describe a book essay

Practice Test
Useful Tips – Tricks
Full Writing Review
General Writing Task
Writing Task 1
Writing Task 2
Writing Exercises
Writing Sample – Topics
Writing Vocabulary
Speaking Vocabulary
Intro Question
Speaking Part 1
Speaking Part 2
Speaking Part 2 – Audio
Speaking Part 3
IELTS Books
Recent Exams
IELTS Vocabulary
Essay from Examiners
IELTS Ideas

Describe a book – you have recently read/ that you would like to read again

“Describe a book” in IELTS Speaking is a topic that many candidates encounter in the IELTS Speaking test.

Topic 1: Describe a book you have recently read

What kind of book it is
What it is about
What sort of people would enjoy it
And explain why you liked it.

Sample Answer:

I consider myself as a bookworm so when it comes to describing a book I read, I am really confused since I don’t know which one to choose, but I will tell you about the book that I have just ﬁnished most recently – Angels and Demons – a bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by Dan Brown. The whole story revolves around the protagonist named Robert Langdon who is on a quest to rescue the Pope and discover the underlying mysteries of the Catholic church. Though the book involves a lot of religious issues, it can cater to all kinds of readers as there aren’t many technical terms. From my point of view, it is a true masterpiece, enchanting and captivating, ﬁlled with conspiracies and plot twists that really send shivers down my spine. I was so fascinated by the book that I had to ﬁnd the ﬁlm adaptation online to watch afterwards, and it did not let me down at all. The movie was so action-packed that it kept me on the edge of my seat.

What I especially like about the book is that it is very thought-provoking and it kept me thinking for a very long time after I had ﬁnished reading. I appreciate the moral lessons of the book. The story, though may sound distant to our lives, conveys meanings that are relatable to readers, and I am grateful that I learnt something from the book.

All in all, it is an outstanding book that I would deﬁnitely recommend to my friends.

Topic 2: Describe a book that you would like to read again

What the book was about
Why you read it the first place
What you learned from this book
And explain why you would like to read it again.

Sample Answer

Okay so I would like to tell you about the book called Harry Potter, which is a fantasy novel, written by the British author J. K. Rowling. It’s one that I can reread time and time again.

The book describes the life of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione. Harry has to struggle to kill the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aim is to become immortal and destroy all those who stand in his way of ruling the world.

The reason why this book comes to mind is that it is a reminder of my childhood. It was a gift for my birthday from my parents to reward my high score in an exam at school. Up until now, I can still remember clearly how fascinated I was when I received it.

Thanks to this book, I realized that determination and effort play essential roles in achieving my goals. Since then, I have always worked hard to overcome all obstacles and challenges in my life.

Harry Potter will always be on my to-read list for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have always been a great admirer of science fiction books so I love the way that the author describes the whole magical world with the magic school, Hogwarts, and the flying brooms. Secondly, reading this book not only helps me to relax after a long day of work or study but also cheers me up whenever I am feeling blue.

Source: zim.vn

Another Topics:

Describe a book that enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a book answer

Describe a book you liked to read in your childhood

Describe an exciting book you have read

Describe the book you read that you found useful

[…] Sample Answer […]

Comments are closed.

LATEST POSTS

Cue card – describe a gift you bought for someone, cue card – describe a place where you like to go shopping, describe a time when someone did well in a team.

IELTS App - For Mobile

Ready for the IELTS exam with our IELTS app. Over 2 million downloads

Popular Last 24h

Cue card 2020 #23: describe a change that can improve your local area, ielts reading practice 80: the wild side of town, ielts speaking part 1 : topic handwriting, ielts speaking part 3: topic home, cue card #53: talk about a newly built public facility (such as parks, cinemas etc) that improves/influence local life quality in your city, ielts speaking part 3: topic advertisement, ielts speaking part 1 topic: dance – answers.

IELTS Test/Skills FAQs
IELTS Scoring in Detail
Forecast Speaking – 2023
List IELTS Speaking Part 3
List IELTS Speaking Part 1
IELTS Writing 2023 – Actual Test

Our Telegram

Join our community for IELTS preparation and share and download materials.

The information on this site is for informational purposes only. IELTS is a registered trademark of the University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. This site and its owners are not affiliated, approved or endorsed by University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, or IDP Education Australia.

Latest Articles

Ielts speaking part 1: travelling by plane (c.19), ielts speaking part 1: international food (c.19), describe a book – part 1, 2, 3, ielts speaking part 3: tips to answer questions, most popular, describe a ﬁlm that made you laugh, describe a person whom you met for the ﬁrst time and made you happy, topic: experience is the best teacher, describe something difﬁcult you would like to succeed in doing, in many countries，today there are many highly qualified graduates without employment..

25 of the Best Words to Describe a Book for Your Book Review

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Vocabulary Boosters

25 of the Best Words to Describe a Book for Your Book Review

Even the best book readers suffer from writer’s block, when finding the words to describe a book you just read can be an uphill task.

A book review needs to express your opinion coherently and authoritatively, and this can only be achieved using the best possible words to describe a book.

We have some examples below for different categories.

Best words to describe a book: a praising review for a book you liked

Best words to describe a book: an impartial or analytical review of a book

person holding 101 essay that will change the way you think

Hello Sunshine: 25 of the Coolest Words to Describe Summer

woman in green top whispering to a man in a gray tank top

30 Great Words to Describe a Teacher

Best words to describe a book: a review of a book you didn’t like

Book reviewers need to employ the best words to describe a book. They do this to project authority, but they also do this so that they can drastically improve (or disprove) the book’s reception. If you have just finished a book and you can’t find the right words for your review, then we hope the classic words to describe a book and associated phrases listed above will help to inspire your next book review .

Weston Vicente Patton

Tuesday 25th of June 2024

What topics would you like to see covered in future posts? Let us know in the comments.

Sebastian Gustavo William Dudley

From start to finish, this blog post had us hooked. The content was insightful, entertaining, and had us feeling grateful for all the amazing resources out there. Keep up the great work!

Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite blog post has been so far!

Amya Phillips

Monday 24th of June 2024

I appreciate your creativity and the effort you put into every post. Keep up the great work!

Rolando Stein

Additional Resources
A List of Writing Contests in 2022 | Exciting Prizes!
Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen: When to Use Which
Book Proofreading 101: The Beginner’s Guide
Screenplay Editing: Importance, Cost, & Self-Editing Tips
Screenplay Proofreading: Importance, Process, & Cost
Script Proofreading: Rates, Process, & Proofreading Tips
Manuscript Proofreading | Definition, Process & Standard Rates
14 Punctuation Marks: Examples & Free Guide on How to Use
Tips to Write Better if English Is Your Second Language
Novel Proofreading | Definition, Significance & Standard Rates
The Top 10 Literary Devices: Definitions & Examples
Top 101 Bone-Chilling Horror Writing Prompts
Top 10 Must-Try Writing Prompt Generators in 2024
100+ Creative Writing Prompts for Masterful Storytelling
Best 101 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time
Top 10 eBook Creator Tools in 2024: Free & Paid
50 Timeless and Unforgettable Book Covers of All Time
What Is Flash Fiction? Definition, Examples & Types
Discover the Best Book Review Sites of 2024: Top 10 Picks
80 Enchanting Christmas Writing Prompts for Your Next Story

Your Guide to the Best eBook Readers in 2024

Top 10 Book Review Clubs of 2024 to Share Literary Insights
2024’s Top 10 Self-Help Books for Better Living
Writing Contests 2023: Cash Prizes, Free Entries, & More!
Top 10 Book Writing Apps of 2024: Free & Paid!
Top 10 Book Marketing Services of 2024: Features and Costs
10 Best Book Publishing Companies in 2024
What Is a Book Teaser and How to Write It: Tips and Examples
Audiobook vs. EBook vs. Paperback in 2024: (Pros & Cons)
Top 10 Book Writing Software, Websites, and Tools in 2024
How to Get a Literary Agent in 2024: The Complete Guide
An Easy Guide to the Best Fonts & Font Sizes for Your Book
Top 10 Book Promotion Services for 2024’s Authors
Alpha Readers: Where to Find Them and Alpha vs. Beta Readers
Author Branding 101: How to Build a Powerful Author Brand
How to Write a Book Report | Steps, Examples & Free Template
A Guide on How to Write a Book Synopsis: Steps and Examples
How to Write a Book Review (Meaning, Tips & Examples)
Book Title Generators: Top 10 Book Name Generators of 2024
50 Top Literary Agents in the USA for Authors in 2024
Building an Author Website: The Ultimate Guide with Examples
Top 10 Book Printing Services for Authors in 2024
10 Best Free Online Grammar Checkers: Features and Ratings
How to Write a Poem: Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Poetry
What Is a Poem? Poetry Definition, Elements, & Examples
2024’s 10 Best Paraphrasing Tools for All (Free & Paid)
Top 10 AI Detector Tools in 2024 (Free & Paid)
Top 10 Book Editing Software in 2024 (Free & Paid)
What Is an Adverb? Definition, Types, Differences & Examples
What Are Large Language Models and How They Work: Explained!
What Is an Adjective? Definition, Usage & Examples
Top 10 Hardcover Book Printing Services [2024 Update]
15 Types of Poems Everyone Should Know About
2024’s Top 10 Setting Generators to Create Unique Settings
Different Types of Characters in Stories That Steal the Show
Top 10 Screenplay & Scriptwriting Software (Free & Paid)
10 Best AI Text Generators of 2024: Pros, Cons, and Prices
Top 10 Must-Try Character Name Generators in 2024
How to Track Changes in Google Docs: A 7-Step Guide
10 Best AI Text Summarizers in 2024 (Free & Paid)
2024’s 10 Best Punctuation Checkers for Error-Free Text
Writing Contests 2024: Cash Prizes & Free Entries
Pre-Publishing Steps
Book Cover Design: An Introduction
What is a Book Copyright Page?
8 Pre-Publishing Steps to Self-Publish Your Book
7 Essential Elements of a Book Cover Design
How to Copyright Your Book in the US, UK, & India
How to Format a Book in 2024: 7 Tips for Print & EBooks
Beta Readers: Why You Should Know About Them in 2024
How to Publish a Book in 2024: A Beginners’ Guide
ISBN Guide 2024: What Is an ISBN and How to Get an ISBN
Self Publishing Guide
How to Hire a Book Editor in 5 Practical Steps
Self-Publishing Options for Writers
How to Promote Your Book Using a Goodreads Author Page
What Makes Typesetting a Pre-Publishing Essential for Every Author?
4 Online Publishing Platforms To Boost Your Readership
How to Find the Perfect Book Editor for Your Manuscript
Typesetting: An Introduction
Quick Guide to Novel Editing (with a Self-Editing Checklist)
Quick Guide to Book Editing [Complete Process & Standard Rates]
10 Best Self-Publishing Companies of 2024: Price & Royalties
What Is Amazon Self-Publishing? Pros, Cons & Key Insights
Manuscript Editing in 2024: Elevating Your Writing for Success
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: 2024 Guide
How to Publish a Book on Amazon: 8 Easy Steps [2024 Update]
10 Best Book Cover Design Services of 2024: Price & Ratings
A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing a Book in 2024
Learn How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book in 2024
What are Print-on-Demand Books? Cost and Process in 2024
What Are the Standard Book Sizes for Publishing Your Book?
Top 10 EBook Conversion Services for 2024’s Authors
How to Copyright a Book in 2024 (Costs + Free Template)
How to Market Your Book on Amazon to Maximize Sales in 2024
Traditional Publishing
How to start your own online publishing company?
8 Tips To Write Appealing Query Letters
How to Write a Query Letter (Examples + Free Template)

Writing Tips

How to Create Depth in Characters
Starting Your Book With a Bang: Ways to Catch Readers’ Attention
How to Write a Powerful Plot in 12 Steps
Research for Fiction Writers: A Complete Guide
Short stories: Do’s and don’ts
How to Write Dialogue: 7 Rules, 5 Tips & 65 Examples
How to Write a Novel in Past Tense? 3 Steps & Examples
What Are Foil and Stock Characters? Easy Examples from Harry Potter
How To Write Better Letters In Your Novel
On Being Tense About Tense: What Verb Tense To Write Your Novel In
How To Create A Stellar Plot Outline
How to Punctuate Dialogue in Fiction
On Being Tense about Tense: Present Tense Narratives in Novels
The Essential Guide to Worldbuilding [from Book Editors]
What Is Point of View: 1st, 2nd & 3rd POV with Examples
How to Create Powerful Conflict in Your Story | Useful Examples
How to Write a Book: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Write a Short Story: 6 Steps & Examples
How To Craft a Murder Mystery Story
How to Write a Novel: 8 Steps to Help You Start Writing
What Is a Stock Character? 150 Examples from 5 Genres
How to Write a Children’s Book: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide
Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: Worksheet & Examples
Novel Outline: A Proven Blueprint [+ Free Template!]
Character Development: 7-Step Guide for Writers
Foil Character: Definition, History, & Examples
What Is NaNoWriMo? Top 7 Tips to Ace the Writing Marathon
What Is the Setting of a Story? Meaning + 7 Expert Tips
Theme of a Story | Meaning, Common Themes & Examples
5 Elements of a Short Story & 6 Stages of a Plot
What Is a Blurb? Meaning, Examples & 10 Expert Tips
What Is Show, Don’t Tell? (Meaning, Examples & 6 Tips)
How to Write a Book Summary: Example, Tips, & Bonus Section

How to Write a Book Description (Examples + Free Template)

10 Best Free AI Resume Builders to Create the Perfect CV
A Complete Guide on How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Resume
10 Best AI Writer Tools Every Writer Should Know About
15 Best ATS-Friendly ChatGPT Prompts for Resumes in 2024
How to Write a Book Title (15 Expert Tips + Examples)
The 10 Best AI Story Generators: Features, Usage & Benefits
100 Novel and Book Ideas to Start Your Book Writing Journey
Exploring Writing Styles: Meaning, Types, and Examples
Mastering Professional Email Writing: Steps, Tips & Examples
How to Write a Screenplay: Expert Tips, Steps, and Examples
Business Proposal Guide: How to Write, Examples and Template
Different Types of Resumes: Explained with Tips and Examples
How to Create a Memorable Protagonist (7 Expert Tips)
How to Write an Antagonist (Examples & 7 Expert Tips)

Writing for the Web: 7 Expert Tips for Web Content Writing

Still have questions? Leave a comment

Add Comment

Checklist: Dissertation Proposal

Enter your email id to get the downloadable right in your inbox!

Examples: Edited Papers

Need editing and proofreading services.

Tags: Fiction , Language , Nonfiction , Novel , Writing Tips

Are you ready to make your book irresistible for readers? Understand how to write a description for a book in 6 easy steps! This guide will help you capture the heart of the story without giving spoilers. Wondering how long should a book description be? Browse through our guide and learn the perfect length for a book description.

We’ve included some of the best book description examples of popular literary works. With this, we’ve also added 4 amazing strategies to increase your book description’s credibility and visibility on online platforms. Whether you want to create a book description for Amazon or any other platform, these strategies are sure to help!

Get expert book promotion services today! Learn more

So without wasting time, let’s begin with the basics!

What is a book description?

A book description is a brief overview of the plot, main characters, and themes of the story. It’s an important tool that helps in book promotion and sales. Many times, book descriptions also include information about the author. This helps to build credibility and establish a connection with the reader.

The book description is usually written in the 3rd person’s point of view (using the characters’ names, he, she, it, they, them, etc). It usually has short paragraphs to ensure a better reader experience. You can also bold and italicize key aspects of the book to highlight them in the book description.

Now that we’ve understood the meaning of a book description, let’s understand its length.

How long should a book description be?

A book description usually ranges from 100-250 words. It aims to capture the readers’ attention without revealing too much about the story. It’s different from a book synopsis and a book review which can be longer.

How to write a book description?

