2016 Book Reports (Issue #3)

Oh, so close. Or, you liked me; you really, really liked me! I was fortunate enough in 2016 to read a LOT of books that I really, really liked. Hence the A- category description. Of course, when you get into the top tier (A-, A, A+) there are so many fine-line distinctions between what makes a book "really good" and what makes it "fantastic" that sometimes it's a little difficult for me to decide which side of the line I'm falling on. I will say that the A+ books (for which you will have to be patient for only two posts longer) really did stand out for me, even as I read them, but we'll talk about that more in detail soon.

2016 Book Reports (Issue #2)

The B+ ("liked it a lot") lot. When I was introduced to BookBub I was pretty sure I'd found book lovers' paradise. I could get a bazillion ebooks if I wanted them, for pennies. A bazillion is a lot of books. Most of the treasures I found last year were parts of various and sundry series. Several of these series feature on today's report, the 12 books I awarded my B+ LIKED IT A LOT grade.

2016 Book Reports (Issue #1)

Disclaimer: A quick note about my "grading scale" (see right). I try to be as objective as possible when I read. But I am a writer, and sometimes I can't help but critique just a little bit. My grading scale is based on my own personal opinion of the book itself, including the writing, story, flow, and even presentation - I mean, really, don't we all agree that an inordinate amount of typos might possibly suggest the book could have used at least one more once-over? I also try not to up-mark a book just because I know or have met the author. I want anyone who reads my books to be honest about what they think, positive or negative. Constructive criticism is a good thing. It makes us better writers. It makes us better, period.

So, as I mentioned in my most recent post, I read 72 books in 2016. In this series of reports, I'll list the books I read and the grades I gave them. You know, in case you're interested.

New Year / New Goals

Seasons of change. Since my last post in 2015, there have been a few major changes in my personal life which, in turn, affected my writing life. In June that year, the WGH made a job/career change that forced us to take a step back and re-evaluate our household budget. We addressed the possibility of leaving what we thought was going to be our forever home. I accepted the idea that I might have to return to work full-time. On the heels of that upheaval, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung and passed away less than two weeks later.

As you can imagine - and I hope understand - I shut down. For quite some time.

Fortunately, by the grace of God, things worked out