Discussion Post: Why I’m So Slow to Write Book Reviews
Hey, look at me! I finally got up the nerve to write another discussion post. I don’t know why I find these so intimidating, but since I made it a blogging goal to write more of them, here I go trying to achieve my goal. Since I’m way behind in the reviews I need to write at the moment, I figured a relevant discussion topic for me right now would be why the heck it takes me so long to write a book review, haha!
Sometimes I think I must be the slowest reviewer on the planet. No matter how much I love or hate a book, I just cannot sit down right after I finish reading and churn out a review. Those who know me well would probably say it’s because I’m a master procrastinator and, yes, I confess that’s probably part of it, but there’s more to it than that. There is a method to my madness!
I don’t know about other book bloggers, but often, my first impression after finishing a book doesn’t hold up if I take a few days to reflect on it. Sometimes my opinion sinks a bit and I feel myself starting to nitpick details that maybe didn’t initially bother me but the more I thought about them, they more they did. Other times, I actually think more highly of a book after thinking more about the story, its characters, structure, etc. and realizing how truly well crafted a book is. Maybe I just like to over-think books, I don’t know, but doing it this way does work for me in that I feel like my reviews end up more accurately reflecting my true feelings about what I’ve read than if I had immediately written them. But man does it wreak havoc on my schedule! I seem to always be juggling 2 or 3 books that I’ve finished reading but don’t feel ready to write about yet, along with whatever books I’m currently reading. In that sense, I’m very envious of those who are able to immediately sit down and make that review happen.
To keep the juggling act manageable so that I don’t get stressed out, I always take notes while I’m reading and I do jot down my initial reactions as soon as I finish. This helps me to not forget any of the book’s pertinent details (like all of the characters’ names, which I’m very prone to forget if I don’t take those notes!) and it also gives me a good starting point for my review once I’m finally ready to write the review. Sometimes I only need to reflect on a book for a day or two before I’m ready to finalize my thoughts, while others I can easily sit on for a week or more. Labyrinth Lost, for example, is one that I’ve been sitting one for over a week now. I really loved the read, but I’m still trying to decide what I really want to say about, what made it so meaningful for me. I think I’m finally ready to write that one, but since I was stuck on it, I pushed it aside and wrote several other reviews in the meantime where my thoughts were more solidified. As I’m gathering my thoughts for the reviews, in many ways, I feel like I’m composing the review in my head so once I’m finally ready to sit down and write, thankfully the review comes together pretty quickly. With that being said, here are some books I’ve recently finished reading and have been reflecting on that I’ll (hopefully!) be posting reviews for soon:
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
When We Collided by Emery Lord
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
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So, what kind of book reviewer are you? Are you able to write yours immediately after finishing a book or do you need to sit on them for a few days like I do to fully wrap your mind around what you’ve read?
Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #1) by Kerri Maniscalco Also by this author: Hunting Prince Dracula , Kingdom of the Wicked
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
Published by Jimmy Patterson on September 20th 2016
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 326
Also in this series: Far from the Tree, Hunting Prince Dracula
Amazon
Goodreads
Goodreads Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
MY REVIEW
Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper is, as its title implies, a retelling of the murderous rampage of infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think of it as a cross between the Sherlock Holmes detective stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and then on a more modern note, a little Forensic Files with a touch of Rizzoli and Isles thrown in. The end result is a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat and thoroughly engaged.
LIKES
Maniscalco does a wonderful job of fleshing out her main character, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and making her seem so realistic. She’s fiercely independent, headstrong, and sassy as all get out, which makes her such a fun character to follow. Even with the overriding creepy serial killer plot, Audrey Rose still managed to make me chuckle quite a few times throughout the novel. You just never know what she is going to say at any given moment, but you can pretty much guarantee that it will be completely inappropriate based on society’s expectations. Speaking of society’s expectations, Audrey Rose truly doesn’t give a flip about those and instead is way ahead of her time and wants to pursue a career in forensic medicine. When the novel opens, she is, much to her father’s chagrin, working as an apprentice to her Uncle, who is an expert in the field. I kept thinking to myself “She’s like a Victorian Era Maura Isles” (from the popular series Rizzoli and Isles).
