The W's of Reading: What Goes Into An Honest Review?

I'm getting ready to head off to Hawaii to visit my mother (Yipee!!!), and in thinking about books and reviews, I started thinking a lot about what I've read so far this year. I have to say, that I can't think of many books I haven't genuinely liked, which leads me to wonder about the range of my own reviews. Do I write negative reviews?

This question popped up after I read Pam's blog entry "How to Write a Negative Review," over at Bookalicious, and I've seen it discussed on Twitter a time or two. It really got me to thinking about my own "trustworthiness" as a book reviewer. Am I honest with my readers? Do I tell it like it is?

Here are some of my own concerns & thoughts:

• I know that I sometimes sugar-coat my negative feelings. I don't necessarily come right out and say, "Wow! I hated that book." I'm always concerned that an emotional reaction is coming from one of my own life experiences that shouldn't predicate another person's own thoughts. One example of this was in my review for The Actor and the Housewife. I was so concerned that my reaction came about because I wasn't married, that I tried to explain away my own doubts about the outcome of the novel. (Also, I didn't want to give away the ending!)
• I tend to only be extremely negative about a book when I feel that it is grossly ignorant, erroneous, or hurtful in some way. While some liked the book, I despised the motives and delivery of Skinny Bitch, a diet book, and for once didn't mince my words.
• Many times, I question whether I disliked a book, based on my own prejudices and tastes. For instance, when I read books that include educators or counselors, I can be a bit more critical than I normally would, and can be thrown off by behaviors I find in opposition to what I have know to be true. I struggled with this when I read Lockdown, even though there was much more to the story than the behavior of the professionals to consider. We can all get hung up on small details that then cause us to dislike a book, and I for one know I've done it many times.
• Playing off of the previous bullet point, I know that there are types of books, that when well delivered, I love...regardless. For instance, I really enjoy "chick lit" and have for many years. They tend to deliver an escape factor that I enjoy, as well as seem to connect to my "dating" life in many ways. We all like what we like, and often seek ourselves in the text. I really enjoyed Rumor Has It and didn't hesitate to say so. Because I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, it was easy to wax poetic, and I hoped my readers would understand my enthusiasm!
  
• The hardest question to answer is whether, when you review for a publisher or author, you are scared to give an honest opinion for fear of damaging a repartee with them. I know I have felt that way before, maybe not liking a book as much I had hoped. In those cases, I've had to take a step back and really consider what I liked or didn't like about those books, and be professional about my review. This could even be the case when a good friend praises a book to the skies, and then you dislike it. I'm not as nervous to tell a friend why I did or did not enjoy the book, but it can still be uncomfortable.
• The last question I've asked myself is what do I do with the books that I disliked so much that I quit reading them? I should be reviewing them enough to say, "Hey, I just couldn't continue on with this book, and here's why!" I've seen many other great, well-respected bloggers do this, and need to start doing that. Because books I don't enjoy often get returned, it looks like I'm mainly reading books that I DO enjoy. That's really not the case.

In the end, here's what you CAN expect from me. I will most likely continue to read books that I like. You will very rarely see me rip a book to shreds, because ultimately, I really respect what authors have done to put a book in front of me, and want to give it my honest consideration. That doesn't mean I think all books are great. Sometimes I just didn't like a storyline, because I didn't care much for the topic; I won't dog it for my own tastes, but I will be honest about not being as "into it" as I am with others. I don't "rate" books on my blog, but will always try to give a little good and bad behind a book, because don't they all have some of both?

I would definitely check out Pam's post on this subject to learn more about how to write that negative review! I agree with her that a well-written negative review can really give you a greater sense of trust in the reviewer.

What do you think? What holds you back from writing a negative review? What has led you to your most negative reviews?