243. How to Leave a Critical Review

Out of the Ordinary

This is the story of our first critic.

Once upon a time in a coffee shop in Chicago when Christie was a brand new English Literature professor a stranger asked her a question about reading and writing. He was pointed. He had opinions. He was her first critic.

We've come a long way since then. And gathered many, many more reviews. And we've gotten better at receiving them. And learned a lot about leaving them.

This is the story of what we have learned -- about reading as much as about writing. And how it's changed the way we think about reviews.

This is a story for anyone who loves books as much as we do. Because to love books is to love authors and learn how to respond to their art with the reviews that we leave. And yes, we read aloud one of our favorite reviews -- not because of how it agrees with us. But because of how it kind of doesn't. And what a great lesson it taught us as readers and reviewers ourselves.

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