A message from Book Reviews Editor Rebecca Murray
Book Reviews - not just for Oprah or the New York Times
Reviewing books may sound like a job for authors or magazine literary critics – but we all have perspectives to share and readers are eager to hear what their peers think about recently published works from fields of shared interest.
Since becoming the book reviews editor I have already learned SO much about maritime affairs and oceanic history, going down rabbit holes I could never have imagined – even as a girl who grew up on the east coast and studied history. From the lives of noted individuals to social and environmental issues, to naval history and studies of vessels and beyond, there’s a little something for everyone in the book review section of The Northern Mariner. No matter the topic, authors bring their passion to the page and share stories, some very well known and others less well known, to audiences far and wide.
Reviewing these books is an important part of the journal – lifting up voices, perspectives and stories – sharing work from across the field and helping readers make that all important decision – what to read next!
The history of book reviews in the journal is a rich and continued one with over 30 years of publication and wide distribution. And to further our goal of continuing to reach readers we need your help! Every issue of the journal includes twenty or more book reviews – ensuring a variety of topics are tackled and with the hope that every reader can identify something of interest to them. And perhaps of most importance, we care very much to include and reflect the perspectives and interests of the journal’s readership. This means we need your help.
Can you, sometime this year, commit to reading one book (of varying length), write 750 to 1,200 words about it and send us that text within 4 to 6 months of receiving the book? We’re very happy to work with you on editing and style and encourage you to look at our most recently published issue as an example. You can also take inspiration for your text from questions like these:
- What is the book about?
- How did the author approach the telling of this story (narrative construction/arc, research, writing etc.)?
- Was anything missing that you think should have been included?
- What did the author do really well?
- Who do you think should or would like to read this book?
- How does this book contribute to the wider literature on this topic?
You can choose a book from our list (https://nasoh.org/books-for-review) or make a suggestion based on your particular interests! If you have lots of ideas but only time to read and review one book, we can add other titles to the list – we appreciate the variety of interests of journal readers and hope that those can be reflected in the titles available for review.
We are always happy to receive your questions via email – cnrsbookreviews@cnrs-scrn.org – please do not hesitate to write to us – we endeavour to respond to written requests within the week.
Very best,
Rebecca
Rebecca Murray
Book Reviews Editor
The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord