As a book lover myself, I am always on the look-out not merely for interesting subject matters but also refreshing ways of looking at things, events and people, both in non-fiction and fiction works. For instance, we know how our teachers in high school and college opened our minds to historical events and scientific ideas that shaped the world today. Watching a docu film on Discovery Channel or History Channel revealing new and bizarre information about the life of Genghis Khan or the ancient Mayans expands out constricted understanding of our textbook-based knowledge.
A good review then, I believe, provides not merely new facts and insights into any matter but also new ways of teaching us how we can look at our own lives and environment so that we can have greater impact on the lives of others.
We will always have a slant through which we view things and people; that is a given. A good reviewer, like a true journalist, will strive to be as objective as possible in pointing out the merits and demerits of a particular book. Just because one does not particularly like a book does not mean there are no people who would like to read it or value it. One must then show what the book tries to present to someone who has need for it.
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