Night Waves: a radio programme

 

Anne McElvoy talks to novelist and film director Paul Auster whose new memoir "Winter Journal" is a follow up to his 1982 acclaimed early account The Invention of Solitude. Click here (min. 0 - 13.25)

How to write a short book review

First make a list:

1.    Title

2.    Author

3.    Date of publication

4.    Genre (fiction, science fiction, history, non-fiction, etc,…)

5.    Describe the Book:
Give an overall view of the book without giving away the outcome. You should include quotes or scenes from the book that you think are representative of the quality (or lack of quality) of the book.

6.    Evaluate the Book:
Give your opinion of the book. You can support your opinion with details from the book. You can compare it to other books you've read that are similar. Tell your classmates why they should or should not read the book. If it will help you, provide a rating system on a ten-point scale.

 SAMPLE 1

Genre: Fiction/Thriller
Title: Down to the Needle
AUTHOR: Mary Deal

It has been twenty-three years since five-year-old Becky was kidnapped. Abigail “Abi” Fisher is just as diligent today as she was on the first day in trying to find and reunite with her daughter. Abi looks at every young woman who crosses her path and wonders, “Is that Becky?”
Abi’s heart continues to celebrate, yet also break, as every missing child and every homeless young woman is identified or found, and is not her daughter. Five years ago, Abi met Joe. The two clicked almost instantly and they keep each other balanced through the emotional roller coaster that each deals with in life. Just as Abi’s interest piques with a woman on death row, Joe becomes distracted with someone from his past. Abi struggles with pursuing her newest lead that may bring her to her long-lost daughter while supporting Joe in his need for discovery, too.
The author has created a protagonist that any parent, or anyone who cares about children, can identify with. The need to protect a child is overwhelming, and the character of Abigail has lived with the guilt of not being able to do that for the past two decades. Readers will quickly empathize with Abi’s wholehearted desire to find a positive resolution – a reunion with her daughter – especially as the time for the quest seems to have a deadline. The tightly woven plot lines combine with the fast-moving action to keep the reader on the edge of her seat.
Mary Deal is retired and living in Hawaii. She spends a most of her time writing, but ventures out to the beach every now and then. Along with her passion for writing, she enjoys oil painting and photography. She has four published suspense/thriller novels and is working on more. Her third novel, River Bones, won the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition. She has also published short stories and poetry in various magazines and anthologies.
I find the title appealing since the pacing and tension has the reader hoping for answers along with the protagonist right down to the needle. Will there be a positive resolution before lethal injection is administered? Make sure you have time to read, because once you start, it’s hard to stop. Down to the Needle is a great read.
My score (out of 10): 8 (Very good).

SAMPLE 2
Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini
This is a very moving story that makes you feel sad from the beginning.Though it isn’t a true story, the author describes in detail the daily life for,perhaps, the worst twenty years of the history of Afghanistan, when theircitizens had to suffer violence, misery and different kinds of repressivepoliticians, such as the Taliban. Mariam and Laila’s story could have been thestory of a lot of Afghan women, who were forced to put up, not only with war,but also with the tyranny of their husbands as well as with the intolerant rules of the corrupted governments.
Hosseini  has followed his debut novel with another work of strong storytelling and engaging characters. The story pulses with life. Khaled Hosseini is simply a marvelously moving storyteller.
My score (out of 10): 10 (Excellent!)

SAMPLE 3
Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Author: Roald Dahl
Review: This story is about a boy called Charlie Bucket. He lived with parents and grandparents in a small wooden house on the edge of a great town. The ‘Buckets’ were very poor and Charlie never got enough to eat so he was always hungry – and he was always dreaming about his favourite food – chocolate! In the middle of the town there was a famous Chocolate factory owned by Mr. Willy Wonka, the greatest inventor and chocolate maker in the world. Charlie’s greatest wish was to get inside that factory and eat the wonderful chocolate. His wish finally comes true – but many strange and surprising things happen once he is inside.
You will have to read the story to find out more about this great book.
My score (out of 10): 9 (Excellent!)

LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Sample sentences you can use for your review.
This story is about …
There are (two) main characters in this story, …
I think this is a great/worthwhile/funny/strange book because …
A lot of interesting/weird/exciting things happen in this story.
It is easy/impossible to guess the ending of this story because …
At first the reader thinks … but later we find out that …
This story has a sad/happy/confusing ending because …

Let's read

Reading is surely the best way to acquire vocabulary and structures. You are reading away enjoying the story while your brain is acquiring spellings, reinforcing structures and learning new words.
You can also use the reading version of Spotify called 24Symbols, which I believe has been designed by some clever Spanish engineers. Here you can read hundreds of books free of charge.
.In this website you can read texts and just by clicking in the word you will get access to the Spanish dictionary! You need to register and choose the dictionary you would like to have available to help with your reading to get access to a series of texts with exercises http://www.readingenglish.net/
A free online library in English  http://www.readprint.com/
Here is a link to a page with loads of UK magazines, to read them click on the web address
A website with a miscellanea of texts and quotes you can listen to as well
http://www.repeatafterus.com/index.php
Loads of classics downloadable free of charge http://www.bartleby.com/149/index.html

BOOK CLUBS
Book clubs where a group of people read a book to then discuss it have become a world phenomenon. There have even been books  written about them: The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler turned into a popular film. Watch this clip and see what you think. Click HERE.

However you can now belong to a reading group from the comfort of your own home courtesy of The British Council all you need to do is sign up, read the book and join in the discussion. Click here for more info
And don’t forget the newspapers to keep you up to date with the news, access all the British press by clicking here

Happy reading!

Source: EOI Elx