Here are the 6 easy steps to write the description of a book:

Begin with an eye-catching hook- Start your article with a shocking statement or intriguing question. You can also showcase an interesting conflict without giving spoilers or start with a bold statement, challenging conventions.
Summarize the plot- Briefly describe the book’s important events and introduce the main characters. Highlight any plot twists or surprises to keep the reader engaged.
Mention the book’s USP- This can be the setting, an unexplored theme, an intriguing character, or a different take on a common theme. If a character makes unconventional choices, it can also be the book’s USP.
Convey themes and the genre- Give readers an idea of the book’s genre. Let them know whether the book is a romance, thriller, fantasy novel, or belonging to any other genre.
End with a cliffhanger- Unlike a book summary that gives away the ending, keep the reader in suspense about what happens next. You can do this through an intriguing question/ statement. Another method to do this is by including an interesting plot twist in the description of a book.
Edit and proofread- Check your book description for any grammatical, spelling, and word choice errors. Ensure that the book description has clarity, coherence, and a logical content flow.

Wondering how to write a description for a book to maximize sales? Explore these 4 simple strategies and take your book description to the next level!

Top 4 strategies for the best book description

Include reviews and endorsements- Add any positive book reviews or endorsements from famous personalities/organizations in the beginning. This helps to increase your book’s credibility.
Use evocative language- Use literary devices like personification, metaphor and symbolism to make the description engaging. You can also implement the show, don’t tell principle and objectively describe sensory details (visuals, sights, smells, taste, and touch).
Consider SEO- It’s important to include relevant keywords in your book description (about the book’s genre, themes, and setting) to help more readers discover it. This is essential if you’re self-publishing on Amazon, BookBaby, or another online platform.
Test and update- Once your book description is ready, share it with friends, family, and any literary experts. Make changes, depending on the feedback. If your book receives any accolades, you can update the book description to improve credibility.

Want to understand better how to write a good book description? Dive in to see the best book description examples!

Top 2 book description examples

1. the firm by john grisham .

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the master of legal thrillers, a page-turning classic of “suit-and-dagger suspense” ( The New York Times ): At the top of his class at Harvard Law, Mitch McDeere had his choice of the best firms in America. He made a deadly mistake.

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

For a young lawyer on the make, it was an offer Mitch McDeere couldn’t refuse: a position at a law firm where the bucks, billable hours, and benefits are over the top. It’s a dream job for an up-and-comer—if he can overlook the uneasy feeling he gets at the office. Then an FBI investigation into the firm’s connections to the Mafia plunges the attorney into a nightmare of terror and intrigue. With no choice but to pit his wits, ethics, and legal skills against the firm’s deadly secrets—if he hopes to stay alive…

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The beloved, #1 global bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and Turtles All the Way Down

“John Green is one of the best writers alive.” –E. Lockhart, #1 bestselling author of We Were Liars

“The greatest romance story of this decade.″ – Entertainment Weekly

#1 New York Times Bestseller • #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller • #1 USA Today Bestseller • #1 International Bestseller

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

From John Green, #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and Turtles All the Way Down, The Fault in Our Stars is insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw. It brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

The above examples accurately demonstrate how to write a good book description for a book. For readers who want more clarity, browse through our simple book description template!

Book description template

You can use the following template for reference while creating your book description. This template will help you write a book description for Amazon and other social media platforms.

This concludes our guide to how to write a book description. Now, you can start exploring ideas to create the perfect book description. Want to take your book description to the next level? Take advantage of PaperTrue’s expert self-publishing services like editing, proofreading, and formatting! With this, PaperTrue also helps authors develop a book summary, and secure an ISBN, online book distribution, and promotion.

Here are some other articles you might find interesting:

An Easy Guide to the Best Fonts & Font Sizes for Your Book
Audiobook vs. EBook vs. Paperback in 2024: (Pros & Cons)
How to Format a Book in 2024: 7 Tips for Print & EBooks

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key elements of a book description, how to make a book description stand out, what common mistakes should i avoid.

Found this article helpful?

Your vs. You’re: When to Use Your and You’re

Your organization needs a technical editor: here’s why.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get carefully curated resources about writing, editing, and publishing in the comfort of your inbox.

How to Copyright Your Book?

If you’ve thought about copyrighting your book, you’re on the right path.

Terms of service
Privacy policy
Fiction Writing Tips
Dissertation Writing Guide
Essay Writing Guide
Academic Writing and Publishing
Citation and Referencing
Partner with us
Annual report
Website content
Marketing material
Job Applicant
Cover letter
Resource Center
Case studies

A Beginner’s Guide to IELTS
Common Grammar Mistakes [for IELTS Writing Candidates]

Writing Correction Service

Free IELTS Resources
Practice Speaking Test

Select Page

Describe a Book You Have Read Recently

Posted by David S. Wills | Jan 6, 2018 | IELTS Tips , Speaking , YouTube | 0

Today we’re going to look at a question from IELTS speaking part two, also known as the “long answer” question. In this part of the exam, as you probably know, you are expected to speak for about two minutes on a given topic . The topic will be presented to you on a “cue card” and you will then have a minute to make notes before you speak. Today, the topic is books and we will explore how to describe a book you have read recently .

There are lots of different ways that this question could be phrased, and so, as always, you can’t just memorise an answer. In fact, in IELTS it’s always a bad idea to memorize answers. You have questions like “describe your favourite book” or “describe a book that you read in your childhood,” but today I’m going to give you a more general question.

In this lesson, we will learn several things:

How to read the cue card
Note-making skills
Some useful vocabulary
How to answer this cue card fully

The Cue Card: Describe a book you have read recently

As I said, there are many IELTS cue cards about books. You could be asked about your favorite book or a book you really love, but in this case we will just look at a book you have read recently:

Describe a book you have read recently. You should say: what kind of book it is who wrote the book what the story of the book is and explain if it is a good book or not.

Once you have read the cue card, you must think about it quickly. Analyse the topic and ask yourself what exactly you should talk about. In this case, you may ask:

Can I talk about any book? – no, only one you’ve read recently
Could it be a book that I dislike? – yes, that is possible
Must it be a book that I enjoyed? – no, the final part of the question makes it clear that you don’t have to have liked it
Should I talk about the plot? – yes, that is fulfilling the third bullet point

You should quickly choose a book, think about how to explain it, and then try to talk about the ideas on the cue card.

describe a book you have read recently [ielts speaking]

Making Notes

So the first thing you should do is make a few notes on the topic. Of course, as we’ve discussed before, you really shouldn’t write too much. Remember – you just have one minute! Don’t write down sentences or else you’ll only have enough to speak for ten or twenty seconds. Instead, write the ideas you want to discuss or the vocabulary you may need.

In this case, of course we first have to think about the book itself. What was its name, and who was the author? It doesn’t have to be an English book, but you do need to be able to give the English title and – if it was written by an English-speaking author, you also must be able to say their name. Here in China, many famous foreigners have Chinese names, or at least their names are adapted to make it easier for Chinese speakers to pronounce, and so they sound weird to an English speaker. For example, my students always talk about “Jobs” when they mean “Steve Jobs.” So make sure you know the name.

Then you need to think about the tasks outlined in the cue card and make notes on them so that you don’t forget any part of it. This is where you need to make useful notes.

So the first thing we need to talk about, according to the cue card, is the “kind of” book. Another way of saying that is “ genre .” This means, is it a mystery novel or a romance? Is it a horror novel or a coming-of-age story? There are so many kinds of novels. Of course, you don’t need to know them all, but being able to talk about the ones that you actually like is important. Go beyond that and consider being able to discuss the book further in terms of adjectives – is it thrilling? Hilarious? Shocking? Provocative? These are some good vocabulary items to note down during your one minute.

When it comes to genre, you can borrow many words from your movie vocabulary . Here is a video about describing movies. Most of those words can be re-used for describing books:

Next you should really think about the plot of the novel. You don’t need to say everything. Instead, summarize it. Think about the main action and key scenes. Talk briefly about the beginning and ending, or any important moments.

When talking about the plot of a film or book, you can use the present simple or past simple. This is because these events exist outside of time as they are immortalized in a text. They are, in a sense, always happening.

For example, you could equally say:

Romeo kissed Juliet

Romeo kisses Juliet.

A great way of learning how to do this effectively is to go on Wikipedia or IMDB and then find descriptions of movies. Obviously, you should not try to memorize these, but you can definitely borrow some language or even structure.

Structuring your Answer

The important things about IELTS speaking part 2 are that you actually answer all parts of the question, and that you do it in between 1 and 2 minutes. The order in which you give the details is not important. Therefore, you can talk about any of the cue card suggestions first or last. However, be sensible and think of a logical order in your head. Make sure these are in your notes so that you don’t forget anything.

Sample Answer – Describe a Book

Here’s my answer to the above question.

Recently, I read a novel called Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, who is the writer of some popular TV shows. It’s hard to give the genre because it’s a quite unusual book; however, it is both a drama and a mystery to some degree. The story is about a plane crash. This happens at the beginning of the book, and after that we get the back story of the people who were on the plane. We don’t know why the plane crashed although it seems like an accident. However, the mystery element comes into the book as the story develops because we are shown too many coincidences. The book also details the relationship between a man and a boy who survive the crash, and this gives the story its heart. I really enjoyed this book. Normally I prefer to read non-fiction books but in this case I was attracted to Before the Fall because I really liked the writer’s TV work and I was curious about how he would handle a novel. Ultimately, I was not disappointed. His ability to tell a good story made him an excellent novelist.

Here’s my recording of the sample answer. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel for more IELTS videos. I try to post about once every 1-2 weeks.

I answered the “who wrote it” and “what kind of book” parts very quickly at the beginning and spent more time on the plot and my reaction to the book. It’s important you take into consideration while planning that some parts of the question simply aren’t possible to talk about that much.

Note also the verb “detail” in that second paragraph. It’s a reporting verb used in slightly formal speech meaning roughly the same as “tells”.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

Um… Is Hesitation in IELTS a Bad Thing?

March 22, 2021

Stop Saying “It Cannot Be Denied” in IELTS Essays

February 26, 2021

Answering Difficult Questions

April 15, 2016

10 IELTS Listening Tips

April 7, 2016

Download my IELTS Books

Book Reviews

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you write a book review, a report or essay that offers a critical perspective on a text. It offers a process and suggests some strategies for writing book reviews.

What is a review?

A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms. This handout will focus on book reviews. For a similar assignment, see our handout on literature reviews .

Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into dialogue and discussion with the work’s creator and with other audiences. You can offer agreement or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its knowledge, judgments, or organization. You should clearly state your opinion of the work in question, and that statement will probably resemble other types of academic writing, with a thesis statement, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Typically, reviews are brief. In newspapers and academic journals, they rarely exceed 1000 words, although you may encounter lengthier assignments and extended commentaries. In either case, reviews need to be succinct. While they vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features:

First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content. This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy, whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding of the issues at hand.
Finally, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not the audience would appreciate it.

Becoming an expert reviewer: three short examples

Reviewing can be a daunting task. Someone has asked for your opinion about something that you may feel unqualified to evaluate. Who are you to criticize Toni Morrison’s new book if you’ve never written a novel yourself, much less won a Nobel Prize? The point is that someone—a professor, a journal editor, peers in a study group—wants to know what you think about a particular work. You may not be (or feel like) an expert, but you need to pretend to be one for your particular audience. Nobody expects you to be the intellectual equal of the work’s creator, but your careful observations can provide you with the raw material to make reasoned judgments. Tactfully voicing agreement and disagreement, praise and criticism, is a valuable, challenging skill, and like many forms of writing, reviews require you to provide concrete evidence for your assertions.

Consider the following brief book review written for a history course on medieval Europe by a student who is fascinated with beer:

Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600, investigates how women used to brew and sell the majority of ale drunk in England. Historically, ale and beer (not milk, wine, or water) were important elements of the English diet. Ale brewing was low-skill and low status labor that was complimentary to women’s domestic responsibilities. In the early fifteenth century, brewers began to make ale with hops, and they called this new drink “beer.” This technique allowed brewers to produce their beverages at a lower cost and to sell it more easily, although women generally stopped brewing once the business became more profitable.

The student describes the subject of the book and provides an accurate summary of its contents. But the reader does not learn some key information expected from a review: the author’s argument, the student’s appraisal of the book and its argument, and whether or not the student would recommend the book. As a critical assessment, a book review should focus on opinions, not facts and details. Summary should be kept to a minimum, and specific details should serve to illustrate arguments.

Now consider a review of the same book written by a slightly more opinionated student:

Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 was a colossal disappointment. I wanted to know about the rituals surrounding drinking in medieval England: the songs, the games, the parties. Bennett provided none of that information. I liked how the book showed ale and beer brewing as an economic activity, but the reader gets lost in the details of prices and wages. I was more interested in the private lives of the women brewsters. The book was divided into eight long chapters, and I can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to read it.

There’s no shortage of judgments in this review! But the student does not display a working knowledge of the book’s argument. The reader has a sense of what the student expected of the book, but no sense of what the author herself set out to prove. Although the student gives several reasons for the negative review, those examples do not clearly relate to each other as part of an overall evaluation—in other words, in support of a specific thesis. This review is indeed an assessment, but not a critical one.

Here is one final review of the same book:

One of feminism’s paradoxes—one that challenges many of its optimistic histories—is how patriarchy remains persistent over time. While Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 recognizes medieval women as historical actors through their ale brewing, it also shows that female agency had its limits with the advent of beer. I had assumed that those limits were religious and political, but Bennett shows how a “patriarchal equilibrium” shut women out of economic life as well. Her analysis of women’s wages in ale and beer production proves that a change in women’s work does not equate to a change in working women’s status. Contemporary feminists and historians alike should read Bennett’s book and think twice when they crack open their next brewsky.

This student’s review avoids the problems of the previous two examples. It combines balanced opinion and concrete example, a critical assessment based on an explicitly stated rationale, and a recommendation to a potential audience. The reader gets a sense of what the book’s author intended to demonstrate. Moreover, the student refers to an argument about feminist history in general that places the book in a specific genre and that reaches out to a general audience. The example of analyzing wages illustrates an argument, the analysis engages significant intellectual debates, and the reasons for the overall positive review are plainly visible. The review offers criteria, opinions, and support with which the reader can agree or disagree.

Developing an assessment: before you write

There is no definitive method to writing a review, although some critical thinking about the work at hand is necessary before you actually begin writing. Thus, writing a review is a two-step process: developing an argument about the work under consideration, and making that argument as you write an organized and well-supported draft. See our handout on argument .

What follows is a series of questions to focus your thinking as you dig into the work at hand. While the questions specifically consider book reviews, you can easily transpose them to an analysis of performances, exhibitions, and other review subjects. Don’t feel obligated to address each of the questions; some will be more relevant than others to the book in question.

What is the thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world you know? What has the book accomplished?
What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? What is the approach to the subject (topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive)?
How does the author support their argument? What evidence do they use to prove their point? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author’s information (or conclusions) conflict with other books you’ve read, courses you’ve taken or just previous assumptions you had of the subject?
How does the author structure their argument? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your reader?

Beyond the internal workings of the book, you may also consider some information about the author and the circumstances of the text’s production:

Who is the author? Nationality, political persuasion, training, intellectual interests, personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details about how a work takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the biographer was the subject’s best friend? What difference would it make if the author participated in the events they write about?
What is the book’s genre? Out of what field does it emerge? Does it conform to or depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a historical or literary standard on which to base your evaluations. If you are reviewing the first book ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to know. Keep in mind, though, that naming “firsts”—alongside naming “bests” and “onlys”—can be a risky business unless you’re absolutely certain.

Writing the review

Once you have made your observations and assessments of the work under review, carefully survey your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Check out our handout on thesis statements . Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis.

Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner. That logic, unlike more standard academic writing, may initially emphasize the author’s argument while you develop your own in the course of the review. The relative emphasis depends on the nature of the review: if readers may be more interested in the work itself, you may want to make the work and the author more prominent; if you want the review to be about your perspective and opinions, then you may structure the review to privilege your observations over (but never separate from) those of the work under review. What follows is just one of many ways to organize a review.

