Good books deserve attention. Bad books don’t.

That’s why reviews exist.

My goal

To me, reviews have two purposes.

• They give an informed opinion that will help someone decide whether or not to read a book
• If the book is good, they give an author the attention and credit they deserve

Those are my goals.

Thanks to the eBook revolution, the world has become flooded with millions of books. Too many to keep up with. How do you know which ones are worth reading and which ones are a waste of time?

One way is honest reviews.

• What do other people think about the book?
• Why did they like or dislike it?
• What worked and what didn’t?

Reviews answer those questions, and that goes a long way in determining whether someone will decide to pick up a book and read it.

I hope my reviews will do the same for you.

What to expect

One thing I don’t like about reading book reviews is the potential for spoilers. Depending on the book, you may or may not have read it, so if a review contains any major spoilers, I’ll give a heads up.

Most of the time I’ll give an overview, listing what I liked and didn’t like, including thoughts on the plot, setting, and characters.

I’ll try to keep my writer alter ego from surfacing with boring information about how the three-act structure was employed or why the denouement failed to be satisfying.

Book ratings

My system isn’t based on stars or numbers. I decided to be different just for the heck of it. I have a virtual bookcase with three shelves. You can go to Goodreads and see it for yourself.

• Shelf Amazing is reserved for truly admirable books. These blow my mind, stick with me long after I’ve finished reading, and so utterly enthrall me that I don’t want to stop reading.
• Shelf Excellent is for books that don’t soar into awesomeness but are still solid, entertaining reads.
• Shelf Average is for books that are, well…average. (Creative, I know.) This shelf contains the “that-was-okay-but-nothing-compelling” books.

The reviews are my opinions as a reader. Totally subjective. If you happen to have read the book and want to disagree with my conclusion, that’s fine. Please just don’t be rude about it.

I’m a reader. I love to lose myself in a new book. My hope is that my reviews will help you discover new books to enjoy. 🙂