Review of Matrons and Madams by Sharon Johnston
Sharon Johnston’s Matrons and Madams tells the story of Clara, a World War I widow, who leaves England in 1919 with her young daughter and her adopted daughter and moves to...Read More
Book Reviews
Submissions from the Volunteer Read and Review ProgramReview of In-Between Days by Teva Harrison
I read Teva Harrison’s In-Between Days in about three hours. The book was captivating and thought-provoking from start to finish. In-Between Days is a bit of a guide to understanding some...Read More
Review of Edge of Wild by D.K. Stone
Edge of Wild by D.K. Stone takes place in beautiful Waterton, Alberta. A new hotel is built in this small close-knit community, and with it brings changes to the town. These...Read More
Review of 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
Mona Awad’s 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is a collection of short stories that follows the protagonist, Elizabeth, from adolescence to adulthood and gives us a snapshot...Read More
About the Read and Review Program
The Read and Review Program runs year round and is a great way to contribute to Wordfest as it prepares for its 21st Festival in October 2016. For a list of books currently in the office, peruse our pages on Pinterest at the links below or drop by the Wordfest office in Eau Claire Market.
We would love to hear your opinion about the dozens of advance reading copies (ARCs) and “galleys” (unedited pre-publication book manuscripts) that publishers send to Wordfest for consideration every year. Your review could be a key part of the decision on which books and artists to include in the Festival lineup! With permission, we also publish reviews from the program on wordfest.com.
Did you know? Young readers are also invited to join in the fun and help review our growing selection of titles for children, teens and young adults. Click here to view a Pinterest board with current K-12 titles awaiting review.
To get started immediately, drop by the Wordfest office from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Our offices are located on the main floor of Eau Claire Market, 200 Barclay Parade SW. Come visit us!
We would also love to know which live author or book recently published or to be published you would like to review. Tell us!
Information on Submitting a Review
Read and Review participants have two weeks to read the book picked from our shelves and then return the copy to the office with a review, preferably submitted online, although you have the option to bring a hard copy of the review to the office. Please add page number and include on each page the book title, author and your name. Reviews should be between 250-500 words in length and should cover the following basic points:
- What response did you have to the book? Why do you think it evoked that response?
- What do you think the author was trying to achieve in this book? Does it do what it set out to do? Does its goal seem worthwhile? Why or why not?
- What audience(s) do you think the book is written towards? Do you think it would be appreciated by that audience? Do you think it would have any appeal outside that audience? Why or why not?
Notice that for each of these major points, the question “why” occurs. Answering “why” is often the most important part of a review and the most helpful to programming staff in making decisions.