Introduction

Since most reviews are brief, many writers begin with a catchy quip or anecdote that succinctly delivers their argument. But you can introduce your review differently depending on the argument and audience. The Writing Center’s handout on introductions can help you find an approach that works. In general, you should include:

The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
Relevant details about who the author is and where they stand in the genre or field of inquiry. You could also link the title to the subject to show how the title explains the subject matter.
The context of the book and/or your review. Placing your review in a framework that makes sense to your audience alerts readers to your “take” on the book. Perhaps you want to situate a book about the Cuban revolution in the context of Cold War rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union. Another reviewer might want to consider the book in the framework of Latin American social movements. Your choice of context informs your argument.
The thesis of the book. If you are reviewing fiction, this may be difficult since novels, plays, and short stories rarely have explicit arguments. But identifying the book’s particular novelty, angle, or originality allows you to show what specific contribution the piece is trying to make.
Your thesis about the book.

Summary of content

This should be brief, as analysis takes priority. In the course of making your assessment, you’ll hopefully be backing up your assertions with concrete evidence from the book, so some summary will be dispersed throughout other parts of the review.

The necessary amount of summary also depends on your audience. Graduate students, beware! If you are writing book reviews for colleagues—to prepare for comprehensive exams, for example—you may want to devote more attention to summarizing the book’s contents. If, on the other hand, your audience has already read the book—such as a class assignment on the same work—you may have more liberty to explore more subtle points and to emphasize your own argument. See our handout on summary for more tips.

Analysis and evaluation of the book

Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. This arrangement can be challenging when your purpose is to consider the book as a whole, but it can help you differentiate elements of your criticism and pair assertions with evidence more clearly. You do not necessarily need to work chronologically through the book as you discuss it. Given the argument you want to make, you can organize your paragraphs more usefully by themes, methods, or other elements of the book. If you find it useful to include comparisons to other books, keep them brief so that the book under review remains in the spotlight. Avoid excessive quotation and give a specific page reference in parentheses when you do quote. Remember that you can state many of the author’s points in your own words.

Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. You should not introduce new evidence for your argument in the conclusion. You can, however, introduce new ideas that go beyond the book if they extend the logic of your own thesis. This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation. Did the body of your review have three negative paragraphs and one favorable one? What do they all add up to? The Writing Center’s handout on conclusions can help you make a final assessment.

Finally, a few general considerations:

Review the book in front of you, not the book you wish the author had written. You can and should point out shortcomings or failures, but don’t criticize the book for not being something it was never intended to be.
With any luck, the author of the book worked hard to find the right words to express her ideas. You should attempt to do the same. Precise language allows you to control the tone of your review.
Never hesitate to challenge an assumption, approach, or argument. Be sure, however, to cite specific examples to back up your assertions carefully.
Try to present a balanced argument about the value of the book for its audience. You’re entitled—and sometimes obligated—to voice strong agreement or disagreement. But keep in mind that a bad book takes as long to write as a good one, and every author deserves fair treatment. Harsh judgments are difficult to prove and can give readers the sense that you were unfair in your assessment.
A great place to learn about book reviews is to look at examples. The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The New York Review of Books can show you how professional writers review books.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Drewry, John. 1974. Writing Book Reviews. Boston: Greenwood Press.

Hoge, James. 1987. Literary Reviewing. Charlottesville: University Virginia of Press.

Sova, Dawn, and Harry Teitelbaum. 2002. How to Write Book Reports , 4th ed. Lawrenceville, NY: Thomson/Arco.

Walford, A.J. 1986. Reviews and Reviewing: A Guide. Phoenix: Oryx Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

IELTS Cue Card

A website dedicated to IELTS Cue Card Samples, Speaking Samples, and Speaking Preparation Guideline...

Search This Blog

Describe your favourite book.

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 444 with Model Answer:

Describe your favourite book.

what book it is
who wrote this book
what it is about

I also have the same favourite

NOT TOO GOOD

This is good but short

How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide, PaperPerk will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to Write a Book Review- A Step-by-Step Guide

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an outline that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

The characters and their development
The plot and its intricacies
Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
What could be improved? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its title and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

In Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
In Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
In Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “How to write a Book Review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example: The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
Be fair: Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what you think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online college paper writing service platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease.

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review.

In this section of “How to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of modernist literature examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

What is the difference between a book review and a report?

Who is the target audience for book reviews and book reports, how do book reviews and reports differ in length and content, can i write professional book reviews, what are the key aspects of writing professional book reviews, how can i enhance my book-reviewing skills to write professional reviews, what should be included in a good book review.

Order Original Papers & Essays

Your First Custom Paper Sample is on Us!

Timely Deliveries

No Plagiarism & AI

100% Refund

Try Our Free Paper Writing Service

Related blogs.

Connections with Writers and support

Privacy and Confidentiality Guarantee

Average Quality Score

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Wednesday, Apr 03

How to write a book review in 3 steps.

If the idea of reading for free — or even getting paid to read — sounds like a dream come true, remember that it isn’t a pipe dream. There are many places aspiring book reviewers can read books for free, such as Reedsy Discovery — a new platform for reviewing indie books. Of course, if you’re giving serious thought to becoming a book reviewer, your first step should be learning how to write a book review. To that end, this post covers all the basics of literary criticism. Let’s get started!

The three main steps of writing a book review are simple:

Provide a summary: What is story about? Who are the main characters and what is the main conflict?
Present your evaluation: What did you think of the book? What elements worked well, and which ones didn’t?
Give your recommendation: Would you recommend this book to others? If so, what kinds of readers will enjoy it?

You can also download our free book review templates and use it as a guide! Otherwise, let’s take a closer look at each element.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

How to write a review of a book

Step 1. provide a summary.

Have you ever watched a movie only to realize that all the good bits were already in the trailer? Well, you don’t want the review to do that. What you do want the summary to do is reveal the genre, theme, main conflict, and main characters in the story — without giving away spoilers or revealing how the story ends.

A good rule of thumb is not to mention anything that happens beyond the midpoint. Set the stage and give readers a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing :

In [Michael] Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl. Read more...

Here are a few more reviews with well-written summaries for you to check out. The summary tend to be the longest part of the book review, so we won’t turn this post into a novel itself by pasting them all here: Le Cirque Navire reviewed by Anna Brill, The Heart of Stone reviewed by Kevin R. Dickinson, Fitting Out: The Friendship Experiment reviewed by Lianna Albrizio.

Non-fiction summary tip: The primary goal of a non-fiction summary is to provide context: what problems or issues has the book spotted, and how does it go about addressing them? Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning’s review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field.

Step 2. Present your evaluation

While you should absolutely weave your own personal take of a book into the review, your evaluation shouldn’t only be based on your subjective opinion. Along with presenting how you reacted to the story and how it affected you, you should also try to objectively critique the stronger and weaker elements of the story, and provide examples from the text to back up your points.

To help you write your evaluation, you should record your reactions and thoughts as you work your way through a novel you’re planning on reviewing. Here are some aspects of the book to keep in mind as you do.

Your evaluation might focus heartily on the book’s prose:

Donald Barker's review of Mercenary :

Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, deadpan humour and wit. This, mixed with good descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and fighting, onto the written page.

You can give readers a sense of the book by drawing comparisons to other well-known titles or authors:

Laura Hartman's review of The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe :

Reading Ms. Donovan’s book is reminiscent to one of my favorite authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Setting up the suspects in a snowbound house, asking them to meet in the drawing room and the cleverly satisfying conclusion was extremely gratifying. I can picture Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot nodding at Ms. Donovan saying “Well done!”

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, and you can always acknowledge this by calling out specific story elements in your evaluation:

Kevin R. Dickinson's review of The Heart of Stone :

Whether you enjoy Galley’s worldbuilding will depend heavily on preference. Galley delivers information piecemeal, letting the characters, not the author, navigate the reader through Hartlund. A notable example is the magic system, an enigmatic force that lacks the ridge structures of, say, a Brandon Sanderson novel. While the world’s magical workings are explained, you only learn what the characters know and many mysteries remain by the end. Similar choices throughout make the world feel expansive and authentic.

Non-fiction evaluation tip: A book’s topic is only as compelling as its supporting arguments. Your evaluation of a nonfiction book should address that: how clearly and effectively are the points communicated? Turn back to Stefan’s critique for an example of a non-fiction critique that covers key takeaways and readability, without giving away any “big reveals.”

Step 3. Give your recommendation

At the end of the day, your critique needs to answer this question: is this a book you would (or wouldn’t) recommend to other readers? You might wrap up by comparing it to other books in the same genre, or authors with similar styles, such as: “Fans of so-and-so will enjoy this book.”

Let’s take a look at a few more tips:

You don’t need to write, “I recommend this book” — you can make it clear by highlighting your favorable opinion:

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

Add more punch to your rating by mentioning what kind of audience will or won’t enjoy the book:

Charleigh Aleyna Reid's review of The King of FU :

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 90’s and would like to reminisce about the time, someone who is interested to see what it was like to be a 90’s kid, or perhaps anyone who is looking for a unique, funny story about someone’s life.

Unless you found the title absolutely abhorrent, a good way to balance out a less favorable book review it to share what you did like about the book — before ultimately stating why you wouldn’t recommend the novel:

Nicola O's review of Secrets of the Sea Lord :

Overall, there are plenty of enjoyable elements in this story and fans of Atlantis and mer mythology should give it a try. Despite this, it does not rise above a three-star rating, and while I had some difficulty pinning down why this is, I concluded that it comes from a surprisingly unsophisticated vocabulary. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, which is absolutely fine in a paranormal romance, but if they were removed, I could easily imagine this as an appealing story for middle-schoolers.

Non-fiction recommendation tip: As with fiction book reviews, share why you did or didn’t enjoy the title. However, in one of the starkest divergences from fiction book reviews it’s more important than ever that you mention your expectations coming into the non-fiction book. For instance, if you’re a cow farmer who’s reading a book on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian, you’re coming in with a large and inherent bias that the book will struggle to alter. So your recommendation should cover your thoughts about the book, while clearly taking account your perspective before you started reading. Let’s look once more at Stefan’s review for an example of a rating that includes an explanation of the reviewer’s own bias.

Bonus tips for writing a book review

Let’s wrap up with a few final tips for writing a compelling review.

Remember, this isn’t a book report. If someone wants the summary of a book, they can read the synopsis. People turn to book reviews for a fellow reader’s take on the book. And for that reason...
Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.
Make your stance clear from the outset. Don’t save your opinion just for the evaluation/recommendation. Weave your thoughts about the book into your summary as well, so that readers have an idea of your opinion from the outset.
Back up your points. Instead of just saying, “the prose was evocative” — show readers by providing an actual passage that displays this. Same goes for negative points — don’t simply tell readers you found a character unbelievable, reference a certain (non-spoiler) scene that backs this up.
Provide the details. Don’t forget to weave the book’s information into the review: is this a debut author? Is this one installment of a series? What types of books has the author written before? What is their background? How many pages does the book have? Who published the book? What is the book’s price?
Follow guidelines. Is the review you’re writing for Goodreads? For The New York Times ? The content and tone of your review will vary a good deal from publication to publication.
Learn from others. One of the best ways to learn how to write a great review is to read other reviews! To help you out with that, we’ve published a post all about book review examples .

Writing book reviews can be a rewarding experience! As a book-lover yourself, it’s a great opportunity to help guide readers to their next favorite title. If you’re just getting started as a reviewer and could use a couple more tips and nudges in the right direction, check out our comprehensive blog post on how to become a book reviewer . And if you want to find out which review community is the right fit for you, we recommend taking this quick quiz:

Which review community should you join?

Find out which review community is best for your style. Takes 30 seconds!

Finally, if you feel you've nailed the basics of how to write a book review, we recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can review books for free and are guaranteed people will read them. To register as a book reviewer, simply go here !

Continue reading

The 60 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time

This is our list of the best nonfiction books of the century so far, to keep you informed, inspired, entertained, and exhilarated.

Kindle Cloud Reader 101: What It Is and How to Use It

Much has been made of the eBook’s rise this decade. More of them are being published than ever, and the vast majority are sold through Amazon, the dominant player in online book and eBook retailing. From self-published titles to New York Times bestseller...

A Guide to New Adult Books: 20 Titles to Get You Started

Unlike their YA counterparts, new adult protagonists have left childhood in the rearview mirror. But that doesn’t mean they feel like full-fledged grownups just yet.

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

Submit your book
Reviewer directory

Discovery | Reviewer | Version C | 2024-01

Want to be a book reviewer?

Review new books and start building your portfolio.

Describe a book you have recently read – IELTS Cue Card Sample Answers

Updated On Sep 18, 2023

Share on Whatsapp

Share on Email

Share on Linkedin

Describe a book you have recently read – IELTS Cue Card Sample Answers

Limited-Time Offer : Access a FREE 10-Day IELTS Study Plan!

This article contains the Describe a book you have recently read Cue Card Sample Answers.

During Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test, you will have exactly one minute to prepare and speak on a specific topic. This is the IELTS cue card task. You can learn how to communicate clearly and successfully by reviewing sample answers.

This IELTS cue card gives you an opportunity to share one of your opinions about a book you have recently read.

Practise IELTS Speaking Part 2 by referencing the Cue Card Sample Answers below.

Before you start, take a look at the introduction to Speaking Part 2 below!

Learn How to Prepare a Cue Card now!

Describe a book you read

You should say:

Who wrote this book?
What it is about?
When you read it?
And explain why you liked it.

Sample Answer 1

Being a bibliophile, I try my best to complete at least one book a week. Earlier, I used to read 4-5 books a month. However, gradually, the numbers declined as I got held up in other important tasks. So, with the new year, I have taken a resolution to finish a minimum of 2 books a month. Having said that, I spent the last week reading A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks.

The main protagonists of this book are Miles Ryan and Sarah Andrews. The former loses his wife to a hit-and-run accident. After going through a tough time in his life and spending two years trying to find the person behind this accident, Miles begins dating his son – Jonah’s – teacher, Sarah Andrews.

With time, their relationship turns stronger, and they fall deeply in love with each other. However, Miles comes across new evidence pertaining to the death of his wife. And, this person is somehow related to Sarah.

This is a romantic novel that showcases the attributes of love, sacrifice, and letting go. I like the way the author described diverse emotions keenly and precisely. Also, I liked the way of writing that the author put forth in this book.

Sample Answer 2

On a Saturday evening, I was lying down with this book called “ Tell me your dreams” by Sidney Sheldon. Thanks to the maid, who served hot tea.

The book had an irresistible start. Initially, it describes three women, their love life and the mysterious ways in which their lovers are killed. After some time, the plot becomes gripping. It is revealed that they are three personalities of the same woman, Ashley, who suffered from multiple personality disorder and had murdered the men mercilessly.

Later, it is revealed that Ashley had a traumatic childhood which caused her to create these identities. Ashley is represented by a lawyer friend of her father. The court finally accepts that it was Ashley’s condition that made her kill and orders psychiatric treatment. She gets treated in the hospital and regains sanity.

The book has revealed an episode in the life of a psychiatrically affected person. It gave me an insight into the lives of women experiencing wounding disturbances in their childhood. Infact, when I come across news about murders, especially when the charges are against a lady, I suspect whether the woman is really guilty. The book cast such an effect on me.

Grant: agree to give or allow (something requested) to. Eg: He was granted permission to take leave
Curious: interested in learning about people or things around you Eg: Rose was curious about her results.
Impulsively: without forethought; on impulse; suddenly. Eg: Rose impulsively decided to buy the diamond necklace.
Found out: discover something or come to know about something. Eg: The treasure box hidden in the backyard was found out.
Novelty: the quality of being new, original, or unusual Eg: The tourists are still a novelty on this remote island
In hindsight: the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened Eg: In hindsight, I should have taken the job offer.

Related Cue Cards:

An educational trip
Describe something interesting you learned from the internet
Interesting Conversation
Describe a piece of good news that you heard or received

Explore More Interesting Cue cards >>

Start Preparing for IELTS: Get Your 10-Day Study Plan Today!

Janet had been an IELTS Trainer before she dived into the field of Content Writing. During her days of being a Trainer, Janet had written essays and sample answers which got her students an 8+ band in the IELTS Test. Her contributions to our articles have been engaging and simple to help the students understand and grasp the information with ease. Janet, born and brought up in California, had no idea about the IELTS until she moved to study in Canada. Her peers leaned to her for help as her first language was English.

