When I first began, I never intended this blog to include book reviews. After all, what did I have to offer? What would make my point of view relevant to others?
No, this site was a place to experiment with the internet and social networking, a place to comment periodically on my journey to become a published author. At the time, I was new to the online romance community, still trying to figure out what and who and where romance-fiction-minded folk participated, and how I –severe introvert that I am –could lurk. And maybe participate. But mostly I wanted to learn from you wonderful folk.
I found some very entertaining and educational sites here in RomanceLand. And, to my surprise, I discovered that I wasn’t so very usual after all. My family likely still thinks that I am, but that’s a blog for another day.
Then I went to my first RWA conference last summer in Washington, DC. And the publishers and authors there gave me some wonderful new books. A LOT of wonderful new books. Since I’d been submersed in the writing world, I learned first and foremost how very important the marketing aspect of this business is. A surprising amount is driven by word of mouth. And online review.
So, I wanted to do my part to help authors promote their books. I like to read –a lot. And I now had all of these shiny new books. And a blog I didn’t post to often. After thirty years (shhh! I began reading as an infant, of course!) of reading romance, I had an opinion about what I read. I frequently use the reviews of others to try new authors, so why not pay in forward, so to speak?
OK, so I decided to begin reviewing. What, exactly, was the best way to review a book? I could write an opinion piece, sure (I better be able to, if I think I’m a writer!) but how does one go about scoring books from a reader’s perspective? Some blogs use a 5-star scale, others use a 100-point scale, and still others use the ole’ A-B-C-etc grading scale I remember form school. I considered each of them, and struggled with how to objectively rate a book using these scales. They seem so very… subjective. Yes, yes, I realize all reviews are subjective, but who am I to judge a book an ‘A’ or a ‘C+’. What makes it a ‘+’ and not a straight ‘C’? What makes a book a 3-star instead of a 4-star?
Then it dawned on me that what I’m really doing is simply sharing a recommendation about a book. And I realized that I could treat a book review on this blog just the way I would treat a book recommendation to a friend. I either recommended it or I didn’t. Easy-peasy!
So, when you read reviews on this site, you’ll find a pretty simple system of ratings:
Highly Recommended = I think folks really need to read this book.
Recommended = I liked it pretty well and would loan it to a friend.
Not For Me = I would not recommend the book to others.
That’s it. I hope other readers find the reviews helpful!
What Isabella Desires


