Announcing a New Column: Book Reviews!

Starting next month, I’m going to add another column to my blog to review the books I read. I'm not sure yet whether I'll post reviews weekly or bi-weekly or once a month, but I've already got some lined up that I think you'll enjoy, so we'll see how it goes. First, though, let me explain the way my reviews will work.

Stars: scale of 1 to 5

• 1 = inappropriate or extremely badly written. Don’t touch it!
• 2 = badly written or with mildly inappropriate content
• 3 = enjoyable. May have minor content issues or flaws in the writing.
• 4 = well-written and a good read
• 5 = an amazing book that delivers a punch. Read this! 
• I may occasionally include an “all-time-favorites” mark on those rarest-of-the-rare favorite books that have impacted me for life.

Teaser: A bit about the book, whether an excerpt or just a description.

Age level: All ages? Preteens and up? Teens and up? Mid-teens and up (15+)? Late teens and up (17+)? [To be supplemented with plenty of personal discretion]

Violence: scale of 0 to 5

• 0 = none
• 1 = mild injuries appropriate for all ages
• 2 = PG-level violence that's a minor theme in the book
• 3 = somewhat more intense violence that plays a major role in the story
• 4 = a lot of violence and death of a PG-13 nature
• 5 = R-level violence

Romance: scale of 0 to 5

• 0 = none
• 1 = there's a hint of romance at a PG level
• 2 = romance is minor but present (for instance, one kiss at the end of the story)
• 3 = romance is a major theme of the story but is appropriate for teens
• 4 = PG-13 level romance (for mature teens)
• 5 = R-level romance (for adults)

Language: scale of 0 to 5

• 0 = none
• 1 = replacement swear words
• 2 = "soft" swear words that are at a PG-level
• 3 = two or three instances of real swear words
• 4 = swearing repeatedly
• 5 = PG-13 or R-level profanity

Christian worldview: Any content to be aware of in the story, whether conflicts with faith or places where the book affirms Christianity?

My Personal Opinion: My thoughts on the book’s strengths and weaknesses. No spoilers (because I hate seeing those “spoiler alert” stuff in posts; it always makes me want to read the spoiler!).

I hope you enjoy this addition to the blog! Let me know if there’s a book (fantasy or not) that you’d like to see reviewed.