Explore other Cue Cards

Describe a Person Who Likes to Grow Plants – IELTS Cue Card

Nehasri Ravishenbagam

Describe a Tourist Attraction in Your Country that You Would Recommend – IELTS Cue Card

Kasturika Samanta

Post your Comments

Posted on May 1, 2021

If you are going for finest contents like myself, only pay a quick visit this site daily because it presents feature contents, thanks

Recent Articles

Describe a Time You Made a Complaint about Something – IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3

Akanksha Tripathi

Describe a New Planet where You would Like to Live – IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3

Raajdeep Saha

IELTSMaterial Master Program

1:1 Live Training with Band 9 Teachers

4.9 ( 3452 Reviews )

Our Offices

Gurgaon city scape, gurgaon bptp.

Step 1 of 3

Great going .

Get a free session from trainer

Have you taken test before?

Please select any option

Email test -->

Please enter Email ID

Mobile Band 9 trainer -->

Please enter phone number

Application

Please select any one

Already Registered?

Select a date

Please select a date

Select a time (IST Time Zone)

Please select a time

Mark Your Calendar: Free Session with Expert on

Which exam are you preparing?

Great Going!

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

Annotated Bibliography
Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
Group Presentations
Dealing with Nervousness
Using Visual Aids
Grading Someone Else's Paper
Types of Structured Group Activities
Group Project Survival Skills
Leading a Class Discussion
Multiple Book Review Essay
Reviewing Collected Works
Writing a Case Analysis Paper
Writing a Case Study
About Informed Consent
Writing Field Notes
Writing a Policy Memo
Writing a Reflective Paper
Writing a Research Proposal
Generative AI and Writing
Acknowledgments

A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the quality, meaning, and significance of a book, often written in relation to prior research on the topic. Reviews generally range from 500-2000 words, but may be longer or shorter depends on several factors: the length and complexity of the book being reviewed, the overall purpose of the review, and whether the review examines two or more books that focus on the same topic. Professors assign book reviews as practice in carefully analyzing complex scholarly texts and to assess your ability to effectively synthesize research so that you reach an informed perspective about the topic being covered.

There are two general approaches to reviewing a book:

Descriptive review: Presents the content and structure of a book as objectively as possible, describing essential information about a book's purpose and authority. This is done by stating the perceived aims and purposes of the study, often incorporating passages quoted from the text that highlight key elements of the work. Additionally, there may be some indication of the reading level and anticipated audience.
Critical review: Describes and evaluates the book in relation to accepted literary and historical standards and supports this evaluation with evidence from the text and, in most cases, in contrast to and in comparison with the research of others. It should include a statement about what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well you believe the author has succeeded in meeting the objectives of the study, and presents evidence to support this assessment. For most course assignments, your professor will want you to write this type of review.

Book Reviews. Writing Center. University of New Hampshire; Book Reviews: How to Write a Book Review. Writing and Style Guides. Libraries. Dalhousie University; Kindle, Peter A. "Teaching Students to Write Book Reviews." Contemporary Rural Social Work 7 (2015): 135-141; Erwin, R. W. “Reviewing Books for Scholarly Journals.” In Writing and Publishing for Academic Authors . Joseph M. Moxley and Todd Taylor. 2 nd edition. (Lanham, MD: Rowan and Littlefield, 1997), pp. 83-90.

How to Approach Writing Your Review

NOTE: Since most course assignments require that you write a critical rather than descriptive book review, the following information about preparing to write and developing the structure and style of reviews focuses on this approach.

I. Common Features

While book reviews vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features. These include:

A review gives the reader a concise summary of the content . This includes a description of the research topic and scope of analysis as well as an overview of the book's overall perspective, argument, and purpose.
A review offers a critical assessment of the content in relation to other studies on the same topic . This involves documenting your reactions to the work under review--what strikes you as noteworthy or important, whether or not the arguments made by the author(s) were effective or persuasive, and how the work enhanced your understanding of the research problem under investigation.
In addition to analyzing a book's strengths and weaknesses, a scholarly review often recommends whether or not readers would value the work for its authenticity and overall quality . This measure of quality includes both the author's ideas and arguments and covers practical issues, such as, readability and language, organization and layout, indexing, and, if needed, the use of non-textual elements .

To maintain your focus, always keep in mind that most assignments ask you to discuss a book's treatment of its topic, not the topic itself . Your key sentences should say, "This book shows...,” "The study demonstrates...," or “The author argues...," rather than "This happened...” or “This is the case....”

II. Developing a Critical Assessment Strategy

There is no definitive methodological approach to writing a book review in the social sciences, although it is necessary that you think critically about the research problem under investigation before you begin to write. Therefore, writing a book review is a three-step process: 1) carefully taking notes as you read the text; 2) developing an argument about the value of the work under consideration; and, 3) clearly articulating that argument as you write an organized and well-supported assessment of the work.

A useful strategy in preparing to write a review is to list a set of questions that should be answered as you read the book [remember to note the page numbers so you can refer back to the text!]. The specific questions to ask yourself will depend upon the type of book you are reviewing. For example, a book that is presenting original research about a topic may require a different set of questions to ask yourself than a work where the author is offering a personal critique of an existing policy or issue.

Here are some sample questions that can help you think critically about the book:

Thesis or Argument . What is the central thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one main idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world that you know or have experienced? What has the book accomplished? Is the argument clearly stated and does the research support this?
Topic . What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Is it clearly articulated? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? Can you detect any biases? What type of approach has the author adopted to explore the research problem [e.g., topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive]?
Evidence . How does the author support their argument? What evidence does the author use to prove their point? Is the evidence based on an appropriate application of the method chosen to gather information? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author's information [or conclusions] conflict with other books you've read, courses you've taken, or just previous assumptions you had about the research problem?
Structure . How does the author structure their argument? Does it follow a logical order of analysis? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense to you? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
Take-aways . How has this book helped you understand the research problem? Would you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?

Beyond the content of the book, you may also consider some information about the author and the general presentation of information. Question to ask may include:

The Author: Who is the author? The nationality, political persuasion, education, intellectual interests, personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details about how a work takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the author is affiliated with a particular organization? What difference would it make if the author participated in the events they wrote about? What other topics has the author written about? Does this work build on prior research or does it represent a new or unique area of research?
The Presentation: What is the book's genre? Out of what discipline does it emerge? Does it conform to or depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a historical or other contextual standard upon which to base your evaluations. If you are reviewing the first book ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to know this. Keep in mind, though, that declarative statements about being the “first,” the "best," or the "only" book of its kind can be a risky unless you're absolutely certain because your professor [presumably] has a much better understanding of the overall research literature.

NOTE: Most critical book reviews examine a topic in relation to prior research. A good strategy for identifying this prior research is to examine sources the author(s) cited in the chapters introducing the research problem and, of course, any review of the literature. However, you should not assume that the author's references to prior research is authoritative or complete. If any works related to the topic have been excluded, your assessment of the book should note this . Be sure to consult with a librarian to ensure that any additional studies are located beyond what has been cited by the author(s).

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207; Motta-Roth, D. “Discourse Analysis and Academic Book Reviews: A Study of Text and Disciplinary Cultures.” In Genre Studies in English for Academic Purposes . Fortanet Gómez, Inmaculada et al., editors. (Castellò de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I, 1998), pp. 29-45. Writing a Book Review. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University; Suárez, Lorena and Ana I. Moreno. “The Rhetorical Structure of Academic Journal Book Reviews: A Cross-linguistic and Cross-disciplinary Approach .” In Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, María del Carmen Pérez Llantada Auría, Ramón Plo Alastrué, and Claus Peter Neumann. Actas del V Congreso Internacional AELFE/Proceedings of the 5th International AELFE Conference . Zaragoza: Universidad de Zaragoza, 2006.

Structure and Writing Style

I. Bibliographic Information

Bibliographic information refers to the essential elements of a work if you were to cite it in a paper [i.e., author, title, date of publication, etc.]. Provide the essential information about the book using the writing style [e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago] preferred by your professor or used by the discipline of your major . Depending on how your professor wants you to organize your review, the bibliographic information represents the heading of your review. In general, it would look like this:

[Complete title of book. Author or authors. Place of publication. Publisher. Date of publication. Number of pages before first chapter, often in Roman numerals. Total number of pages]. The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History . By Jill Lepore. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010. xii, 207 pp.)

Reviewed by [your full name].

II. Scope/Purpose/Content

Begin your review by telling the reader not only the overarching concern of the book in its entirety [the subject area] but also what the author's particular point of view is on that subject [the thesis statement]. If you cannot find an adequate statement in the author's own words or if you find that the thesis statement is not well-developed, then you will have to compose your own introductory thesis statement that does cover all the material. This statement should be no more than one paragraph and must be succinctly stated, accurate, and unbiased.

If you find it difficult to discern the overall aims and objectives of the book [and, be sure to point this out in your review if you determine that this is a deficiency], you may arrive at an understanding of the book's overall purpose by assessing the following:

Scan the table of contents because it can help you understand how the book was organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they were developed [e.g., chronologically, topically, historically, etc.].
Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?
From what point of view is the work written?
Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, or to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action?
What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? If necessary, review related literature from other books and journal articles to familiarize yourself with the field.
Who is the intended audience?
What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? You can evaluate the quality of the writing style by noting some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality, forcefulness, accurate use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, and fluidity [i.e., quality of the narrative flow].
How did the book affect you? Were there any prior assumptions you had about the subject that were changed, abandoned, or reinforced after reading the book? How is the book related to your own personal beliefs or assumptions? What personal experiences have you had related to the subject that affirm or challenge underlying assumptions?
How well has the book achieved the goal(s) set forth in the preface, introduction, and/or foreword?
Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

III. Note the Method

Support your remarks with specific references to text and quotations that help to illustrate the literary method used to state the research problem, describe the research design, and analyze the findings. In general, authors tend to use the following literary methods, exclusively or in combination.

Description : The author depicts scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to the five senses, or to the reader’s imagination. The description presents background and setting. Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize, through as many details as possible, the way persons, places, and things are situated within the phenomenon being described.
Narration : The author tells the story of a series of events, usually thematically or in chronological order. In general, the emphasis in scholarly books is on narration of the events. Narration tells what has happened and, in some cases, using this method to forecast what could happen in the future. Its primary purpose is to draw the reader into a story and create a contextual framework for understanding the research problem.
Exposition : The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify an idea. Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue clearly and as impartially as possible. Its primary purpose is to describe and explain, to document for the historical record an event or phenomenon.
Argument : The author uses techniques of persuasion to establish understanding of a particular truth, often in the form of addressing a research question, or to convince the reader of its falsity. The overall aim is to persuade the reader to believe something and perhaps to act on that belief. Argument takes sides on an issue and aims to convince the reader that the author's position is valid, logical, and/or reasonable.

IV. Critically Evaluate the Contents

Critical comments should form the bulk of your book review . State whether or not you feel the author's treatment of the subject matter is appropriate for the intended audience. Ask yourself:

Has the purpose of the book been achieved?
What contributions does the book make to the field?
Is the treatment of the subject matter objective or at least balanced in describing all sides of a debate?
Are there facts and evidence that have been omitted?
What kinds of data, if any, are used to support the author's thesis statement?
Can the same data be interpreted to explain alternate outcomes?
Is the writing style clear and effective?
Does the book raise important or provocative issues or topics for discussion?
Does the book bring attention to the need for further research?
What has been left out?

Support your evaluation with evidence from the text and, when possible, state the book's quality in relation to other scholarly sources. If relevant, note of the book's format, such as, layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there tables, charts, maps, illustrations, text boxes, photographs, or other non-textual elements? Do they aid in understanding the text? Describing this is particularly important in books that contain a lot of non-textual elements.

NOTE: It is important to carefully distinguish your views from those of the author so as not to confuse your reader. Be clear when you are describing an author's point of view versus expressing your own.

V. Examine the Front Matter and Back Matter

Front matter refers to any content before the first chapter of the book. Back matter refers to any information included after the final chapter of the book . Front matter is most often numbered separately from the rest of the text in lower case Roman numerals [i.e. i - xi ]. Critical commentary about front or back matter is generally only necessary if you believe there is something that diminishes the overall quality of the work [e.g., the indexing is poor] or there is something that is particularly helpful in understanding the book's contents [e.g., foreword places the book in an important context].

Front matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

Table of contents -- is it clear? Is it detailed or general? Does it reflect the true contents of the book? Does it help in understanding a logical sequence of content?
Author biography -- also found as back matter, the biography of author(s) can be useful in determining the authority of the writer and whether the book builds on prior research or represents new research. In scholarly reviews, noting the author's affiliation and prior publications can be a factor in helping the reader determine the overall validity of the work [i.e., are they associated with a research center devoted to studying the problem under investigation].
Foreword -- the purpose of a foreword is to introduce the reader to the author and the content of the book, and to help establish credibility for both. A foreword may not contribute any additional information about the book's subject matter, but rather, serves as a means of validating the book's existence. In these cases, the foreword is often written by a leading scholar or expert who endorses the book's contributions to advancing research about the topic. Later editions of a book sometimes have a new foreword prepended [appearing before an older foreword, if there was one], which may be included to explain how the latest edition differs from previous editions. These are most often written by the author.
Acknowledgements -- scholarly studies in the social sciences often take many years to write, so authors frequently acknowledge the help and support of others in getting their research published. This can be as innocuous as acknowledging the author's family or the publisher. However, an author may acknowledge prominent scholars or subject experts, staff at key research centers, people who curate important archival collections, or organizations that funded the research. In these particular cases, it may be worth noting these sources of support in your review, particularly if the funding organization is biased or its mission is to promote a particular agenda.
Preface -- generally describes the genesis, purpose, limitations, and scope of the book and may include acknowledgments of indebtedness to people who have helped the author complete the study. Is the preface helpful in understanding the study? Does it provide an effective framework for understanding what's to follow?
Chronology -- also may be found as back matter, a chronology is generally included to highlight key events related to the subject of the book. Do the entries contribute to the overall work? Is it detailed or very general?
List of non-textual elements -- a book that contains numerous charts, photographs, maps, tables, etc. will often list these items after the table of contents in the order that they appear in the text. Is this useful?

Back matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

Afterword -- this is a short, reflective piece written by the author that takes the form of a concluding section, final commentary, or closing statement. It is worth mentioning in a review if it contributes information about the purpose of the book, gives a call to action, summarizes key recommendations or next steps, or asks the reader to consider key points made in the book.
Appendix -- is the supplementary material in the appendix or appendices well organized? Do they relate to the contents or appear superfluous? Does it contain any essential information that would have been more appropriately integrated into the text?
Index -- are there separate indexes for names and subjects or one integrated index. Is the indexing thorough and accurate? Are elements used, such as, bold or italic fonts to help identify specific places in the book? Does the index include "see also" references to direct you to related topics?
Glossary of Terms -- are the definitions clearly written? Is the glossary comprehensive or are there key terms missing? Are any terms or concepts mentioned in the text not included that should have been?
Endnotes -- examine any endnotes as you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide important additional information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the body of the text? Should any notes have been better integrated into the text rather than separated? Do the same if the author uses footnotes.
Bibliography/References/Further Readings -- review any bibliography, list of references to sources, and/or further readings the author may have included. What kinds of sources appear [e.g., primary or secondary, recent or old, scholarly or popular, etc.]? How does the author make use of them? Be sure to note important omissions of sources that you believe should have been utilized, including important digital resources or archival collections.

VI. Summarize and Comment

State your general conclusions briefly and succinctly. Pay particular attention to the author's concluding chapter and/or afterword. Is the summary convincing? List the principal topics, and briefly summarize the author’s ideas about these topics, main points, and conclusions. If appropriate and to help clarify your overall evaluation, use specific references to text and quotations to support your statements. If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new information in the conclusion. If you've compared the book to any other works or used other sources in writing the review, be sure to cite them at the end of your book review in the same writing style as your bibliographic heading of the book.

