Book Review Cliches

Critical Mass, the blog of National Book Critics Circle board of directors, recently interviewed Tom Walker, book editor of the Denver Post. Among other topics, he talked about book-reviewing cliches that get the delete button, and Critical Mass followed up with another post on phrases to avoid. Oops. I'm guilty of having employed at least two of them:  "limns" (when I used to review theater) and "laugh out loud."  Oh, dear.  I would also add "muscular prose" to the Critical Mass list. Ew. Are there any cliches that you would add to the list?

Links to the Critical Mass posts [edited to update earlier information]
"The War Against Cliche"
"The Critical I: Six Questions for Tom Walker"

Comments

[web]

I hate reading criticisms of book reviewers, it's invariably horribly embarrassing!

[Susan]

Exactly!

[Walter]

Susan, here are the permalinks: http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2006/08/war-against-cliche.html>cliches Walker hates and http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2006/08/critical-i-six-questions-for-tom.html>6 questions.

[Susan]

Walter, thank you! I have corrected my copy.

[Leila]

Oh god. I suck.

[Susan]

Ha. No way, Leila.

[Michele]

Does the "Dance of Reviewing Joy" - not one single cliche on that list has ever appeared in any of my reviews...