Reviews

Book's plot without spoilers
Literary highlights (comments on writing craft)
Finally, just gotta say (thoughts on theme, character, great moments)


FIRST...I LOVE ARCs!  If you want to send one along, please email me via the "contact me" page link, above.  YA fiction only, please.
 
NEXT...You should know that I don't "rate" novels in my reviews. As a writer, I know how difficult it is to get a novel out into the world.  It is a journey that begins with writing and revising, then submitting to agents and then publishing houses, then more revisions with your editor. Finally (probably after years), your book hits shelves for folks of all persuasions and agendas to read.  Some will love it; some will hate it.  Some will be enthusiastic; others will be brutal.  Few will stop to reflect on how close those pages are to your heart.  Nor should they. The book should stand on its own merits.  Absolutely.  Still, as one currently on the road to publication, I am not comfortable being a formal critic. If I don't honestly like a book, or at least find elements that make it worth a read, I will not mention the title on my blog.  (Be assured that I read plenty of books I just quietly return to the library without blog comment.)  If I discuss a book here, it's because I enjoyed it and/or learned from it.   But I will provide neither ratings nor scores, though I do appreciate the honest, hard-working book bloggers and critics who analyze novels in these ways.  It's just not for me. For these same reasons, I do not use the star system available on Goodreads, though I do maintain a library there.

I hope you'll find some value in the reviews I write, especially my "literary highlights" feature for those interested in the craft of writing.  Happy reading to all!
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