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Gastel, Barbara. "Special Books Section: A Strategy for Reviewing Books for Journals." BioScience 41 (October 1991): 635-637; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207; Lee, Alexander D., Bart N. Green, Claire D. Johnson, and Julie Nyquist. "How to Write a Scholarly Book Review for Publication in a Peer-reviewed Journal: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Chiropractic Education 24 (2010): 57-69; Nicolaisen, Jeppe. "The Scholarliness of Published Peer Reviews: A Bibliometric Study of Book Reviews in Selected Social Science Fields." Research Evaluation 11 (2002): 129-140;.Procter, Margaret. The Book Review or Article Critique. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Reading a Book to Review It. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Scarnecchia, David L. "Writing Book Reviews for the Journal Of Range Management and Rangelands." Rangeland Ecology and Management 57 (2004): 418-421; Simon, Linda. "The Pleasures of Book Reviewing." Journal of Scholarly Publishing 27 (1996): 240-241; Writing a Book Review. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University.

Writing Tip

Always Read the Foreword and/or the Preface

If they are included in the front matter, a good place for understanding a book's overall purpose, organization, contributions to further understanding of the research problem, and relationship to other studies is to read the preface and the foreword. The foreword may be written by someone other than the author or editor and can be a person who is famous or who has name recognition within the discipline. A foreword is often included to add credibility to the work.

The preface is usually an introductory essay written by the author or editor. It is intended to describe the book's overall purpose, arrangement, scope, and overall contributions to the literature. When reviewing the book, it can be useful to critically evaluate whether the goals set forth in the foreword and/or preface were actually achieved. At the very least, they can establish a foundation for understanding a study's scope and purpose as well as its significance in contributing new knowledge.

Distinguishing between a Foreword, a Preface, and an Introduction . Book Creation Learning Center. Greenleaf Book Group, 2019.

Locating Book Reviews

There are several databases the USC Libraries subscribes to that include the full-text or citations to book reviews. Short, descriptive reviews can also be found at book-related online sites such as Amazon , although it's not always obvious who has written them and may actually be created by the publisher. The following databases provide comprehensive access to scholarly, full-text book reviews:

ProQuest [1983-present]
Book Review Digest Retrospective [1905-1982]

Some Language for Evaluating Texts

It can be challenging to find the proper vocabulary from which to discuss and evaluate a book. Here is a list of some active verbs for referring to texts and ideas that you might find useful:

account for
demonstrate
distinguish
investigate

Examples of usage

"The evidence indicates that..."
"This work assesses the effect of..."
"The author identifies three key reasons for..."
"This book questions the view that..."
"This work challenges assumptions about...."

Paquot, Magali. Academic Keyword List. Centre for English Corpus Linguistics. Université Catholique de Louvain.

<< Previous: Leading a Class Discussion
Next: Multiple Book Review Essay >>
Last Updated: Jun 3, 2024 9:44 AM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

10 Paragraphs: My Favourite Book

Writing a paragraph about your favorite book allows you to express your personal connection and admiration for a literary work that has left a lasting impact on you. Whether it’s a captivating novel, an inspiring non-fiction book, or a thought-provoking piece of poetry, conveying your thoughts and feelings effectively is essential.

Table of Contents

Tips On Writing A Paragraph On My Favourite Book

Provide Essential Information: Include key details about the book, such as the title, author, and genre. This information helps readers identify the book and provides context for your discussion. Briefly introduce the author and their background if relevant, highlighting any notable achievements or contributions to the literary world.

Express Your Personal Connection: Share why this book is your favorite and how it has impacted you. Discuss the emotions it evoked, the insights gained, or the lessons learned. Explain how the book resonated with you on a deep level and why it holds a special place in your heart. Be sincere and authentic in expressing your personal connection to the book.

Conclude with a Strong Closing: Wrap up your paragraph by summarizing your thoughts and feelings about the book. You can reiterate why it is your favorite and the impact it has had on you. Consider ending with a thought-provoking statement or a reflection on how the book has influenced your perspective, inspired you, or enriched your life. A strong closing leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Paragraph 1

My favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s, this classic novel explores themes of racial injustice, morality, and the loss of innocence. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a racially divided society, the book offers a poignant and thought-provoking examination of social issues. The beautifully crafted characters, compelling storytelling, and powerful messages of compassion and empathy have made “To Kill a Mockingbird” a timeless masterpiece that continues to resonate with readers of all ages.

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3.

I hold “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen close to my heart as my favorite book. This beloved novel takes us into the world of the Bennet family in 19th-century England, where romance, societal expectations, and the complexities of human relationships intertwine. Austen’s wit, sharp social commentary, and unforgettable characters, particularly the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the enigmatic Mr. Darcy, make this tale of love, misunderstandings, and personal growth a timeless and enchanting read.

Paragraph 4

“1984” by George Orwell is my favorite book for its chilling portrayal of a dystopian society. Set in a totalitarian regime ruled by Big Brother, the novel explores themes of government surveillance, thought control, and the erosion of individual freedom. Orwell’s masterful world-building, prophetic vision, and searing critique of authoritarianism make “1984” a powerful and cautionary tale that continues to resonate in our modern society.

Paragraph 5

Paragraph 6.

I find immense joy in reading “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling. This enchanting tale introduces us to the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and follows the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter. Rowling’s imaginative storytelling, richly developed characters, and themes of friendship, bravery, and the battle between good and evil have captivated readers of all ages. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is the beginning of an extraordinary journey that has left an indelible mark on the hearts of millions of readers.

Paragraph 7

Paragraph 8.

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison is a profound and haunting book that has left a lasting impact on me. Set in post-Civil War America, the novel explores the legacy of slavery and its enduring effects on individuals and communities. Morrison’s lyrical prose, vivid imagery, and exploration of themes such as memory, trauma, and the search for identity create a deeply moving and unforgettable reading experience. “Beloved” is a testament to Morrison’s literary genius and her ability to shed light on the darkest corners of history.

Paragraph 9

“The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien is my favorite book, an epic fantasy that transports readers to the enchanting realm of Middle-earth. This tale of adventure, fellowship, and the battle against dark forces captivates with its richly imagined world, intricate mythology, and unforgettable characters such as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey. Tolkien’s mastery of storytelling, the depth of his world-building, and the timeless themes of heroism and sacrifice make “The Lord of the Rings” a literary masterpiece that continues to inspire readers worldwide.

Paragraph 10

About mr. greg.

IELTS General Training

A hub for IELTS GT test takers to help them reach their goal.

Cue Card # 168: Describe a book that you enjoyed reading

Ielts cue card/ candidate task card # 168, describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot..

You should say:

what this book was
why you decided to read it
what reading this book made you think about

and explain why you enjoyed reading this book.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer 1:

I don’t really get much time or opportunities to read many books these days, probably because I am just too busy earning my livelihood. But, I guess, I just got little lucky last summer when I got some time off from my job. And that’s when I managed to read a good book which actually made me think a lot.

The book, I am talking about, is called “The Story of My Life” which is written by Helen Keller. Published in 1903 by Doubleday, Page & Co. as a book, it gives a very inspirational account of the world of a blind and deaf girl, whose speech development also ceased soon after, as she grows up. The main characters in this book are the writer herself (Helen Keller) and Anne Sullivan (a teacher who taught Helen Keller). This is such a book that it would be really difficult for a reader to withdraw from it unless he/she finishes it in just one sitting. And at the end of reading it, one sure would be able to put a smile on his/her face and restore spirit at a time when so much negativity envelopes us.

By the way, I didn’t really know much about Helen Keller except that she was some kind of English “writer”. But, when I incidentally read an article about some of the most “inspirational women figures” of the 20th century, last summer, I came to know about her in great more detail, and it was at that time that I decided to read this all-time, American classic, written by this prolific American author.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading this book, from start to finish, primarily because it had me think a lot. In fact, I was losing my mind just to even imagine how possibly a woman with such “debilitating disabilities” could actually finish her graduation at a time and age when very few women would attend colleges, and when the disabled would simply be relegated to the background and neglected like some kind of “untouchable creature”?

Model Answer 2:

Over the last few years, I was lucky to have read a few books that were, more or less, interesting and thought-provoking. But, none of them really matched the appeal of the book that was written by Stephen Hawking. So, I guess, it is only fair that I talk about that book here.

The name of this is “A Brief History of Time”, and I read this book about a year ago when I was enjoying my summer holidays at my elder sister’s place. Well, I should have rather said that I only “started” to read this book during that summer holidays, and I continued reading it for the next few days before I could finish it, apparently because it had lots of pages to cover. In fact, if I remember correctly, this book had more than 250 pages.

Now, the size of this book would have been enough of a reason to avoid reading it, but I still chose to read it because I wanted to prove to myself that I was intellectually sound enough to understand and appreciate some of the complex theories of science and their interpretations in relation to the events of our world as well as the universe. I chose to read it also because up until that point, I never read a book that was written by such a world-famous scientist like Stephen Hawking. But, for whatever reason that I chose to read this book, it made me think that God and science can actually co-exist. Besides, it also made me think that how insignificant we really are in this universe.

So, in the end, it is fair to say that I really enjoyed reading this book, mainly because many of the things, which I learned at school a long time ago, were proved to be either outdated or wrong. But, what was even more interesting about reading this book was that I just didn’t know whether to feel dumber or smarter after finishing reading it, because there were just so many new things in it to understand!

Model Answer 3:

Introduction: Reading a thought-provoking book can be a captivating and intellectually stimulating experience. It challenges our thinking, expands our knowledge, and leaves a lasting impact on our perspective. One such book that comes to mind is “1984” by George Orwell. For this topic, I would like to talk about this book.

What this book was: “1984” is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society where individuality and freedom of thought are suppressed. It portrays a future world ruled by a government that manipulates information, surveils its citizens, and controls their every action. The story follows the protagonist, Winston Smith, as he rebels against the oppressive regime and seeks to preserve his autonomy.

Why you decided to read it: I chose to read “1984” because of its reputation as a classic work of literature that explores themes of power, surveillance, and the dangers of a totalitarian regime. The book had received critical acclaim for its thought-provoking narrative and its relevance to the contemporary world.

What reading this book made you think about: Reading “1984” prompted me to contemplate the fragility of freedom, the consequences of unchecked power, and the importance of individuality. The novel delves into the psychological effects of living in a surveillance state, where privacy is non-existent, and dissent is met with severe punishment. It made me question the role of government in shaping society, the manipulation of information to control the masses, and the potential dangers of sacrificing personal liberties for the sake of security.

The book also made me reflect on the significance of language and the manipulation of truth. Orwell’s portrayal of Newspeak, a language designed to limit independent thought, highlighted the power of language in shaping our perceptions and constraining our ability to question authority.

And explain why you enjoyed reading this book: I thoroughly enjoyed reading “1984” because it engaged me intellectually and provoked introspection. It challenged me to question the status quo, examine the structures of power, and ponder the consequences of complacency. The story was gripping, and Orwell’s vivid descriptions and powerful prose brought the dystopian world to life.

Model Answer 4:

I believe that autobiographies provide us with a unique insight into the lives and experiences of extraordinary individuals. One such autobiography that was quite thought-provoking and intriguing is “Wings of Fire” by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. I enjoyed reading this book to a great extent.

“Wings of Fire” is an autobiography that recounts the life and achievements of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. It takes readers on a remarkable journey, beginning with his childhood in Rameswaram, a small town in South India, and follows his path through various personal and professional milestones. The book explores his early influences, his education, his work at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and his later role as the President of India.

I was drawn to “Wings of Fire” because of my admiration for Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and his contributions to science, technology, and nation-building. His remarkable story of perseverance and dedication was so inspiring for me, and I wanted to gain deeper insights into his life and the experiences that shaped him.

“Wings of Fire” made me reflect on the power of determination, self-belief, and hard work. Dr. Kalam’s journey from a modest background to becoming a renowned scientist and the President of India highlighted the potential within each individual to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness. It prompted me to contemplate the importance of having a clear vision, setting goals, and persevering in the face of challenges. It also made me appreciate the value of intellectual curiosity, lifelong learning, and the pursuit of excellence.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Wings of Fire” because it offered a deeply personal account of Dr. Kalam’s life, dreams, and values. His writing style was engaging, and he painted vivid pictures of his experiences, making it easy to connect with his journey on an emotional level. The book was filled with anecdotes, insights, and lessons that left a lasting impact on my perspective.

Moreover, “Wings of Fire” presented a compelling narrative of the power of dreams, innovation, and national development. Dr. Kalam’s unwavering commitment to advancing India’s scientific capabilities and his vision for the country’s progress instilled a sense of pride and optimism in me. It reinforced the belief that individuals can make a significant difference through their dedication, integrity and unwavering commitment to their ideals.

Privacy Overview

Listening Tests
Reading Tests
IELTS Writing Checker
IELTS Writing Samples
Free IELTS Speaking Test Online
Speaking Club
Vocabularying
2024 © IELTSing
free ielts Listening test practice 2024 with answers
free ielts Reading tests online 2024 with answers
Free IELTS Writing Checker
Check IELTS Speaking Test

Describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot You should say What this book was why you decided to read it what reading this book made you think about and explain why you enjoyed reading this book v.1

IELTS essay Describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot You should say What this book was why you decided to read it what reading this book made you think about and explain why you enjoyed reading this book v. 1

👍 High Quality Evaluation	Correction made by newly developed AI
✅ Check your Writing	Paste/write text, get result
⭐ Writing Ideas	Free for everyone
⚡ Comprehensive report	Analysis of your text
⌛ Instant feedback	Get report in less than a second

some people believe that children are given too much free time. They feel that this time should be used to do more school work. how do you think children should spend their free time. givereason for your answer and incliude any relevent example from your own knowledge or experience. most of the people on the world, they think school children need to spend much more time to their leisure activities than school work. Although, they can get more advantage when they having free time. In my opinion they will benefits by doing leisure activities more than school home work. ONE OF THE ...
: Memorising facts is the most important way to succeed in education. with this statement? There is no doubt that these days their are various approaches in educational process. The question is, what are the advantages or disadvantages of memorising facts? In this essay, I will discuss both views and draw my own opinion. In terms of advantages aspect, by remembering information the stu ...
Sport is one of the most popular draws on television today. Some people argue that the practice of showing sport on television is to blame for the poor health of the young generation by encouraging them to watch rather than partake in physical activity. Sport shows these days are appealing to young people. Many people believe that young people are unhealthy since they only watch these programs without proactively involving themselves in such games. I am not in agreement with the above statement as such programs educate kids about the basics of the ...
Forests produce fresh oxygen and participate in regulating climate. But every year tree cover of our planet is lessening due to deforestation. What are the primary causes of deforestation? To what results may it lead? The importance of the role played by forests in maintaining climate by converting oxygen from carbon dioxide is undeniable. However, in recent years, there has been a drastic decline in the amount of oxygen produced due to deforestation. The essay will present the major causes along with the effects ...
Now a lot of people in college are doing academic study. should encourage them lo learn vocational skill (like plumbers electricians). Recently a majority of students are acquiring academic schooling to learn new skills and knowledge. Though attending college is important, some people believe that the students should be encouraged to gain some practical knowledge in carrying out various technical skills such as plumbing or electric ...
detailed feedback. CHECK YOUR TEXT it's free Leisure is a growing industry, but people no longer entertain themselves as much as they used to because the use of modern technology has made them less creative. v. 2It It is often considered that whether industry of leisure is flourishing. While numerous people are failed to entertain themelves because of addiction of modern gadgets which make them less creative. However, I disagree with this accord and give my perspective in the favour of technology usage for cre ...
Some people believe that a greater difference in age between parents and children is more beneficial than less of a difference. Do you think the advantages of a greater age difference outweigh the disadvantages. Some people have parents that are decades older than them, while others have parents that are only 15 years older than them. Although age doesn't determine one's parenting abilities, there certainly is a difference in the upbringing of a child. A wider age gap between parents and children means tha ...
One way to solve the problem of congestion on the roads is to increase the tax on private vehicles. How could this alleviate congestion? What other measures can you suggest to deal with congestion in cities? Traffic on the road is a burning issue in several Nations. Mega Cities in many countries experiences heavy traffic during peak hour. This problem can be solved by rising tax on personal automobiles and improving public transportation facility. Hike in the price of cars and bikes have been seen, aft ...
The position of women in society has changed markedly in the last 20 years. Many of the problems young people now experience, such as juvenile delinquency, arise from the fact that there are no one at home to care for their children. with this opinion, To begin with, I am going to say that unfortunately nowadays it has been observed that, there is an increase in the rate of children's crime. This can be rooted in a number of reasons. In the first place, from my perspective one of the most important reasons for the increase in juvenile delinquency ...
Today many children spend a lot of time playing computer games and little time on sports. Why is this? Is it a positive or negative development? It is a fact that computers and mobiles are became populer in the world for many purpose like study, business, games and many more. Some people think that, many children sped thair leisure time on computer games and they do not play outdoor games. To start with, use of computer is increased beacuse ...
Some people think that children would benefit if they attend nursery school before primary school while some people think that children should stay all day with their families. Education is the key to success for everyone. Some people think that kids should attend pre-school whereas others believe that they should spend time at home. In this essay, I will discuss both views and give my strong opinion in the favour of attending play schools before going to first class. To ...
Central and local governments make a frantic attempt to promote festivals to create a lot of revenue. Some people think this money should be invested in social programmes for the poor. with this statement? In the present time, governments’ source of revenue is by promoting festivals. However, some people believe that this money should be invested to help poor people instead of that. Personally, I entirely agree with this statement for some reasons. To begin with, it is true that investing in festivals ...

