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Back in the old days, the editors writing product reviews at Amazon used to pay extra attention to their first 25 words. The review might be several paragraphs in total but those first two dozen words were what showed up in search results or promotional spots and they needed to be punchy and clickable.

I was never an editor at Amazon but my friends were, and I was taken with this idea. Talking about it over drinks one night I started drafting a review of the latest book I’d read on a cocktail napkin. It was like a puzzle! Twenty-five words isn’t very many — but it can be enough. You have to carefully parse down your wording and distill your thoughts as much as possible and you can convey not only your overall feelings but often a few key pieces of information.

I have a terrible memory, so I like the concept of reviewing my reading if only to remind myself what I liked or didn’t like about a book, but I find writing complete reviews for all of the books I read overwhelming. A 25-word book review seemed like the perfect solution.

Since this is just my little game, I make up the rules. But I keep it simple: every book I read gets a review of precisely 25 words. That’s it. Just one rule.

Here are some examples:

God of the Woods by Liz Moore: I was up late racing to find out what happened to Barbara Van Laar after she went missing in the woods at her family’s estate/summer camp.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith: I want to write like Maggie Smith. The words flow so smoothly that they hypnotize you into this beautiful heart-wrenching story without you even knowing.

Group by Christie Tate: A deliciously voyeuristic look into an unconventional group therapy and the juicy details in the ups and downs of the author’s search for meaningful connection.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro: This book surprised me. It starts out as a typical suburban drama but then all of the sudden turns magical, in the best possible way.

To find my #25wordbookreviews, just click on the link below. Now go write your own!