Becky's Book Reviews: Ecstatic for David Cook's Win!!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ecstatic for David Cook's Win!!!

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Becky's Review Policy

Becky's Book Reviews is happy to accept review copies (books and audiobooks) from authors and publishers. My policy has always been that I review everything that I finish. If I read it, I review it. (I do strive for honesty in my reviews. If you don't want my honest opinion of a book, then don't ask me to review it. If you ask for feedback, feedback is what you're going to get.) By receiving a review copy, I am not guaranteeing that I will review it. But if I finish it, I will. If you are interested, please send me an email at laney_po AT yahoo DOT com or blaney1129 AT gmail DOT com.

Authors, publishers. I am interested in interviewing authors and participating in blog tours. (All I ask is that I receive a review copy of the author's latest book beforehand so the interview will be productive. If the book is part of a series, I'd like to review the whole series.) Contact me if you're interested.

For the record, I'm interested from hearing from independent, small publishers as well. I give each book an honest evaluation. The size of the publishing company doesn't sway me when I'm reading or reviewing a book. The quality of the writing is the only thing that matters to me.

Do I review self-published books?

The answer is maybe. I'm not automatically opposed to reviewing self-published books on the basis that they're self-published. However, they're not necessarily my top priority either. They'll be placed in with my stack of TBR books. I choose what I read based on mood. A *good* book cover can influence my mood. And self-published titles rarely have "read me, read me" covers. So they may not be my first choice, my easy choice. However, I do not judge a book by its cover. If I pick up a book to read it, I go by the fifty page rule. If you can hook me by page 51, then you've got a great chance of having your book appear on Becky's Book Reviews. This doesn't mean that it will be a positive review. One that is gushing. One that is praising. I may be enthusiastic. Or I may point out the good sides as well as pointing out the bad sides. I'll treat it fairly. I'll mention what works and doesn't work for me. But if I really super-hate a book and feel that it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, I won't go past the fifty page mark. I won't review it. This fifty-page rule isn't just for self-published titles. It's for everyone. Every book. I just don't have the time to spend...if I'm not interested by that point...chances are you won't want to read what I have to say. So I look for quality. So if I have any prejudices when it comes to self-published books, it's a matter of when I read them. You might send me a book, and it might take months for me to pick it up to give it that fifty-page test. Some weeks I receive five to ten books in the mail. Other weeks, I might receive fifty or sixty. So in a given month, I might have twenty or thirty new titles to look at...or over a hundred to look at. If you've sent me a book, chances are it's in the holding pile. It's patiently or not so patiently waiting for its moment to be read. On an average week, I read ten books. On a really good week, I might get to fifteen or twenty. I've got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books waiting to be read. I haven't forgotten your book. Really. I've just got a lot to catch up on. Sending me emails asking about when I'll get to a specific book may work for you, or it may completely backfire. I've had it work. But not so in other cases. It's risky using friendly pressure. What is a good idea, is sending me one email asking if I've received the book. It has happened at least a half-a-dozen times that the book has gotten lost in the mail. I've never received it in the first place.

Becky's Ratings Explained

1 Star -- I finished it. That's about the only good thing I can say about it. It's over.
2 Stars -- Enjoyable in a few places. But had some flaws or quirks that annoyed me. Not hideous. But more frustrating than satisfying.
2.5 Stars -- Enjoyable in more than a few places. Yet something was missing that kept me from really enjoying this one. Almost but not quite.
3 Stars -- A good, solid, nice, enjoyable read. A respectable rating. The norm. Nothing to be ashamed about. A book I'd be happy to recommend to others.
3.5 Stars -- Overall a nice read, but there were a few special places that made it "pop." A character here or there. Or a unique plot twist. A clever phrase. A book that whenever it comes up you think, "Oh, I liked that one. It was fun."
3.75 Stars -- A good book. An enjoyable book. One that I enjoyed reading, and often didn't want to put it down. A book that at the time you're reading it seems really good. But that usually simmers down to just plain "good" in a few weeks or a few months.
4 Stars -- Now we're talking really good. Beginning to merge into outstandingly good. The book is definitely one I'm wanting to recommend. Pure pleasure to read. Satisfying. Left you happy and wanting more.
4.5 Stars -- A book that was not only good--but was great. A book that leaves you with a lot of adjectives. It might be "Powerful" or "Memorable" or "Authentic" or "Incredible." But it is a book that makes an impact on you. You want to talk about it. You want to write about it. You want to share the joy and spread the love.
5 Stars -- The wowiest of the WOW. A book that you can't just believe is that good, that perfect. We're talking books that are practically perfect in every way. Books that you want to reread again and again. OR else books that while you might not reread, the experience was so intense that you're never going to forget it. The characters. The story. It's a part of you. These are books that you keep talking about, keep thinking about long after you've read them.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ecstatic for David Cook's Win!!!

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