Rosie's Review-A-Book Challenge #RRABC

Introducing Rosie's Review-A-Book Challenge #RRABC

 

 

Did you know that 99% of the reading public never post a review for a book?

At Rosie Amber's Book Review Team (six years and going strong!), we often look at ways to encourage more people to review.  This autumn, Rosie has planned a Review-A-Book Challenge, with a great list of books to choose from, all free of charge to anyone serious about writing a review for her blog - and possibly joining the review team, if you enjoy the process.

 

(In June this year, I wrote about why I love being a member of the team - it's HERE if you would like to take a look)

Each day for a week or so, she will feature articles on how to write simple reviews, on choosing a star rating, and many more.  The challenge is open to all, from experienced reviewers and book bloggers, to those who have never written a review.  If this has piqued your interest and you would like to take a look at the books on offer, please click here to read the full post and view the book list.

 

 

 

Six Years of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I have been a member of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team (#RBRT) for five and a half years, now.  I first 'met' Rosie online when looking for reviews for my own early books, and through her some of the other bloggers who later became part of the team.

I admit to being wary of making the commitment when I joined the review team, but I'm so glad I did; Rosie has created something so positive for the independently published world (the team deals mainly with the self-published or those published by independents), and I am proud to be a part of it.  When I joined, I decided to start my own book review blog - I don't profess to be a 'proper' book blogger as I'm primarily a writer; I don't take submissions and use it only for reviewing for Rosie and my own reading choices, but it's something I enjoy doing. 😀

If you are interested in joining us, Rosie has written an article about how her review team works, on BookerTalk blog - you can read it HERE.  Details of how to apply to join are HERE.  You don't need to have a book blog, and you don't need any credentials apart from a love of reading.

There are two main reasons why I'm so glad I joined the team, equally important.  The first is the discovery of some truly excellent books; now and again, you find a real gem, that you want to shout about; so often these are books that are hidden away on Amazon and you would have never discovered, had the author not submitted.  Here are a few that made me feel this way (link takes you to my review):

The Men by Fanny Calder
The Usurper King  by Zeb Haradon
The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard 
Singularity Syndrome by Susan Kuchinskas
The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J Gyle by James D Dixon
The Unravelling of Brendan Meeks by Brian Cohn
Back Home by Tom Williams

Other books I've loved are highlighted on Rosie's two part post:

#RBRT GOLD: My Review Team's Favourite Books (Part 1)

#RBRT Gold: My Review Team's Favourite Books (Part 2)

 

The second reason I love being a part of #RBRT is that some of us have become real life friends, too, enjoying several meet-ups.

Here are me, Rosie, Shelley, Cathy and Barb, in Matlock, April 2019 - a lovely weekend!

Leicester, December 2016

With Rosie, Cathy, Barb and Alison - Sheffield, October 2015

  
Here's to six more years of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team! 💃

The last 53 #AugustReviews ~ and a summing up, and big thank you!

"If everyone who read this posted one book review on Amazon...."

Another big thanks to Barb Taub for her larvely graphics!

 
This is the final collection of #AugustReviews!  

Original post HERE

So did it 'work'?  My aim was to get readers who have never thought about reviewing before to start doing so, and to stir into action those who keep meaning to ~ there were 292 reviews posted, so we did fairly well.  And LOTS of people said that it had got them reviewing when they hadn't got round to it before, so it's all good!  

I really hope the 'first timers' will carry on - reviews ranged in size from the smallest which was just five words long: no book blog or specific literary expertise needed in order to say you liked (or weren't so sure about) a book.  The average, however, was one short paragraph.  I find that the best time to review is when you've just read 'the end', when it's still in your head; so go on, log in and write those two lines, it's your good deed for the day!

A big, big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, retweeted, re-blogged, shared on Facebook, or supported in any other way ~ please excuse me for not listing you all, but so many have been so generous in their help that if I did the only response would be, "Which of those ten Janes is supposed to be me?"  I'll have a go: a big round of applause for Rosie, Cathy, Cathy, Catherine and Cathy, and Carol and Carol, and Wendy, Wendy and Wendy, and Sandra, Stacey and Tom, and Mairead, Mary and Barb, and Mr Meerkat and Blooming Brilliant Books, Judith, Judith, June and Jane and Jenny, and Elizabeth, Liz and Lizzie, and Ella and Elle and Emma and Dan ... and Crystin, Olga, Karina, Shelley, Steve, Mark, Alison and everyone else!

To everyone who posted blog reviews: thank you for joining in, and it's appreciated (especially by the authors whose books you were reviewing, I imagine!) but I haven't included them on my #AugustReviews lists because book blogs isn't what this is all about, for the reasons stated in THIS and each previous and subsequent post...

