The life and times of this blogger......

It has been a while since I've blogged, though I have still been devouring books. I lost a little motivation after a few authors responded negatively to my review of their novel

I had one insinuate that my negative opinion hurt her sales as a new author.  The other, who I beta read for accused me of "quoting out of context" when I specifically noted the location of the quote. She also blasted me because I complained that the story lacked diversity and was slow. The teenage heroine slept a lot. I know in real life some may love to sleep in or stay up late and then sleep all day, but I don't want to read about your character sleeping for thirteen straight hours, even if you're trying to demonstrate that she's depressed. That is snoring for a reader. And, if you have one minor character, towards the end of your book that is ethnic, then your book is not diverse.

I was most offended about the "context" issue, I know that I can be harsh at times , I write reviews for other readers that love books and for writers who genuinely want the truth and can handle it. I also work hard to make sure that the "errors" and complaints that I have are valid and not just stuff I've pulled out of my generous arse. I usually make specific quotes and note where the problem areas are located. If you do not agree, fine, but I have proved my point with facts and not emotions.

That is not to say that I'm never wrong or right. A review is an opinion about a specific work, I'm not critiquing you personally or giving your talents three stars, so please don't take it that way. Nothing on this site is ever going to be personal, this is about finding good reads and sharing them with like minded people, thats all.

Several times I have found myself not liking a specific book, but then loving the next work by the same author. Its all about fit for me; is it the something that fits my interests.

With that said I have to acknowledge that these novels are the authors babies, their sweat and tears, so I admit that I can be a little harsh; that is something that I will work on and as a  grammatically challenged blogger I will forgive most grammar problems from now on.

However, I will demand diversity of characters and interesting stories. This I promise those that visit my blog!

xoxo M.