Reviews

Reviews

I started this blog on my own accord due to my love of books and desire to read, write, and talk to other people about the books I love.  As a new blogger, most of my reviews are from books I've won, bought, rented from the library, or traded with a friend.  That doesn't mean I'm not open to reviewing authors and publishers books.  I just haven't had the opportunity just yet.  I generally read young adult fiction (including fantasy), mysteries, chick-lit, and most other adult fiction (excluding horror and erotica).  If you would like a book reviewed, you are welcome to contact me (please put review or something of the sort in the title so I be sure to notice it).  I do have a full time job, but I will attempt to make reviewed books a priority.  That being said, everyone please be aware that I give completely honest reviews on my blog.  I accept that these are my opinions and honest feelings.  I give others a right to disagree with me.  I only ask that if you disagree publicly, you do so respectfully, as I feel that everyone has the right to their opinion.

Rating System:
 
The one major thing I dislike about having my blog is my feeling of needing to have a review system.  Picking a rating on a book is one of my stressful points when typing a post.  I can type of hours on the particular book, but ask me to pick a rating, it almost kills me.  So I decided to post a page regarding my rating system.  I personally consider myself a hard rater, because I feel that books rated the same should be of the same caliber, even if I like different books for different reasons.  I always try to post why I picked a rating and who I would recommend the book for.  So, here is a list of different books I've rated at different ratings and what these ratings mean to me.

  • 5 - A perfect 5 means a perfect book in my opinion.  These are the books that I absolutely adore and consider amongst my favorite books.  I often reread these books over and over again, to a continued enjoyment.  These books I will think about for days to come and probably speak with my sister, family, friends, and anyone who listens about them.  It is rare that I rate a book a perfect 5, for in my opinion perfectly wonderful books are hard to find.
    • North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
    • Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
    • Persuasion - Jane Austen
    • The Host - Stephanie Meyer
    • The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
    • My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Piccoult
    • Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
    • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows  - J. K. Rowlings
    • To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  • 4 - A 4 rating in my opinion is an awesome book.  These are books I greatly enjoyed reading and will probably recommend to many different people.  A 4 is a wonderful rating for me, and it generally means that it was a great book but had one or two flaws that kept it from the 5 shelf.  I often consider these books among my favorites as well, but they may not be books I could reread over and over and over again like 5 books.  A 4 means that I will check out the next book the author writes and will gladly pick up the next in the series.
    • The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy
    • She's Gone Country - Jane Porter
    • Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles 
    • Middlesex - Jeffery Eugenides
    • Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
    • Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
    • New Moon - Stephanie Meyer
    • The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
    • Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs
    • Evermore - Alysson Noel
  • 3 - A 3 book is a book that I liked.  Often times I even enjoyed reading it, read it fast, and possibly recommended it to others.  But it means that I only liked it.  I did not love it; it wasn't a favorite.  I probably will make a limited recommendation, and I generally don't read these books over again.  I rarely think of these books a couple of days later.
    • Atonement - Ian McEwan
    • Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
    • Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz
    • The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
    • The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin
    • The Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan 
  • 2 - A 2 generally means that I did not enjoy this book.  These books are books that I got frustrated with for one reason or another.  I might not have liked the plot, hated the writing, got annoyed with the character, etc.  And generally these books did not have enough redeeming qualities to have me enjoy the book.
    • One Reckless Summer - Toni Blake
    • On the Steamy Side - Louisa Edwards
  • 1 - A 1 means I actually hated the novel.  Most often I only give 1s for books I absolutely hated or did not finish.  I honestly don't have any examples for this rating because I don't have any ones on my Goodreads account.
Ultimately, I am aware that rating systems are opinionated and personal.  I hope that this explanation has helped you understand why I rate books what I do and what types of books I enjoy.  I absolutely hate giving bad ratings - it is against my personal desire to be nice (and a people pleaser).  But I try to be completely honest in my reviews.  Now you can understand what different ratings mean to me and decipher if you will enjoy a book based on my scale.
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