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

Knowledge Base
How to write a descriptive essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

A descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something—generally a place or object, but possibly something more abstract like an emotion. This type of essay , like the narrative essay , is more creative than most academic writing .

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Descriptive essay topics, tips for writing descriptively, descriptive essay example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about descriptive essays.

When you are assigned a descriptive essay, you’ll normally be given a specific prompt or choice of prompts. They will often ask you to describe something from your own experience.

Describe a place you love to spend time in.
Describe an object that has sentimental value for you.

You might also be asked to describe something outside your own experience, in which case you’ll have to use your imagination.

Describe the experience of a soldier in the trenches of World War I.
Describe what it might be like to live on another planet.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to describe something more abstract, like an emotion.

If you’re not given a specific prompt, try to think of something you feel confident describing in detail. Think of objects and places you know well, that provoke specific feelings or sensations, and that you can describe in an interesting way.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

The key to writing an effective descriptive essay is to find ways of bringing your subject to life for the reader. You’re not limited to providing a literal description as you would be in more formal essay types.

Make use of figurative language, sensory details, and strong word choices to create a memorable description.

Use figurative language

Figurative language consists of devices like metaphor and simile that use words in non-literal ways to create a memorable effect. This is essential in a descriptive essay; it’s what gives your writing its creative edge and makes your description unique.

Take the following description of a park.

This tells us something about the place, but it’s a bit too literal and not likely to be memorable.

If we want to make the description more likely to stick in the reader’s mind, we can use some figurative language.

Here we have used a simile to compare the park to a face and the trees to facial hair. This is memorable because it’s not what the reader expects; it makes them look at the park from a different angle.

You don’t have to fill every sentence with figurative language, but using these devices in an original way at various points throughout your essay will keep the reader engaged and convey your unique perspective on your subject.

Use your senses

Another key aspect of descriptive writing is the use of sensory details. This means referring not only to what something looks like, but also to smell, sound, touch, and taste.

Obviously not all senses will apply to every subject, but it’s always a good idea to explore what’s interesting about your subject beyond just what it looks like.

Even when your subject is more abstract, you might find a way to incorporate the senses more metaphorically, as in this descriptive essay about fear.

Choose the right words

Writing descriptively involves choosing your words carefully. The use of effective adjectives is important, but so is your choice of adverbs , verbs , and even nouns.

It’s easy to end up using clichéd phrases—“cold as ice,” “free as a bird”—but try to reflect further and make more precise, original word choices. Clichés provide conventional ways of describing things, but they don’t tell the reader anything about your unique perspective on what you’re describing.

Try looking over your sentences to find places where a different word would convey your impression more precisely or vividly. Using a thesaurus can help you find alternative word choices.

My cat runs across the garden quickly and jumps onto the fence to watch it from above.
My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above.

However, exercise care in your choices; don’t just look for the most impressive-looking synonym you can find for every word. Overuse of a thesaurus can result in ridiculous sentences like this one:

My feline perambulates the allotment proficiently and capers atop the palisade to regard it from aloft.

An example of a short descriptive essay, written in response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how a descriptive essay works.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
False cause fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

Choosing Essay Topic
Write a College Essay
Write a Diversity Essay
College Essay Format & Structure
Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

(AI) Tools

Grammar Checker
Paraphrasing Tool
Text Summarizer
AI Detector
Plagiarism Checker
Citation Generator

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

If you’re not given a specific prompt for your descriptive essay , think about places and objects you know well, that you can think of interesting ways to describe, or that have strong personal significance for you.

The best kind of object for a descriptive essay is one specific enough that you can describe its particular features in detail—don’t choose something too vague or general.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, August 14). How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved June 25, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/descriptive-essay/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to write a narrative essay | example & tips, how to write a literary analysis essay | a step-by-step guide, how to write an expository essay, what is your plagiarism score.

Essay on My Favourite Book for Students and Children

500+ Words Essay on My Favourite Book

Essay on My Favourite Book: Books are friends who never leave your side. I find this saying to be very true as books have always been there for me. I enjoy reading books . They have the power to help us travel through worlds without moving from our places. In addition, books also enhance our imagination. Growing up, my parents and teachers always encouraged me to read. They taught me the importance of reading. Subsequently, I have read several books. However, one boom that will always be my favourite is Harry Potter. It is one of the most intriguing reads of my life. I have read all the books of this series, yet I read them again as I never get bored of it.

Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter was a series of books authored by one of the most eminent writers of our generation, J.K. Rowling. These books showcase the wizarding world and its workings. J.K. Rowling has been so successful at weaving a picture of this world, that it feels real. Although the series contains seven books, I have a particular favourite. My favourite book from the series is The Goblet of fire.

When I started reading the book, it caught my attention instantly. Even though I had read all the previous parts, none of the books caught my attention as this one did. It gave a larger perspective into the wizarding world. One of the things which excite me the most about this book is the introduction of the other wizard schools. The concept of the Tri-wizard tournament is one of the most brilliant pieces I have come across in the Harry Potter series.

In addition, this book also contains some of my favourite characters. The moment I read about Victor Krum’s entry, I was star struck. The aura and personality of that character described by Rowling are simply brilliant. Further, it made me become a greater fan of the series.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

What Harry Potter Series Taught Me?

Even though the books are about the world of wizards and magic, the Harry Potter series contains a lot of lessons for young people to learn. Firstly, it teaches us the importance of friendship. I have read many books but never come across a friendship like that of Harry, Hermoine, and Ron. These three musketeers stuck together throughout the books and never gave up. It taught me the value of a good friend.

Further, the series of Harry Potter taught me that no one is perfect. Everyone has good and evil inside them. We are the ones who choose what we wish to be. This helped me in making better choices and becoming a better human being. We see how the most flawed characters like Snape had goodness inside them. Similarly, how the nicest ones like Dumbledore had some bad traits. This changed my perspective towards people and made me more considerate.

Finally, these books gave me hope. They taught me the meaning of hope and how there is light at the end of the tunnel. It gave me the strength to cling on to hope in the most desperate times just like Harry did all his life. These are some of the most essential things I learned from Harry Potter.

In conclusion, while there were many movies made in the books. Nothing beats the essence and originality of the books. The details and inclusiveness of books cannot be replaced by any form of media. Therefore, the Goblet of Fire remains to be my favourite book.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “Why are books important?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Books help with our imagination. They help us travel to far off place without moving. Most importantly, they are always there for us when we need them.” } }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What is Harry Potter about?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”Harry Potter follows the adventures of the wizard Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermoine. It gives us an insight into the wizarding world.”} }] }

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

IELTS Mentor "IELTS Preparation & Sample Answer"

Skip to content
Jump to main navigation and login

Nav view search

IELTS Sample

Cue Card Sample

Ielts cue card sample 3 - describe a book that had a major influence on you, describe a book that had a major influence on you..

what the name of the book and its author
how you first heard of the book
what the main story of the book is
How often do you read books?
How books can impact on a man's life?
Name some of the famous writers of your country?
Have you ever thought about writing a book?
How reading books is different from watching movies?

Tips for answering this cue card sample:

Necessary vocabulary for this cue card: , part 3: details discussion:, similar cue card samples you may also like:, describe a website you often browse., describe a newspaper or a magazine., describe one of your favourite photographs., describe a favourite book in your childhood., talk about a book based on which a film has been made..

IELTS Cue Card
IELTS Speaking
Candidate Task Card

IELTS Materials

IELTS Bar Graph
IELTS Line Graph
IELTS Table Chart
IELTS Flow Chart
IELTS Pie Chart
IELTS Letter Writing
IELTS Essay
Academic Reading

Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Copyright Notice
HTML Sitemap

How to Summarize a Paper, a Story, a Book, a Report or an Essay

Posted on June 25, 2024 June 25, 2024

Summarizing skills empower you to condense extensive information into digestible, concise points. In academic settings, mastering this skill lets you capture the essence of long papers or complex theories, aiding in study and communication.

Professionals rely on summarization to distill lengthy reports and documents into actionable insights critical for decision-making and efficient workflow.

As you learn to summarize effectively , you enhance your ability to understand and convey key messages swiftly and clearly, essential in scholarly and business environments.

What is Summarizing?

Summarizing involves condensing a larger text into its essential points, allowing you to grasp the main ideas quickly and effectively. Effective summaries retain the original message’s core , offering a clear overview without delving into every detail.

This skill is invaluable in managing information overload, enabling students and professionals to absorb and communicate key points with precision.

Key Elements of a Summary

Creating a practical summary demands precision and skill. You must distill complex information into its most essential points while retaining the essence of the original content. Here’s what to focus on:

Conciseness: Keep it brief while covering all critical aspects.
Clarity: Use clear, straightforward language to ensure understanding.
Objectivity: Maintain the original text’s intent without inserting personal views.
Accuracy: Reflect the source material faithfully, avoiding misinterpretation.

How To Summarize a Paper

Mastering the art of summarizing research papers is a valuable skill for students and researchers. It equips you to efficiently grasp the core ideas of a study without getting bogged down in every detail.

1. Deep Dive with Active Reading

Don’t just passively skim the paper. Engage actively by underlining, highlighting, or taking margin notes. Focus on capturing key concepts, methodologies used, and the main findings the author(s) presented.

Pay particular attention to the introduction, which lays the groundwork by outlining the research question , relevant background information, and the overall significance of the study.

2. Deconstruct the Paper’s Structure

Research papers typically follow a standard structure. The introduction sets the stage, the methodology section details how the research was conducted, and the results section presents the data and findings.

Finally, the discussion section interprets the results, explains their implications, and acknowledges limitations. As you read, be mindful of how each section builds upon the others to answer the central research question.

3. Identify the Golden Nuggets

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the paper’s structure and content, it’s time to separate the essential from the interesting.

Ask yourself critical questions:

What is the core research question the author(s) are trying to answer?
Why is it important?
What methodologies were employed to gather data (surveys, experiments, etc.)?
What were the most significant findings from the research?
How do the authors interpret these results, and what are the broader implications of their work?

4. Craft a Cohesive Summary

Now that you’ve extracted the key elements, it’s time to synthesize them into a concise and informative summary. Write in your own words to avoid plagiarism , and strive for clarity and conciseness.

Focus on capturing the essence of the paper, ensuring your summary effectively conveys the research question, methodology, key findings, and the authors’ conclusions. The length of your summary will depend on the specific requirements – a one-paragraph abstract for a literature review or a multi-page report for a class assignment.

5. Refine and Polish Your Work

The final step is crucial. Carefully proofread your summary to ensure it accurately reflects the original paper and avoids introducing personal opinions or biases. Double-check for factual accuracy, grammar , and a logical flow of information.

A well-crafted summary should be a self-contained piece that effectively communicates the essence of the research paper.

How To Summarize a Story

Summarizing a story effectively involves condensing the plot into its critical points while maintaining the essence of the narrative. It’s a great way to test your comprehension and share the core of a story without revealing all the details.

1. Identify the Key Players and the Setting

Start by establishing the story’s foundation. Who are the main characters, and what is their relationship to each other? Briefly introduce them and mention the setting where the story unfolds. This provides context for the events to follow.

2. Decipher the Driving Force: What’s the Conflict?

Every story revolves around a central conflict, a problem the protagonist faces. This could be an external challenge, like a villain or a dangerous situation, or an internal struggle, like a moral dilemma or a personal growth journey. Understanding this conflict is crucial for summarizing the story’s core.

3. Chart the Course: Major Plot Points in Sequence

Once you’ve grasped the conflict, identify the significant events that propel the story forward. These are not minor details but turning points that raise the stakes, force the protagonist to make crucial decisions, or bring them closer to resolving the conflict. Summarize these critical events in chronological order.

4. Climax: The Moment of Truth (But Keep the Resolution a Secret!)

The climax is the peak of the story’s tension, where the conflict reaches its most critical stage. Briefly describe this turning point without revealing how it’s resolved.

5. Wrap it Up: A Hint of the Outcome (Without Spoilers!)

The very end of your summary should touch upon the resolution – did the protagonist overcome the conflict? Did they achieve their goal or learn a valuable lesson? However, avoid revealing explicit details to avoid spoiling the story for those who have yet to experience it.

How To Summarize a Book

Summarizing a book requires condensing a vast amount of information into a concise and informative piece. It’s like creating a miniature version that captures the book’s essence without getting bogged down in every detail.

1. Deep Reading and Note-Taking

Go beyond simply reading the book. Actively engage with the text by underlining key points, jotting down notes in the margins, or creating a separate document to capture your thoughts. Focus on capturing the main characters, the central conflict that drives the plot, and any significant themes explored throughout the story.

2. Break Down the Book’s Structure

Most novels follow a similar structure. The beginning introduces the main characters, setting the stage for the story’s world. The plot thickens as the central conflict emerges, propelling the characters on their journeys.

The climax presents the most intense moment of tension, followed by a resolution that ties up loose ends or leaves room for interpretation. As you take notes, be mindful of how each part of the book builds upon the others to create a cohesive narrative.

3. Identify the Core Elements

Once you’ve finished reading and grasped the book’s structure well, it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Ask yourself key questions:

Who are the main characters, and what are their motivations?
What is the central conflict that drives the plot?
What significant events occur throughout the story, and how do they shape the characters’ journeys?
What are the underlying themes explored by the author?

Now that you’ve identified the book’s key elements weave them together to create a concise and informative summary.

A brief introduction mentioning the book’s title, author, and genre.
An introduction to the main characters and the setting.
A description of the central conflict that propels the plot.
A summary of the major plot points, focusing on turning points and significant events. (Avoid spoilers for major plot twists!)
A hint about the resolution, without revealing the ending.
Briefly touch upon the book’s central themes.

5. Refine and Polish

Proofread your summary carefully to ensure it accurately reflects the book and avoids introducing your opinions. Check for factual accuracy, grammar, and a logical flow of information.

Your polished summary should be a self-contained piece that effectively conveys the book’s essence, leaving the reader intrigued and wanting to delve deeper.

How To Summarize a Report

Reports are dense with information, so summarizing them requires pinpointing the crucial elements and presenting them concisely.

1. Decipher the Report’s Purpose

Before diving in, understand the report’s objective. Is it presenting research findings, analyzing a business situation, or making policy recommendations? Knowing the purpose helps you identify the most important information.

2. Follow the Map: Structure is Key

Reports typically follow a logical structure. Look for headings and subheadings that organize the content. Pay close attention to sections like:

Introduction: This sets the stage by outlining the report’s purpose, background information, and the research question or problem being addressed.
Methodology: This explains how the research was conducted, whether data was collected, or the analysis was performed.
Findings: This is the heart of the report, presenting the results and key pieces of information discovered.
Discussion: Here, the author interprets the findings, explains their significance, and draws conclusions.
Recommendations: Based on the analysis, this section may propose solutions or suggest actions to be taken.