Maniscalco also adds a character flaw or two, which serve to further humanize Audrey Rose. Recklessness, in particular, seems to be a hallmark trait of hers. While it’s easy to admire how passionate Audrey Rose is about catching this serial killer who is on the loose, at the same time, I wanted to scream at her at times for lurking around in shady areas of the city and putting herself in harm’s way trying to catch him in the act. It was downright infuriating actually. For someone who is clearly supposed to be quite intelligent, Audrey Rose definitely doesn’t always make the smartest choices.
Speaking of infuriating, let me talk about another main character, Thomas Cresswell. Cresswell is another student of Audrey Rose’s uncle and may actually be the most arrogant and annoying person on the planet. However, he is as brilliant as he is arrogant and annoying and somehow the combination actually works to make him incredibly charming. Weird, right? As they study the Ripper’s victims, Cresswell’s powers of deductive reasoning are so astute that every time he spoke, he reminded me of a young Sherlock Holmes. From the moment they meet, he gets under Audrey Rose’s skin and their chemistry is off the charts. I don’t know if I would ever buy into them as a couple, but they are quite the dynamic duo as they work together to solve these murders.
Aside from these two entertaining main characters, Maniscalco also does a brilliant job of making the reader feel as if they are truly in 19th century London and that there really is a killer on the loose. It was clear Maniscalco did her research on every aspect of the story. The descriptions of the city feel authentic and the atmosphere at night is utterly creepy. You can practically sense the danger lurking around every corner, which makes for a real page turner.
DISLIKES
I think my only real dislike was that even though this was a retelling and so the author had creative license to make Jack the Ripper whoever she wanted him to be, I still had the murderer figured out way too soon. In that sense, I was a little disappointed. The murderer’s reasoning for the killings was quite another matter though. Totally did not see that coming and liked the unexpected Dr. Frankenstein-ish twist.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I very much enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, anything to do with the crimes of Jack the Ripper, or even an interest in forensic medicine or 19th century society’s expectations for its young women. I would issue a word of caution to anyone who doesn’t like to read about blood and gore, however. As is probably expected since we’re dealing with the Ripper and his victims and we’re examining the victims from the vantage point of forensic scientists, the descriptions of the victims are quite graphic and stomach-turning. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. If that doesn’t bother you though, it’s a fascinating read.
RATING: 4 STARS
About Kerri Maniscalco
Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.
Her first novel in this series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history.
Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want To Read a Book. This was a pretty easy topic for me this week because there are some key things that if I read them in a book’s blurb, that book is totally going on my TBR no matter what. I’m definitely a sucker for certain settings and for certain time periods, but there are also certain topics that are guaranteed to attract my interest. And if more than one of these can be found in the same book, hold me back because that baby is going straight to the top of my TBR pile!
Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book
BOOKS THAT ARE SET IN MY FAVORITE CITIES & COUNTRIES
My favorite places in the world are New York City, Paris, and Italy. These settings are pure magic for me, each in their own way, so I’m drawn like a moth to a flame to pretty much any books set in these locations. Doesn’t matter if they’re contemporary stories or historical fiction, it’s all about location, location, location for me.
1. NEW YORK CITY
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2. PARIS, FRANCE
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3. ITALY
BOOKS THAT ARE SET IN CERTAIN TIME PERIODS
Another huge draw for me are books that fall within certain time periods. If a book is set during World War II, I’m definitely going to read it and same goes for books set during the Jazz Age and during the 1960’s. As you can imagine, Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale became a must-read for me as soon as I heard that it was set in Paris during World War II.
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4. THE 1920’S
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5. WORLD WAR II ERA
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6. THE 1960’S
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BOOKS THAT FOCUS ON CERTAIN TOPICS
7. FAIRYTALE RETELLINGS
Fairytale retellings are a fairly new interest for me, but I have to say that they have become quite an obsession because they’re always such fun and creative reads. I love the idea of putting a unique spin on a familiar tale.
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8. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Some of my favorite books are those that deal with families and their day-to-day lives. I love books that explore the parent-child bond, sibling rivalries – basically, you name it, I’m interested if it relates to family.
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9. MENTAL ILLNESS
When I was in college, I double major in English Lit and Psychology, so I think books that explore mental illness appeal to that part of my personality. I like that there are more and more books that focus on mental illness, seeking to educate people on a more personal level that is so much more accessible than a dry psychology textbook could ever hope to be.
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10. INTROVERTS
As an introvert, it’s a guarantee that I will read ANY book that has a main character who is considered an introvert. Those are the literary characters that I relate to most in the world so there’s no way I’m passing up a book where I know the character will be totally relatable.
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