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:  464 pages Publisher:  St. Martin's Press (January 7, 2020) Language:  English ISBN-10:  1250306140 ISBN-13:  978-1250306142 “ They call themselves the Vindicators. Targeted by bullies and pressured by parents, these geeks and gamers rule the computer lab at Turner High School. Wealthy bad boy Peter makes and breaks rules. Vanhi is a punk bassist at odds with her heritage. Kenny's creativity is stifled by a religious home life. Insecure and temperamental, Alex is an outcast among the outcasts. And Charlie, the leader they all depend on, is reeling from the death of his mother, consumed with reckless fury. They each receive an invitation to play The God Game. Created by dark-web coders and maintained by underground hackers, the video game is controlled by a mysterious artificial intelligence that believes it is God. Obey the almighty A.I. and be rewarded. Defiance is punished. Through their phone screens and hi...

MY REVIEW Paperback:  350 pages Publisher:  Griffin (October 15, 2019) Language:  English ISBN-10:  1250312620 ISBN-13:  978-1250312624 A heartwarming Christmas story filled with the magic and miracles of the holiday season by  USA Today  Bestselling author, Nancy Naigle. “ Growing up, Liz Westmoreland dreamed of taking over her grandparents’ inn located in the small mountain town of Antler Creek only for it to be sold before she ever got the chance. While browsing the internet, she stumbles upon a listing for what looks to be the picturesque inn and it’s set to go to auction. Liz places a bid, and by a miracle, wins the auction. But when she gets there, she finds the property in significant disrepair. When Matt Hardy narrowly lost the inn and property that butted his land, he just hoped it wasn't another city slicker coming to make matters worse after the previous owners gutted the place for an art gallery. But ...