As you navigate the report’s structure, ask yourself critical questions to pinpoint the key elements:

What is the main research question or problem addressed?
What methods were used to gather data or conduct the analysis?
What were the most significant findings from the report?
How does the author interpret these results, and what are the main conclusions?
Are there any recommendations or suggestions for future action?

4. Craft a Clear and Concise Summary

Once you’ve identified the essential information, weave it into a well-structured summary.

A brief introduction mentioning the report’s title, author, and purpose.
A concise explanation of the research question or problem being addressed.
A summary of the methodology used, focusing on how the information was gathered or analyzed (avoid excessive detail).
The report’s key findings are presented clearly and concisely.
The author’s main conclusions are based on the findings.
If applicable, a mention of any recommendations or suggestions for future action.

5. Ensure Accuracy and Objectivity

Proofread your summary meticulously to ensure it accurately reflects the report’s content and avoids introducing your opinions or biases. Double-check for factual accuracy, grammar, and a logical flow of information.

How To Summarize an Essay

Summarizing an essay effectively is valuable for students and anyone encountering academic writing . It allows you to quickly grasp the main points and assess its argument without getting bogged down in every detail.

1. Start With Active Reading

Make sure to do more than skim the essay. Give it a close read, underlining or highlighting key points and taking notes in the margins. Focus on capturing the central argument, the primary evidence to support it, and any counter-arguments the author addresses.

Pay particular attention to the thesis statement, which typically appears in the introduction and encapsulates the essay’s main point.

2. Deconstruct the Essay’s Structure

Most essays follow a standard structure . The introduction sets the stage by outlining the topic, providing relevant background information, and presenting the thesis statement. The body paragraphs delve deeper, focusing on a single point supporting the thesis.

Evidence such as facts, statistics, or quotes from credible sources bolsters the argument. The conclusion summarizes the main points and reiterates the thesis statement, sometimes offering the author’s final thoughts or implications of the argument.

3. Identify the Key Elements

Once you familiarize yourself with the essay’s structure and content, it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Ask yourself critical questions:

What is the main argument the author is trying to convey (the thesis statement)?
What evidence does the author use to support their argument?
Does the author acknowledge any opposing viewpoints or counter-arguments? If so, how are they addressed?

Now that you’ve identified the key elements synthesize them into a concise and informative summary.

A brief introduction mentioning the essay’s title and author.
A clear statement of the essay’s main argument (the thesis statement).
A summary of the main points used to support the thesis, focusing on the most significant evidence presented by the author.

The final step is crucial. Proofread your summary carefully to ensure it accurately reflects the essay’s content and avoids introducing your opinions or biases. Double-check for factual accuracy, grammar, and a logical flow of information.

A well-crafted summary should be a self-contained piece that effectively conveys the essence of the essay’s argument.

Perfecting the Practice of Summarization

Learning how to summarize is a vital skill that enhances your understanding, communication, and efficiency in academia, professional settings, or daily life.

By mastering the summarizing techniques, you become adept at distilling complex information into essential, manageable pieces. This ability saves time, deepens comprehension, and facilitates clearer, more effective communication.

As you do, you will find that your ability to extract key points from dense materials improves, as does your capacity to convey these points to others succinctly and effectively. This skill will serve you well in all aspects of your life, making you a more proficient student, a capable professional, and a clearer communicator overall.

Sign Up for Quetext Today!

Click below to find a pricing plan that fits your needs.

How to Use AI to Enhance Your Storytelling Process

Posted on June 12, 2024

Essential Comma Rules for Business Emails

Posted on June 7, 2024

How to Write Polished, Professional Emails With AI

Posted on May 30, 2024

A Safer Learning Environment: The Impact of AI Detection on School Security

Posted on May 17, 2024

Rethinking Academic Integrity Policies in the AI Era

Posted on May 10, 2024 May 10, 2024

Jargon Phrases to Avoid in Business Writing

Posted on May 3, 2024 May 3, 2024

Comparing Two Documents for Plagiarism: Everything You Need to Know

Posted on April 26, 2024 April 26, 2024

Mastering Tone in Email Communication: A Guide to Professional Correspondence

Posted on April 17, 2024

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

The Tuning Fork in the Ear

June 25, 2024

Mara Corsino

In a series of conversations with Merve Emre at Wesleyan University, some of today’s sharpest working critics discuss their careers and methodology, and are then asked to close-read a text that they haven’t seen before. The Review is collaborating with Lit Hub to publish transcripts and recordings of these interviews, which across eleven episodes will offer an extensive look into the process of criticism.

While I hesitate to use the word “delicious” to describe anything other than food, Carina del Valle Schorske writes delicious essays. One in particular, which won a 2021 National Magazine Award, is about Covid-19 grief and postapocalyptic dance floors . “In Plato’s ‘Protagoras,’ Socrates argues that dancing girls have no place in philosophical gatherings,” she writes. She proceeds to prove Socrates wrong by weaving together social dancing, journalism, and a philosophy of visibility. Another essay, a profile of the rapper and singer Bad Bunny that appeared in both English and Spanish, does what the ideal profile should do: situates an enigmatic, alluring, and successful cultural figure in a particular time, place, genre, and language. It provides us with not only an account of a person, but a panoramic view of history.

Carina received her Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University. Her writing has appeared in The Believer , The Point , Virginia Quarterly Review , and The New York Times Magazine , where she is a contributing writer, and she is currently at work on her debut collection of essays, The Other Island .

Most people in this audience are college students. How do you get from where they are to where you are now?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. I do come from a family with where there’s a precedent for higher education. My father’s father was a professor. But on the other side, my mother’s mother was a singer on Puerto Rican radio before she migrated and worked regular blue-collar jobs her whole life. My mom was a performer in the Nuyorican scene when she was young. During my childhood, I had a sense of the value of artistic and intellectual life.

It was interesting being raised by New York and New Jersey people in the Bay Area. There weren’t really Puerto Ricans or Caribbean people there. The Jewish people were not the same as the Jewish people on the East Coast. So there was a certain sense of cultural dislocation, even though my parents both had strong leftist sensibilities and I was very aware of the Bay Area as the hotbed of a certain kind of radicalism—Black Panthers, César Chavez, ethnic studies—alongside the hippie spiritual stuff going on in my family. I went to Yale on full financial aid. In many ways, it was edifying, and, in many ways, it was very scary.

Why did you find college frightening?

I would say that I arrived in college already exhausted by the class conflicts and pressures of private school, where the fiction that I “deserved” to be there concealed the threat that I must continue deserving, must manifest my gratitude. And at Yale all of that was even more intense; I could see the gears of power turning. I was supposed to be in the Directed Studies program, which is a Great Books curriculum for freshmen who show promise in the humanities. It bothered me that the definition of rigor was submission to this list of European texts that hadn’t changed much since the nineteenth century. So I bailed: I took seminars on Orientalism, on Caribbean intellectuals. Hazel Carby was a big influence—my mom had books by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison at home, but she was my official gateway into Black feminism. Both of my majors, Literature and Ethnicity, Race & Migration, were global and interdisciplinary. Some might argue that I had no disciplinary training over the course of my whole academic career. But I feel grateful for the education that I ended up getting. It forced me to make connections and analogies.

I studied poetry. I wanted to be a poet, but I never quite figured out how to make my poetry accommodate the political and historical questions that seemed urgent to me. I was also interested in a form of writing that could possibly support me as a career. I loved essays. But I graduated into that very difficult economy after the 2008 crash. At that point all the magazine internships were still unpaid. The editorial assistant gigs in New York or D.C. paid $17,000 or $25,000 a year. I wasn’t able to take those jobs even though I was credentialed appropriately. My boyfriend at the time lived in Boston. He was getting a Ph.D. at MIT and he said, “Come live with me for six months and look for a job.”

I thought I wanted to work at Harvard’s Hiphop Archive. I sent them a review I’d written of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III . They weren’t hiring, but I had a conversation with the director, Marcy Morgan. She connected me to the editors of Transition , a magazine of decolonial politics and culture that was founded in Uganda in 1961 by Rajat Neogy. In the 1990s, it was revived by Henry Louis Gates and Anthony Appiah. Transition published a lot of interesting experimental work over the years: Bessie Head, V.S. Naipaul, Chinua Achebe, Paul Theroux, interviews with Caetano Veloso and Julie Dash. When I was there, I worked with lots of amazing writers including Zinzi Clemmons and Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah. It was so understaffed, and it didn’t pay much more than those other jobs, but because I was living with my boyfriend, the salary was feasible. On the side, I did some freelance editing and research for a psychoanalyst.

You applied to graduate school while working at the magazine?

That’s right. I started at Columbia five years after I graduated from college. It was also a strategic choice because it seemed like the most financially viable option—benefits, six years of funding, and guaranteed housing for six years in Manhattan, not far from my grandmother’s place in Washington Heights. I started the Ph.D. knowing that being a traditional scholar probably wasn’t a good match for me, but it seemed like the most capacious option for being intellectually self-directed and having time to figure out how I wanted to write. I started publishing during my second year in the program, using some of the materials that I was being introduced to in classes. I wanted to write about what I was reading—D.W. Winnicott, Clarice Lispector, Gwendolyn Brooks—in a voice for the public. My adviser, Saidiya Hartman, saw that I was yearning for a more intense, intimate, populist mode of engagement and sort of gave me her blessing. I started with little magazines like The Point , Boston Review , and Lit Hub. Because I wasn’t relying on those publications for money, I could afford to pursue my own subjects and style.

Almost every one of my guests has either an M.A. or a Ph.D., and has decided, for whatever reason, to take their talents somewhere other than the university. When you knew that you weren’t interested in being a traditional scholar, what kinds of things were you looking for in your education and how might you link that education to the essays that you’ve written—for instance, the essay on postapocalyptic dance floors?

That’s a great question because you wouldn’t think the links are very direct with that essay. But the stuff about Katherine Dunham really came from my oral exams. Katherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer, scholar, pedagogue, and activist. I was very much inspired by the people I was reading, figures from the middle of the twentieth century like Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Deren, and the Cuban anthropologist Lydia Cabrera. They had relationships to academic institutions, but their interventions were radical and experimental. They were in precarious economic or social positions and were trying to piece together viable careers, to get in where they could fit in. I was supposed to be working on them but I felt more like I wanted to work with them.

It’s interesting that you brought up the midcentury anthropologists. When I read your pieces, I think of a roving, immersive, ethnographic writer who is, for instance, getting drunk with Bad Bunny and analyzing it afterward. I wonder if you could talk about how you position yourself as both a witness and an experiential subject in the essays that you write.

The phrase “participant observer” was helpful to me. The other thing I admire about anthropology, even with its colonial legacy—or in reaction to the colonial legacy—is the idea of writing a position paper. I don’t mean that in the legislative sense, but anthropologists are asked to account for their positionality in relation to what they’re writing about. I don’t think you need to make that the focus of every piece of criticism that you write, but I think that all writers should be taking stock of where their investment comes from. When I’m teaching, I like to present my students with a Gramsci line from his Prison Notebooks that Edward Said quotes in Orientalism : “The starting-point of critical elaboration is the consciousness of what one really is, and is ‘knowing thyself’ as a product of the historical processes to date, which has deposited in you an infinity of traces, without leaving an inventory.” Then he says you have to make that inventory. So it’s about reflexivity, but it’s also about the pleasure of participation and the rewards of intimacy. I know I’m never outside or above the situation I’m trying to describe, and I don’t aspire to be.

So, on the one hand, you’re trying to convey the politics of participation, and on the other hand, the pleasure of participation. There are different ways to make that inventory, and there is perhaps nothing as cringe-worthy as reading a piece in which a subject is strenuously trying to account for their own positionality and doing it in a way that feels either apologetic or insincere.

Or secretly self-aggrandizing. Like they feel obligated to say, Look how terribly privileged I am! And then they move on without letting that alter their analysis at all. It’s annoying.

How do you make sure your writing stays sensitive and reflexive in an intellectually robust way without being—I will use the word again—cringe?

You have to think about what’s relevant to the story. Not every element of your biography is relevant. To me it’s so much about tone. Margo Jefferson always talks about that. Not to draw a parallel with pornography, but you know it when you hear it. Does the tone sound sincere? Does it sound artificial? I feel like there’s a tuning fork inside my ear that helps me figure it out, which may not be a super cerebral answer to your question.

I will get back to the question of tone. In a sense, it’s a little unfortunate that you brought it up now because it would’ve been a nice pivot to the object that I’m going to give you. But I have one question to ask before we get to the object. The ways that you act as a participant observer are tremendously expansive. You engage with multiple people, sites, objects, and histories, all layered onto one another. Perhaps the most striking calibration that you attempt in these essays is between the history of individuals and the history of Puerto Rico. C ould you talk a little bit about your national or international, or transnational—whichever word you want to use—commitments?

The world comes to us in a tremendously complex tangle. The norms of contemporary journalism—maybe just journalism, period—insist on the present in a way that is flattening and not true to the thickness of time. In general, and definitely in the US, we are discouraged from historical thinking. Even in terms of what’s going on right now, in Israel and Palestine, you hear people say that referring to the occupation or anything that preceded October 7 is a distraction from the present. That attitude is not going to help us understand the violence of our world order. And it won’t help us transform it. I would say the same about nationalism. It’s not explanatory, and we miss so much if we insist on framing things that way. I come from self-consciously diasporic communities, but even if I didn’t, I hope I would still have enough sense to keep my moral focus on people rather than states.

In terms of Puerto Rico in particular, I know that you’re referencing the Bad Bunny profile, and, to a lesser extent, the dance essay, which does feature many Nuyoricans because we’ve always been creative drivers in the city’s music and dance scenes: mambo, salsa, hustle, hip-hop. With the profile, the fact-checkers wouldn’t let me use the word “nation” or “country” to write about Puerto Rico, even though Bad Bunny himself had used the word “país,” because that’s not Puerto Rico’s official political status. I ended up translating “país” as “homeland,” because another word that Puerto Ricans often use is “patria,” which is more like “fatherland.” I thought “homeland” kind of threaded the needle. But that’s an example of how seemingly small stylistic questions can be fraught with political conflict in American publications.

It’s not like I want to include Puerto Rican History 101 in every essay that I write. In fact, I find that work very thankless and frustrating and annoying. I want readers to have the tools to understand the meaning of a figure like Bad Bunny, but I don’t want to privilege the hypothetical “mainstream” readers who don’t have that context over the readers who do. I think it’s okay—good, actually!—for there to be some friction, some mystery. You said “layered” and that’s what I strive for.

I want to go back to what you said about having a tuning fork in your ear. I do not think of myself as a good listener of music. I’m good at listening to other people, I think, but I’m not a good listener of music, and I don’t even know what I mean when I say that exactly. I’m wondering if you could help us listen to something. I’ve previously given people texts to read or photographs to look at, but I was hoping that you could help us figure out how to listen to an object with an eye to making exactly the kind of argument that you have been detailing.

Do you recognize the object?

It’s “Yo Perreo Sola” by Bad Bunny—the lead single of the album that was out when I interviewed him, YHLQMDLG . It wasn’t my favorite track.

How does one begin to listen? I realize this is difficult because unlike having a text in front of you, the experience is over.

The first thing that I’m registering, always, is how the music makes me feel in my body. And this is a dance song.

That is already an interesting genre distinction to me. In our house, there are only two kinds of songs: there are jams and there are bangers. But you have a different kind of generic setup in your mind?

Yes. I’m interested in this typology of genre. It’s a dance song if I want to dance to it, which is maybe a simple definition. But this song is also making a claim about dance. The chorus is about “perreo”—twerking is not a perfect analogy, because “perreo” turns the word “dog” into the verb “perrear.” In the classical vision, the woman is maybe pinning the man to the wall with her butt. But on this song there’s a woman’s voice saying, “I do this by myself. I don’t need you.”

