Years ago, a poster (and I wish I could remember who it was!) messaged me and told me I should really be reviewing books formally because she loved my style of telling it like it is and not writing reviews that sounded like they were from a book jacket.


So here and there I'd do reviews for blogs and whatnot but now I decided that I really wanted to try this thing more seriously. It's not a business yet though it may be one day...
For now, I can't handle more pressure in my life (running an org full time is enough for me thank you very much lol) but I did want to have a place to formally write my reviews and have them up for writers to be able to reference etc.

So since this journey started right here on this site, I figured I'd let you all know about this and if you'd like to follow the page I began on LinkedIN (just had fun running around and buying books to read over y"T and review after Y"T) I'd be most appreciative.

Here goes:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/27000780/

Can't wait for your feedback. And just know this: all it takes is one encouraging PM to get some anonymous woman on imamother to pursue a new dream Smile
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amother
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Post Tue, Oct 03 2017, 5:34 pm
oooh! I love it. can't wait to read what you write! Any chance of also doing it for secular books that you liked? I don't usually buy books and secular books are easier to take out of the library.
I'm curious which books you've reviewed on imamother. Do you remember?
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 03 2017, 7:08 pm
OOC, why LinkedIn? Seems like an unusual venue for this type of thing.

And now you have me wondering who is going to send me that PM to make my dreams come true Wink
I have been thinking of starting a blog of random reviews. Because y'all know I like to review everything. I love to share things I love, and I also like to share cautionary tales. I spend a lot of time sharing casually and answering questions when people want to know about things I know about. So why not make it into a Thing?
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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 07 2017, 10:05 pm
Seeker, if I wasn't as overwhelmed as I am and if there weren't so many Hilchos Shemiras Halashon hoops to hop (I checked...) I'd be uber tempted to do reviews of anything....

Real reviews.

LinkedIn is NOT the typical venue but I honestly don't have time or energy to set up a website right now as this is simply a hobby come true not a business. Facebook is not for me. I'm pretty savvy on LinkedIn and figured I'd create a page there as many authors and publishers are on there. But yeah...I kinda need a site Smile
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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 07 2017, 10:08 pm
amother wrote:
oooh! I love it. can't wait to read what you write! Any chance of also doing it for secular books that you liked? I don't usually buy books and secular books are easier to take out of the library.
I'm curious which books you've reviewed on imamother. Do you remember?


I'll have to dig up my reviews on imamother-- it was ages ago-- like years lol. I did do a few for the short-lived MyFYI magazine too.

I'm very comfortable reading select secular books but can't see myself promoting them as a whole as it would be very very challenging to set the lines for someone else and it would make it nearly impossible for me to politically correctly get out of reviewing certain books. I already had authors who are not Orthodox nor share those hashkafos by a long stretch ask if I'd review their books as it had "some Jewish content" and my answer was plain and simple: for the time being I'm doing books published by mainstream frum publishers. It's saving me Smile
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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 07 2017, 10:39 pm
Ok ok Seeker you win lol.

Used Wix.com to set up a simple uncool website Smile

https://slieberface.wixsite.co.....views
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 07 2017, 10:49 pm
Welcome to Wix. I've been pretty satisfied with it. And you can't argue with free.

Would like to hear more about your hilchos shmiras halashon quest. And how you fit honest book reviews into that.
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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 07 2017, 10:55 pm
So here's the scoop: I can't make a blanket statement about what I may or may not say but my Rov gave me the first rule of thumb: you can't post "hate mail". So if you've got nothing nice to say...well don't say it. If you've got some reasonable mix of ideas...some are ok to post and some are not. Let's just say that he and I will have to be in frequent contact until I can get this straight lol.

What I don't plan to do is gush over a book I hate. I may have to omit entirely but I will not tell my readers that something is a wonderful read...when it isn't.

Sometimes, the review may contain info that some would consider negative while others would not. For instance, I once wrote that I loved a particular book both for its writing and for its illustrations but felt the two gave opposite messages as to who the book was being marketed to. The vocabulary was aimed at a 10 year old but the illustrations made it more preschool friendly. Hence moms may've wondered if the book was appropriate for their child's age....the author thanked me and told me book sales went up and she learned going forward....

Honesty also will mean that I may say the book begins slow and it takes time to get into but if you give it time...

yada yada
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chocolate fondue




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 19 2017, 2:41 pm
Nice... looking forward to reading your reviews!
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crust




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 19 2017, 2:44 pm
chocolate fondue wrote:
Nice... looking forward to reading your reviews!


Me too. Was wondering when we can expect that?
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ILOVELIFE




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 19 2017, 3:23 pm
I will be positing IyH every sunday beginning with this one. I just need to have a decent amount of subscribers before posting hence I gave it till sunday
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crust




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 22 2017, 7:03 pm
Thanks for the update on your website. The reviews are great reads...
I love the review on "No place like home". You can be sure its in my home this Shabbos Iyh.

The biography one, would you mind giving me a little bit more info?
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