Perhaps A Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down System Would Help?

With Chip McGrath stepping down from his position as editor of the venerable New York Times Sunday Book Review, there is an opportunity for the new editor to finally make some much-needed changes to the section, writes Alex Beam. “Books are fun and interesting to read, but the Sunday Book Review is neither… Too often the reviews read like book reports, cooked up using a predictable formula: summarizing the book, inserting some praise, perhaps ending with a guarded reservation or two, carefully phrased so as not to offend… [Furthermore,] the review hardly ever helps you answer the key question: Should I spend $26 on this book?”