The genre judgement also has to do with a musical genealogy. When I first heard the song, with its quasi-feminist message, I immediately thought of “Yo Quiero Bailar” by Ivy Queen. Ivy Queen’s from the previous generation, sort of the Celia Cruz of reggaeton—the only girl who got any respect in that boys’ club. With “Yo Quiero Bailar,” she’s talking about how the kind of erotic movement that might happen on a Caribbean dance floor does not automatically imply consent for activities elsewhere. She wants to grind, she wants to sweat, but that doesn’t mean she wants to fuck. So for me, the message of “Yo Perreo Sola” feels derivative. And the sonics don’t make up for that.

On the one hand, you draw a distinction between what you feel like the song makes you want to do—the affective or embodied response to it—and, on the other hand, hearing the beats that plug the song into a whole history of genre. All you need to hear is the title of the song repeated to extract that generic history. Then, you can make a judgment. Is that all happening at the same time or is it sequential?

I always try to notice what my first reactions are, but I don’t privilege them too much, because music is a repetitive form. I guess these days you can “repeat” most anything. But with music, I think there’s an invitation to repeat. I’m interested in how my thoughts and feelings continue to evolve through multiple listens.

When I was getting my Ph.D., I taught freshman comp, and I would sometimes tell my students, “Feeling is thinking and thinking is feeling.” What I mean by “feeling is thinking” is that feelings are a useful starting point for understanding: you notice your feelings and then there’s an opportunity to step back and try to analyze where they’re coming from. Like, why am I angry? Why am I bored? And then “thinking is feeling”: when you experience yourself making a rational claim or critical judgment, you should inquire into the emotions that might be lurking under the surface of “thought.”

How do you land on the feeling or thought that this is a boring dance song? You offered a conceptual justification: It’s already been done, and the quasi-feminist message of it is not new. But when I think of a boring dance song, it’s one that makes me not want to dance.

Totally. It’s just as much rooted in my body as it is in a discourse analysis of the song’s freshness. I find the beat on “Yo Perreo Sola” a little frantic, and I don’t like the EDM escalation around the chorus. My sweet spot for dancing is more mid-tempo. And I prefer songs where you get a bunch of different beat switches, a super mix like “Safaera.” Those kinds of songs call back to salsa classics that are rooted in jazz and other Black improvisational traditions where there are long percussion breaks and polyrhythms.

But there’s still some pleasure for me in “Yo Perreo Sola.” It really developed another meaning in quarantine: the song came out in the summer of 2020, when we were all at home dancing on our own. There was something fun about that.

We haven’t really talked about the words. You’ve talked about the beat, the rhythm, and the callback to other songs in the same genre or subgenre. Where do lyrics come in? I have a recurring argument with my husband who hears rhythm first and doesn’t pay any attention to lyrics. I often only hear lyrics, and I’m quite dismissive based on lyrics and lyrics alone. Do you pay attention to lyrics in the same way you pay attention to words as a translation?

That’s funny, I have a similar conflict with my mother. She’s like, “You’re always paying attention to lyrics!” I don’t think that’s true exclusively, but listening to lyrics definitely made me want to be a writer. I was the kind of teenager that was always on those websites learning the words. But my dad listened to a lot of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. My mom listened to a lot of poetic Latin American singers. I came of age during the mainstreaming of rap as popular music. The voice is one of the instruments and the delivery of the words is one of the instruments. Words are rhythm. So to me, the distinction between words and music doesn’t feel tenable. I’ve always had the strong sense that words, music, and movement emerge together. We’ve disaggregated them in our society, but that’s not how it has to be.

I think a lot about rhythm, delivery, and tone in my own writing, especially when I’m writing about music. I’m allowing the object to influence the way that I’m expressing myself. One of the ways that I can show a reader what I’m writing about is by absorbing and performing some element of it.

Do you try to match your prose to, for instance, the rhythm of a lyric when you’re embedding it in a sentence? Are you trying to imitate or to perform what you’ve absorbed?

I did with the Bad Bunny story. I wanted to be funny. I wanted to be irreverent. I wanted to be slick and sticky. Or when I’m writing about a live performance of Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin singing “Ooh Baby Baby” on Soul Train, I want to take on a wistful legato. I want my structure and my sentences to have some of the tender lucidity that I feel there.

Since people can’t have the experience of listening to the music itself, the prose needs to approximate what you would judge its style to be like?

Exactly. There’s a line that people repeat when they want to describe the supposed difficulty of music writing: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” That’s crazy to me, because dancing is about architecture. Dancing is about space. It’s about how we navigate public space and our bodies in relation to one another. Dancing is already about architecture, and writing is about music because words are already a musical phenomenon. It’s not such a big leap to make the connection.

Part of the great joy of listening to music is listening to it with other people. I don’t get as much pleasure listening to something by myself as I do when I listen to something with my kids or my husband, or when I go to a concert. Listening with strangers is its own form of pleasure. How do you think about bringing other people’s experiences into the mix? Surely part of what’s happening when you’re listening in public is that your body is reacting to other bodies, reacting to the music?

I would argue that music is an inherently communal form even when you’re alone—or certainly when I’m alone. I’m thinking about all the other people it’s touched by the time it reaches me. I like to try to find ways to formalize that curiosity. In a profile, I like to look beyond the individual that our neoliberal media system has selected to be the hero. I’m more interested in how and why we collectively made them the hero. And in all my stories, it’s also about the interview practice, about refusing or reaching beyond traditional notions of expertise. Like, your average twentysomething in Puerto Rico has a richer sense of what Bad Bunny means than some musicologist.

When I’m listening to music or writing about a particular piece of music, I’m really trying to listen for how other people listen. If I hear a snatch of music coming from a car on my block, I like to see who’s driving. If I hear something out in public, how are other people reacting? If I’m on Twitter, I’m reading what people are saying about a new album drop. I think it’s fair to say that music is our most popular art form. That’s part of its value. Besides the supreme pleasure that I personally derive. Besides my wish that I could sing or play piano or play guiro. But I can’t. So, here we are.

An axis along which critics arrange themselves is the axis of authority that has, on its one end, the centralization of authority, and on the other, the active seeking or embrace of plurality. Another way to think of it might be as the difference between a centripetal and a centrifugal force in criticism. Have you always sought out that plurality of view? Does it change based on what your object is or where you are in your career as a critic? Were there more anxieties about being an authority figure, having just one voice, one view, one relation of experience?

In general, I’m not interested in a kind of criticism where people retweet it and say, “This is the last word on X or Y. Mic drop.” I’ve never been interested in those kinds of proprietary claims. I’m interested in a form of criticism that really opens up other desires, associations, lines of inquiry—because to me, an object is never exhausted, no matter how many people write about it. But there’s also so much where the idea of authority or expertise barely comes up because critics haven’t seen those objects as worthy of analysis. That’s my sweet spot.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Submit a letter:

Email us [email protected]

Carina del Valle Schorske is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine . She is at work on her debut collection of essays, The Other Island . (June 2024)

Merve Emre is the Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing and Criticism and the Director of the Shapiro Center at Wesleyan. She is the host of The Critic and Her Publics , a new podcast series produced in partnership with The New York Review and Lit Hub. (April 2024)

June 9, 2022 issue

Exquisite Solitude

March 9, 2023 issue

Looking for Chaïm Soutine

April 20, 2023 issue

December 7, 2023 issue

March 10, 2022 issue

The Only Way to Go

February 24, 2022 issue

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Defending Bryher

Subscribe and save 50%!

Get immediate access to the current issue and over 25,000 articles from the archives, plus the NYR App.

Already a subscriber? Sign in

IMAGES

My Favourite Book Essay
Essay about Reading Free Essay Example
Descriptive words to describe books Book Review Essay Example
Book Review Essay Example Free Essay Example
Describe a Book You Have Read Recently [IELTS Speaking Part 2]
Describing a Book

VIDEO

My favourite book || essay on my favourite book || Essay writing || KB Education
My Favourite Book || Essay on my favourite book || Listening || #trending || #studentseducation
Describe A Book That You Have Read Many Times
Autobiography of story book || eassy on autobiography of storybook || storybook autobiography ||
10 Lines On Book 📚
Write an Essay on My Favourite Book in Urdu || اردو مضمون: میری پسندیدہ کتاب

COMMENTS

Describe a book
Topic 1: Describe a book you have recently read. What kind of book it is; What it is about; What sort of people would enjoy it; And explain why you liked it. Sample Answer: I consider myself as a bookworm so when it comes to describing a book I read, I am really confused since I don't know which one to choose, but I will tell you about the book that I have just ﬁnished most recently ...
25 of the Best Words to Describe a Book for Your Book Review
07 Pulsating. This is a word that you can use for a wide audience. It works in the same way as the words "thrilling" or "nail-biter" and suggests a fast-paced book. The word "pulsating" could refer to a book with unique story twists and multiple events. E.g. Forget about the last thriller you read.
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking. Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry's Freefall, a crime novel: In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it's a more subtle process, and that's OK too.
How to Write a Book Description (Examples + Free Template)
Top 2 book description examples. 1. The Firm by John Grisham. #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the master of legal thrillers, a page-turning classic of "suit-and-dagger suspense" (The New York Times): At the top of his class at Harvard Law, Mitch McDeere had his choice of the best firms in America.
Describe a Book You Have Read Recently
The Cue Card: Describe a book you have read recently. As I said, there are many IELTS cue cards about books. You could be asked about your favorite book or a book you really love, but in this case we will just look at a book you have read recently: Describe a book you have read recently. You should say: what kind of book it is. who wrote the book.
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay
Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.
Book Reviews
This handout will help you write a book review, a report or essay that offers a critical perspective on a text. It offers a process and suggests some strategies for writing book reviews. ... carefully survey your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Check out our ...
Describe your favourite book
Describe your favourite book. You should say: what book it is. who wrote this book. what it is about. and explain why this is your favourite book. [You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
How to write a book review: format guide, & examples
Step 1: Planning Your Book Review - The Art of Getting Started. You've decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let's take a step back and plan your approach.
How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps
Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning's review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field. Step 2. Present your evaluation.
Describe a book you have recently read
Download Study Plan. This article contains the Describe a book you have recently read Cue Card Sample Answers. During Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test, you will have exactly one minute to prepare and speak on a specific topic. This is the IELTS cue card task. You can learn how to communicate clearly and successfully by reviewing sample answers.
How to Write a Great Book Description: Step-by-Step Guide
Writers promoting their first book have many marketing tools at their disposal, including a unique book cover design, a pithy title, strong critical reviews, a marketing campaign, certifications such as being a New York Times bestseller, and the subject matter itself. Writing a book description can also help authors hook a reader and get them invested before they've even read a single page.
Writing a Book Review
The preface is usually an introductory essay written by the author or editor. It is intended to describe the book's overall purpose, arrangement, scope, and overall contributions to the literature. When reviewing the book, it can be useful to critically evaluate whether the goals set forth in the foreword and/or preface were actually achieved.
10 Paragraphs: My Favourite Book
Paragraph 2. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite book. Set in the glitzy and glamorous 1920s Jazz Age, this novel delves into the elusive American Dream and the dark underbelly of wealth and excess. Through the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and the narrator Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald paints a vivid portrait of love, longing, and ...
IELTS Cue Card # 184
Describe a book you have recently read. You should say: what the book is. who wrote the book. what the book is about. and explain how much you enjoyed reading this book. Model Answer 1: I believe that there are only a few people today who don't know A.P.J Abdul Kalam as one of the most brilliant minds and inspirational figures of the 21st ...
Cue Card # 168: Describe a book that you enjoyed reading
Model Answer 3: Introduction: Reading a thought-provoking book can be a captivating and intellectually stimulating experience. It challenges our thinking, expands our knowledge, and leaves a lasting impact on our perspective. One such book that comes to mind is "1984" by George Orwell. For this topic, I would like to talk about this book.
IELTS essay Describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to
Recently I read a book in my weekend and it motivates and gives me inner peace of mind. I loved to read that book, and the way the author write everything systematically and describe his experience in his first book. The name of the book is the monks and written by Jay Shetty. He wrote and incredible book in his first attempt.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Describe an object that has sentimental value for you. You might also be asked to describe something outside your own experience, in which case you'll have to use your imagination. Imaginative descriptive essay prompts. Describe the experience of a soldier in the trenches of World War I. Describe what it might be like to live on another planet.
How to Describe Setting in Literature
How to Describe Setting in Literature. As a writer, you might want to dive right into your plot and start giving detailed character descriptions. But those characters and that story all need a space in which to exist—that space is the setting. Taking the time to properly describe your setting will give your book more vibrancy and keep your ...
Essay on My Favourite Book for Students and Children
In addition, books also enhance our imagination. Growing up, my parents and teachers always encouraged me to read. They taught me the importance of reading. Subsequently, I have read several books. However, one boom that will always be my favourite is Harry Potter. It is one of the most intriguing reads of my life.
The Object That Best Describes Me and Why, ( A Book )
A book best describes me because I have so many stories to tell. Stories about my experiences, both happy and sad. Stories about my surroundings and, most importantly, about myself. Every day of ...
Describe a book that had a major influence on you
2. Describe your favourite book. 3. Describe a book you read and remember. 4. Talk about a book you enjoyed reading. 5. Describe a book you would recommend your friends to read. 6. Talk about a book one of your friends recommended you. 7. Describe a worth reading book. Since the cue card topic is asking to describe a book that has a major ...
How to Summarize a Paper, a Story, a Book, a Report or an Essay
Pay particular attention to the thesis statement, which typically appears in the introduction and encapsulates the essay's main point. 2. Deconstruct the Essay's Structure. Most essays follow a standard structure. The introduction sets the stage by outlining the topic, providing relevant background information, and presenting the thesis ...
'In Praise of Laziness and Other Essays' book review: Chronicle of
E clectic and freewheeling are two words that best describe Indrajit Hazra's latest, In Praise of Laziness and Other Essays. The author's adjective of choice for his new collection, however ...
The Tuning Fork in the Ear
While I hesitate to use the word "delicious" to describe anything other than food, Carina del Valle Schorske writes delicious essays. One in particular, which won a 2021 National Magazine Award, is about Covid-19 grief and postapocalyptic dance floors.. "In Plato's 'Protagoras,' Socrates argues that dancing girls have no place in philosophical gatherings," she writes.

Describe a book – you have recently read/ that you would like to read again

Topic 1: Describe a book you have recently read

Topic 2: Describe a book that you would like to read again

LATEST POSTS

IELTS App - For Mobile

Popular Last 24h

Our Telegram

Latest Articles

25 of the Best Words to Describe a Book for Your Book Review

Best words to describe a book: a praising review for a book you liked

Best words to describe a book: an impartial or analytical review of a book

Best words to describe a book: a review of a book you didn’t like

Your Guide to the Best eBook Readers in 2024

Writing Tips

How to Write a Book Description (Examples + Free Template)

Writing for the Web: 7 Expert Tips for Web Content Writing

Checklist: Dissertation Proposal

Examples: Edited Papers

What is a book description?

How long should a book description be?

How to write a book description?

Top 4 strategies for the best book description

Top 2 book description examples

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Book description template

Frequently Asked Questions

Your vs. You’re: When to Use Your and You’re

Writing Correction Service

Describe a Book You Have Read Recently

The Cue Card: Describe a book you have read recently

Making Notes

Structuring your Answer

Sample Answer – Describe a Book

About The Author

David S. Wills

Related Posts

Um… Is Hesitation in IELTS a Bad Thing?

Stop Saying “It Cannot Be Denied” in IELTS Essays

Answering Difficult Questions

10 IELTS Listening Tips

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Download my IELTS Books

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Book Reviews

What is a review?

Becoming an expert reviewer: three short examples

Developing an assessment: before you write

Writing the review

Introduction

Summary of content

Analysis and evaluation of the book

Works consulted

IELTS Cue Card

Search This Blog

Describe your favourite book.

Post a Comment

How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

Book Review Template

How to Write a Book Review- A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

Choosing Your Literature

Crafting the Master Plan

The Devil is in the Details

The Key Questions to Ponder

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

Identify Your Book and Author

Ponder the Title

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Present Your Thesis

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

Summarize Without Spoilers

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Analyze the Quotes

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

Summarize Your Analysis

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Address the Book’s Appeal

Be Subtle and Balanced