Reading Excursions

About my Reviews … After a recent email from an author about one of my reviews; and trust me, it was a doozy of one – the email, not the review; I wanted to step aside and revisit how I write my reviews and where I get the ratings I do.    I previously discussed this in the following blogs:    https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html (this is always included with a review at the bottom so anyone reading the blog can see why I gave the rating I did)   As well as https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-i-write-my-book-reviews.html   There are times a negative experience can be a learning tool or point. This is one such moment. The email or the review? Both actually.   To understand my reviews. It should be asked:    Who is a review for? The reader? Potential reader? Authors & publishers?   Good question. This is up for a LOT of debate, and there is NO real answer to define...

[Personal Rating System - 2020] As we head into a new year, and a new decade … and for me, new territory as a blogger (serious one at that, or rather trying to be) … I’d like to do something different this year with my book reviews. While Goodreads, Bookbub, and Amazon have their own rating system – I wanted to do my own thing with rating books when it came to my blog. Goodreads has the following criteria when it comes to rating books: 1 star – Did not like 2 stars – It was OK 3 stars – Liked it 4 stars – Really liked it 5 stars – It was amazing! Compared to Amazon and Bookbub, this is a much better scale. But, at times it makes it a bit difficult to properly and adequately rate a book. Some books fall into the “HALF” stars. They’re in between for one reason or another. And, Bookbub has an even more basic rating criteria when it comes to rating books: 1 star – Bad [ While it provides "key words", and a place to...

MY REVIEW Hardcover:  272 pages Publisher:  Thomas Nelson (February 12, 2019) Language:  English ISBN-10:  1400208122 ISBN-13:  978-1400208128 Click Picture for Purchase Information “ New York Times  Bestseller: The moving, entertaining, never-before-told story of how one man found his calling: to see that those who defend this country and its freedoms are never forgotten. "The book is called Grateful American, and I promise you after you read it you will be grateful for what Gary has accomplished and contributed to our country." -- Clint Eastwood As a kid in suburban Chicago, Gary Sinise was more interested in sports and rock 'n' roll than reading or schoolwork. But when he impulsively auditioned for a school production of West Side Story, he found his purpose--or so it seemed.  Within a few years Gary and a handful of friends created what became one of the most exciting and important new theater compani...

Good question. I know – they’re wordy  🤦🏻‍♀️ Sometimes they’re too wordy for some retail sites – Barnes & Noble, Christian Book, Books A Million … so I’ve had to whittle them down to bare bones which isn ’ t easy. So, why I am wordy? In short? To cover what the book is about, my feelings on the book – characters, story line, length – those things. For me a review is much like a book report. * What is the book about? * What do you like about the book? * What do you dislike about the book? * How did you relate (or not) to the characters? * Why did you choose the book * What drew you to the book? * Are you familiar with the author and if so – how does it compare to previous works? * Where could the author have expanded and/or what could the author have left out? * How did the book make you feel? * Recommending the book – why or why not? Allotting 50 words to each question can get into 400+ words easily. That’s prett...