Reading is a big part of my life; my favorite area is children's stories, wisdom and beauty are there. The best stories are entertaining for young people and adults. The book is always, always better than the movie.
I try to write something about every book I read; I wish more people did the same—especially if they had issues with a...
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Reading is a big part of my life; my favorite area is children's stories, wisdom and beauty are there. The best stories are entertaining for young people and adults. The book is always, always better than the movie.
I try to write something about every book I read; I wish more people did the same—especially if they had issues with a book. The personal perspective is helpful. What I write isn't intended to be a review, or an analysis of the book. If I do it right, I convey how the story made me feel, what it made me think about, or what I learned. Which brings me to ratings. Three stars means the book was good and worth reading. I save four stars for books that were most enjoyable and touched me in some way—not necessarily books that are intense page turners, you just can't have intense all the time or it becomes common. Life is a journey, I try to enjoy the trip rather than rush to the destination; I like books that take me on a journey. Five stars are for books that say something profound, or that I really lose myself in and go happily along for the ride. On the other hand, two stars means I did not enjoy the book and would only recommend it with reservations that, hopefully, I explain in my comments. If I really didn't like a book, if it was irritating, annoying, or distasteful it gets one star.
Three areas I don't like are vampires, zombies, and the gritty side of reality. There's enough grit in real life. I read to be inspired by an author's skill at using words to develop a story—even an unpleasant story—in a noble way. I read to be inspired, and to be uplifted by the idea that we can rise above the crude and base; I don t want to wallow in it.
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