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:  368 pages Publisher:  Celadon Books (August 20, 2019) Language:  English ISBN-10:  1250317991 ISBN-13:  978-1250317995 “ In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town. After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank. But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night. Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he ...

MY REVIEW Paperback:  350 pages Publisher:  Revell (May 21, 2019) Language:  English ISBN-10:  0800735226 ISBN-13:  978-0800735227 “ After four years with her boyfriend, Cadie McCaffrey is thinking of ending things. Convinced Will doesn't love her in the "forever" way she loves him, Cadie believes it's time for her to let him go before life passes her by. When a misunderstanding leads to a mistake, leaving her hurt, disappointed, and full of regret, she finally sends him packing. But for Will, the end of their relationship is only the beginning of his quest to figure out how to be the man Cadie wanted him to be. With the dubious guidance of his former pro-athlete work friends and tactics drawn from Cadie's favorite romantic comedies, Will attempts to win her back. It's a foolproof plan. What could possibly go wrong ?” Thank you to JustRead Tours and Revell Books for providing me with a complimentary copy to review. A positi...

MY REVIEW Paperback:  448 pages Publisher:  Simon & Schuster; Anniversary Edition (June 27, 2017) Language:  English ISBN-10:  9781501169731 ISBN-13:  978-1501169731 “ The sensational biography of Princess Diana, written with her cooperation and now featuring exclusive new material to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death. When  Diana: Her True Story  was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy. Greeted initially with disbelief and ridicule, the #1 New York Times bestselling biography has become a unique literary classic, not just because of its explosive contents but also because of Diana’s intimate involvement in the publication. Never before had a senior royal spoken in such a raw, unfiltered way about her unhappy marriage, her relationship with the Queen, her extraordinary life inside the House of Windsor, her hopes, her fears, and her dreams. Now, t...

MY REVIEW Mass Market Paperback:  352 pages Publisher:  Avon; First Printing edition (July 31, 2001) Language:  English ISBN-10:  0380818736 ISBN-13:  978-0380818730 “ The reckless heir to the Horseshoe Club fortune, fifty-five-year-old Vegas casino boss Ted Binion lived the high life constantly teetering on the edge — surrounding himself with guns, heroin, cash, babes and mobsters. But it was a beautiful ex-stripper and her new lover who gave him the final, fatal push over the side. The gripping true story of the fall of a powerful man that culminated in the most publicized murder in Las Vegas history — an almost perfect crime undone by the unbelievable greed of its perpetrators — Jeff German's Murder in Sin City is a stunning account of human deterioration and depravity, a neon-tinged view of the poisonous rot that festers beneath the Vegas glitter .” ** For those looking for a book about real emotions, actual relationships, ...