Book reviews come to the Converged Citizen

By Ryan Jones

Being a book reviewer is not just reading books and spitting out paragraphs explaining the novel, its characters, the setting and the literary devices used. Reviewing allows me to analyze an author’s work to develop my own skills and allows me to appreciate different styles of writing.

Reading has been a ritual in my life but I became serious about reviewing books in my Grade 12 year of high school. Taking a writer’s craft class might have been the best decision of my life because it opened the doors of literature and writing.

I fell in love. Writing and reading became my passion. I did not think twice when I established a book blog on Instagram just over a year ago known as Biblio Virgo that now covers WordPress, Goodreads and Facebook.

Through blogging and posting I have grown my readership to over 4,000 followers. I am a current reviewer for publishing companies such as Simon and Schuster Canada, Harper Collins and Hachette Books, and I have reviewed for many authors such as Holly Seddon and Deborah Lawrenson.

A book review column will add a new element to the Converged Citizen, one of creativity. Readers will be able to stay up-to-date on new books and will be able to find novels that might be of interest. As reporters and writers, reading literature can improve our journalistic abilities.

Next week, I will be reviewing Kill The Father by Sandrone Dazieri, a popular Italian author whose book was published in Canada on Jan. 10, 2017.

Yours truly, Biblio Virgo.