Right, that's me done ~ I have a new book to write :) 
In the meantime, here are....

...the last 53 reviews, posted from August 26-31

Hall of Fame Part 1 HERE
Hall of Fame Part 2 HERE
Hall of Fame Part 3 HERE
Hall of Fame Part 4 HERE
Hall of Fame Part 5 HERE
Hall of Fame Part 6 HERE 

Elizabeth Ducie reviewed As The Crow Flies by Damien Boyd (crime)

Mark Barry reviewed Kill Line by Robert Leigh (call centre guy on murder spree)

Stacey, Nia & Teresa (Whispering Stories) reviewed:
The End of the Roadie  by Elizabeth Flynn (crime)
Friends At Forty by Angie Dickerson (humour, romance)
Curious Minds  by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton (lighthearted mystery)
Arctic Dawn by Karissa Laurel (urban fantasy)

 
D G Kaye reviews Wake-Robin Ridge by Marcia Meara (ghosts, romantic suspense)

Sandra Danby reviewed:
The Last of Us by Rob Ewing (post apocalyptic)
Don't You Cry  by Mary Kubica (psychological drama)
Somewhere Inside of Happy  by Anna Mc Partlin (light contemporary fiction)
Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly (literary historical)
Curtain Call  by Anthony Quinn (1930s murder mystery)

 
Mary Smith reviewed Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid (romcom)

Wendy Unsworth reviewed:
The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison (dark psychological drama)
Stranger Child  by Rachel Abbott (thriller)
Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline (thriller)

 
I reviewed Atomic Number Sixty by Dave Johnston (novella, humour)

Judith Barrow reviewed
Bedsit Three by Sally Jenkins (psychological thriller)
Currents of Sin by Arlene Alleman (thriller, human trafficking)
Portraits of the Dead  by John Nicholl (goodreads review as not yet available on Amazon: thriller

Cathy Ryan reviewed
You.I.Us by Annalisa Crawford (short stories)
Morrighan by Mary E Pearson (YA post apocalyptic novella)

Olga NM reviewed Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch (biography)

Wendy Lennox reviewed
Half A King by Joe Abercrombie (YA Fantasy)
Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe (non-fiction, Japanese culture)

 
E L Lindley reviewed Glossolalia by Tantra Bensko (psychological suspense)

Rosie Amber reviewed:
The Six Train to Wisconsin by Kourtney Heintz (psychic thriller)
Pop Travel  by Tara Tyler (Light Sci-Fi)

Cathy Murray reviewed
Three Graces by Cait Nolan (emotional drama)
Chosen Child by Linda Huber (psych thriller)
Round and Round by me (novella ~romance/supernatural/parallel lives)

Val Poore reviewed:
A Hilltop on the Marne by Mildred Aldrich (WW1 letters)
The Summer House by Marcia Willett (family mystery)

Judith Webster reviewed Ice Blessed by Crystin Goodwin (YA Fantasy)

 

Liz Lloyd reviewed Anywhere The Wind Blows by Jenny Lloyd (no relation) (historical)

Deborah Jay reviewed The Angel of Death by Elicia Hyder (psychic/ghosts)

Beth Carpenter reviewed The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr (Goodreads review as not available on Amazon until September) (light women's fiction)

Tom Williams reviewed The Cauliflower by Nicola Barker (religious/historical)

Mairead Hearne reviewed:
Breaking Dead by Corrie Jackson (thriller)
Jacques by Tanya Ravenswater (coming of age)

Brittany Foor reviewed The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith (dark fantasy)

The Happy Meerkat reviewed:
Doing Germany Book 2 by Agnieska Paletta (comedy travel memoir)
Blood Moon by Kimberly Connor (Vampires)

Dylan Morgan reviewed Magic-borne - The Crown of Stones by C L Schneider (epic sword and sorcery fantasy)

Jenny Worstall reviewed:
Helter Skelter by Della Galton (romance)
The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (adventure)
The Serial Dater's Shopping List by Morgen Bailey (chick lit)
Thrift by Phil Church (humour) 
The Griffin Cryer by Julia Hughes (fantasy)

Geoff Le Pard reviewed:
Tales From Null City by Barb Taub (urban fantasy)
Raven's Gathering by Graeme Cumming (scifi, fantasy)
Willful Avoidance by J T Twissel (fictionalised true story)

and finally......

Sha Armstrong reviewed
Blood and Roses by Catherine Hokin (historical - Wars of the Roses)

~THE END~