Today is World Book Day and to pay homage to this day and especially to the importance of reading, I'll share with you some vocabulary related to books and some structures to write book reviews. Let's begin:
Introducing the book you're reading
- The book/novel/ masterpiece / best-seller is written by ... // Its author is well-known, no other than ...
- The book is set in 19th century England.
- The book is addressed to teenagers // The book is written for a general audience.
- It is about a man who... / It tells the story of ...
- The story is narrated in first/third person / by an omniscient narrator / through the eyes of a young boy.
Book genres
- Fantasy
- Comedy
- Adventure
- Horror
- Drama
- Fiction // Non-fiction narrative
- Biography / autobiography
- Mystery
- Historical
- Romance
- Science fiction
- Dystopian literature (a pessimistic feature)
- Suspense / thriller
- Essays
- Books for children
- Self-help books (those books that give you practical advice on a given topic)
- Part drama, part comedy, this novel deals with...
Adjectives and expressions to describe a book
Thrilling/ surprising / fascinating / exciting / amazing ...
Humorous / funny / witty / amusing / entertaining / easy to read / haunting
Thought-provoking / heart-rending
Its plot is gripping / riveting / slow / fast-paced / slow-paced / predictable / unpredictable
The author is ironic / cynical / satirical / nostalgic / critical ... towards
It immediately catches the reader's attention / it gets the reader involved / readers won't be able to put the book down /
Recommendations
- I can't recommend it enough
- You can't miss it!
- You won't regret it.I'm sure you'll read down to the very last page.
- I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good time.
- It's a must-read book / It's highly recommended.
- This book is perfect for ...
- It will leave readers with a great deal to reflect.
- This masterpiece will surely keep the readers absorbed from the beginning to the end.
Before I finish this post, I'd like you to keep two idioms related to books:
- To be a book worm (first image): Someone who enjoys reading. I love the metaphor of this idiom. A worm that digs in every book is compared with an avid reader.
- Hit the books (second image): To study hard, especially in the period of the exams. I also like this "violent" metaphor.
I hope you have learnt some interesting expressions about books today. Have you read much this year? Please, post and comment with some recommendations, as I haven't had much time to read lately...I'll appreciate your suggestions. Here you have the link to access some book reviews written by my students some years ago. I hope you appreciate it.
See you around
