Yes, I Read... A Lot; So Give Me A Good Review

I didn't start out as an avid reader. In fact, I didn't really start reading extensively until I fell in love with romance novels as a teenager. I babysat for a woman who belonged to some of those book clubs that send you a selection of books each month. This wonderful woman would lend me all her books! It wasn't long before I found myself staying up all hours of the night and even reading until sunrise if the book was really good. My favorite type of book was a good combination romance and mystery.

As the years have gone by I have changed a little in my preferred genres, but not much. I still like a good romance but with a little paranormal or fantasy thrown in for good measure. I still like a good mystery and have even gone for a great thriller. My latest tastes have added historical fiction at times. What I don't read much is non-fiction unless it's about gardening/homesteading.

There are so many great books out there and even at 100 books per year - my current annual goal on Goodreads - I could not hope to read every book I might like before I die.

So what's a girl to do? You've heard "Don't judge a book by its cover."? Yet that is exactly what I used to do. I also chose a book by the  little blurb on the back. It was a rather hit-or-miss method. I would search for books by authors I knew I liked and hope I'd get lucky. These days with the advent of the internet and e-books I can narrow down my choices. (On the flip side, due to a number of books being self-published, there are so many more books to choose from.)

One method I use to pick a book - I judge a book by the price. A good author will be priced at about $7.99 and up with a new release selling for $13.99. That can get expensive. Online libraries help, but they don't have ALL the books I want to read. One of these days I may have to go back to the local library and read a paper book again.

In the meantime, I give a lot of free books a look which means I read the way I eat - I can't afford steak every day either. I've gotten lucky a few times, but usually I have to lower my exacting standards. To keep from wasting too much time on inexpensive or free books, I read reviews. If a book rates less that 3 stars on Goodreads, I don't bother.

Now I'm getting to the main reason I thought of this blog subject - reviews. Do you know the difference between a review and a book report? A book report was an assignment given in school in which you wrote a short description of a book you read as proof you really read the book. Sometimes a sadistic teacher would make you share it in class. A review is stating your opinion of a book. It may contain editorial critiques and how the story affected you. A review is NOT a book report! It is NOT a synopsis! If I want a synopsis of the book, I will refer to the one provided by the author/publisher.

I want to know if a book I'm considering is worth my time. So don't tell me about your terrible day at work or some other unrelated information like your political affiliation. Give me your honest opinion of the book and I'll decide. So keep the reviews coming and I may read a book you recommend.