Tag: #Reviews

I Used To Take Pride In Finishing Every Book I Started. #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

May 20, 2024

What determines whether or not you finish a book you’re reading? Do you review books you didn’t finish?

I used to take pride in finishing every book I started.

That doesn’t happen anymore. If an author spends the first three chapters of a book describing a world, with paragraph after paragraph of nothing but description of scenery, chances are I won’t wade all the way through. If there are major grammatical and spelling errors, it pushes my buttons. Then there’s terrible storytelling. Many of us have experienced that. I used to ignore everything and skim, not read, all the way to the last page. (No, I won’t be naming names.)

But somewhere along the way, I decided I don’t have time for that. There are so many good books waiting to be to read, why waste my time on bad ones? 

I’ve made exceptions for authors I’ve enjoyed in the past, but the current book doesn’t feed my soul or mind, hoping that it will get better. Or deciding I’ve outgrown an author. This usually happens in a series, when I don’t see any real growth in the characters, and I stop following the story.

Do I write them reviews?

Bad books? In short, no.

I refuse to review books that deserve a one or two star rating. (If I haven’t finished reading them, I won’t review them!) Chances of me writing a three star review are slim. Heck, sometimes I feel bad giving a deserved four stars. I want to encourage other authors, especially indies or those with small presses. Shoot, I worry about pointing out obvious typos in a non-critique setting. (Yes, I hope someone will let me know if I’ve made a typo that has been missed by my editor.)

By the way, I struggle with writing reviews almost as much as I struggle with book blurbs. Yes, I know all I have to say is that I loved the book, but I can’t do it! I have to write more. 

If you follow this blog, you know the drill. This is where I tell you to go check the other authors on this hop by following the links below.

And, as always, please stay safe until the next time!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

What determines whether or not you finish a book you’re reading? Do you review books you didn’t finish?

 

 

Rust On The Allegheny Book Review #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Feb 26, 2024

Write a review for someone else’s book. Now write a review for one of yours.

Disclaimer: I had the pleasure of meeting Corey McCullough at a local book signing event last summer. I bought the book then, but procrastinating reading it until a month ago. The title of the book is what caught my eye. It fits the setting, the area I grew up in, well. I’ve been putting off writing a review for it, so when this prompt came up, it was the perfect opportunity for me to lose some guilt.

Rust on the Allegheny is not my normal genre of book to read. Generational stories often feel disjointed. This book doesn’t.

It didn’t take long for me to get into the story. McCullough found the right starting point, which can be hard to do. I won’t claim that I got sucked into the story and couldn’t put it down, but each time I picked it up again, it was easy to get settled back into the storyline.

The characters and settings felt like coming home—again. Having grown up in the area where the book is set, and having recently returned, I admit to spending time figuring out which local landmarks McCullough was referring to. When I couldn’t place one, it didn’t bother me, because I left the area when I was in my late teens, and I was never part of the local social scene.

It wasn’t just the local landscape that made me enjoy this book. The characters were realistically portrayed, and could have easily been my neighbors if I had stayed in the area. Shoot, now that I am back, they could be the folks down the street or someone I’ve chatted with at a local event. Also, I identified with the struggles of returning to an area that you thought that you’d outgrown.

I’m going to rate this book 5 stars. *****

Now write a review for one of mine.

This may be harder, being honest about something I worked hard on.

I chose Wolves’ Gambit to review, because I recently re-read it in preparation for writing a new book in the Free Wolves series.

This story isn’t your typical wolf shifter story. The protagonist, Lori Grenville, isn’t a brave, tall, dark and handsome alpha wolf-shifter rescuing his fated mate from an immanent life-threatening attack. Instead, she is small, female, and depends on her brains, not her non-existent brawn. There is romance in the book, but it’s muted and not the main theme.

It’s fun to see how Lori manipulates both her friends and enemies to accomplish her goals, and sometimes hard to tell the difference between them. It’s also interesting to follow Lori’s thoughts as she grapples with her own conscience and methods. I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog, and watching her succeed made my day.

If you are a fan of action, friendship and betrayal, and cheering for the underdog, Wolves’ Gambit is the book for you.

Naturally, I rate it 5 stars. *****

What books will the other authors on this hop review? I’m looking forward to finding some new books to add to my to-be-read list. Check out their posts by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Feb 26, 2024

Write a review for someone else’s book. Now write a review for one of yours.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

Welcome to the May edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group  blog hop.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove, Chemist Ken, Lee Lowery, and Nancy Gideon!

May 4 question – It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)

I’ll start with the good stuff. Writing “The End” on a manuscript I’ve fought with for a year. Sure, now comes editing, but at least I can pat myself on the back. Or finding the solution to a plot hole that had been eluding me, or a part of a character’s personality that makes the story stronger.

Then there are the compliments coming from the beta reader. Sure, they are sprinkled with suggestions for improvements, but at least they don’t hate the story. Somedays, that’s all I can ask for.

Maybe the best thing is that first 5-star review left by a fan. Even 4 1/2 stars are enough to lift the spirit. Heck, any review feels like I’ve won a prize. 

What’s the low point? When the book I’ve poured my heart into writing isn’t an instant best seller. In  fact, it barely gets noticed. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Don’t forget to check out the posts from some of the other authors by following the links below.

And, as always, until next time, please stay safe!

 

Stresses and Delights: A Writer’s View #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. This month’s topic:
 
In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?
The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!
 
I’m going to bet that a lot of us are going to answer the first part of the question the same. What stresses me the most? Publicity! Well, publicity in general, social media more specifically.
 
I’m an introvert. I want to spend my times trying to make words sing. But I want people to read those words, so I have to make myself available to my audience. Some days it’s fine, other days I want to crawl into my writing cave and hide away, when I don’t have the mental stretch to skip past yet another Facebook ad.
 
On the other hand, I love doing in-person events where I can talk to people about my books and writing. I may be worn out at the end of the day, but it’ll be a good tired.
 
What delights me? A good review. Heck. almost any review. Knowing that someone cares enough about my story to take their time and share their thoughts with the world is a high compliment. And a 5 Star review can’t be beat. If you’re reading this, go review an author’s book. It doesn’t have to be mine. But hopefully, it’ll be one of the authors on this hop. You can find them in the list below.
 
That’s it for this month. I hope you’ll come back in January. Or sooner, to check out my other blog posts! Anyway, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
What delights me? A good review. Heck, almost any review. Knowin