It Makes A BIG Difference

This post was inspired by a blog post I recently read. Tiny Library is changing its reading and reviewing practices, and so am I.

Instead of sectioning my reviews by ‘the Good, the mmeh okay, and the Best Part,’ I’ve decided to improve this verbiage.

Moving forward, (starting off the New Year a little early), I will structure reviews by providing a one sentence summary, a writing style sketch, a story pacing précis, and my personal highlights along with the potential audience I see really enjoying the story. The change began tonight, starting with my latest reviews.

My aim is to improve the process. Similar to Tiny Library and many others, I too fondly recall a time when I read strictly for pleasure, posting my thoughts nowhere on what I read. There was no self-imposed time-limit on what I read either, save for avoiding late fees imposed by libraries on overdue books.

Today I read and write reviews based on my interest and focus to encourage reading and inspire authors. This wasn’t entirely my initial goal. I started out like some others. You know... following the crowd, except but for one variance perhaps.

It has always been my thing to read only those books I want to read, and write my thoughts on those books that move me. Doing this has not only encouraged people to read who weren’t initially readers, but it has helped me avoid the burn out. Occasionally, and admittedly I sometimes take on more than I should, but in the long run the process has made a big difference in my overall 'reading for pleasure' experience.

Disclaimer: I will resume accepting review requests in 2015. This month will be devoted to finishing a few open projects and pulling together an amazing collection of Top Ten Reading Lists for the year.