5 Review Sites I Read (That Aren't My Own Site)

My friend Jennifer Hillier interviewed me earlier this month on International Thriller Writers' blog Thrill Begins for Critics Week. It was fun and flattering to be interviewed on that labor of love, but it made me realize how alien book/movies reviewing is to most people in the internet age. So, I thought it would be nice to go meta and talk about what I do here. At least from time to time.

So, today I will answer a strange question I have been asked several times: do reviewers read other reviewers? Of course we do. Reading other reviewers is awesome for plenty of reasons : it can help you make sure your understand the plot of a novel/movie, it helps you find clever angles for material that just doesn't inspire you and, of course, it's how you find good new material to review. 

So here are the reviewing sites I stop by almost every day. I hope they make a reviewer out of you too.

Reviews and Editing by Elizabeth A. White: It usually is my first stop before starting a novel or before reviewing it. I want to know what Liz thought of it. Her and I are reviewing a lot of the same material, but our angle is significantly different. She's like that person we all know that can elevator-pitch you any novel in the world and next thing you know, you've bought it. Reading Liz is always a tremendous help whenever I'm not sure what to think about a novel I have to review.

Hobart: They are more of a literary journal than a review site per se, but they have this guy Sean Kilpatrick writing review movies that entertain me to no end. Part stream of consciousness, part existential observations, they are the most original product in the reviewing game that I know of. Kilpatrick lead his review of The Hateful Eight by saying: "I like getting fucked in my feelings." That is a surefire way of getting my attention when discussing Tarantino. Love the guy, give him a full-time job reviewing movies.

The Needle Drop: I would've never started reviewing music if it wasn't for Anthony Fantano. I wouldn't have known how. Fantano's humble and methodical, yet passionate approach convinced me I had the tools to review albums even if my technical knowledge of music is very limited. Anthony Fantano is passionate about his trade and covers an impressive range of styles. The Needle Drop is a great way to stay in touch with great new music being released today.

Kirkus Reviews: The only publishing trade magazine I bother reading. There's a very simple reason for that: they're kind of assholes. If their reviewers don't like a book, they will publicly cane you and everything you stand for. Sometimes unfairly, but Kirkus is a beacon of honesty and earnestness in a trade where money and incestuous relationships always speak too loud. Want to roll the dice and see how a book REALLY fares in the wilderness? Read Kirkus.

Goodreads: The entire reviewing process has been crowdsourced. Not many reviewers speak louder than the Amazon and Goodreads algorithms. I prefer surfing the latter because if has actual more readers and the review quality is better. While Amazon has a problem with "friendly" and "jealous" reviews, Goodreads separates the friends from strangers, making it easier for you to get unbiased opinions about a book. The quality of the reviews is obviously not always there, but it'll tell you what elements of a book keep surfacing for readers.

These 5 review sites I read almost daily, now I'm asking you: which ones do YOU read?