I would first like to note that I do not like, or necessarily agree with, analysing fiction books. I avoided English Literature as an academic subject as soon as I was able to (sadly not before GCSE and the analysis of Lord of the Flies, An Inspector Calls, various extracts from Shakespeare and numerous poems.) I think that reading a book and claiming, or trying, to identify what deep and meaningful message the author was trying to portray is presumptuous. Sure, if you take meaning from something, if you interpret it to mean something fine, but to suggest that this was what the author intended seems to me to be unnecessary.

Why is it not possible that the author simply wrote the work to entertain? To take you from your world into a fantasy realm? Provide a bit of escapism. And yes, I do write this as an author who writes mainly to get the conversations and characters out of my head, to entertain not to instruct. I know there are authors who do write with an intention of educating, inspiring, revealing truths, and this is all to the good. But we mustn’t assume that everyone who writes has this purpose.

That said, this level of analysis should not negate the benefit of a book review. A thoughtful reflection on how successfully the book entertained you or provided that escapism. Did you feel that you were taken to that fantasy world, or were you just shown it? Were the characters believable (regardless of whether or not they are likeable)? There is a place for critique here as well as adulation. (Obviously, us authors would prefer more of the latter, but we can’t please everyone!).

It is on this basis that I try to carry out my own reviews. At present I post these on Goodreads, which you can access here through my Authors Page, though I am contemplating setting up a review section to my website. Some of the books that I have reviewed are:

• Ripples and Shadows, by Stephen Taylor
• Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook to travelling upon the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains hygienic railway, by Terry Pratchett and the discworld Emporium
• Macbeth by Jo Nesbo
• Maid of Steel, by debut author Kate Baker
• The Honeywood File, by H. B. Cresswell
• Strata, by Terry Pratchett.
• The Borley Rectory Companion, by Paul Adams
• Atomic Habits, by James Clear
• Crime Writers and other animals, by Simon Brett
• Bad Moon Rising, by Sherilynn Kenyon
• and more…