Blog Changes and Bookworm Rating Explained

It's May, and we survived the A to Z Challenge!

I have decided to make a few changes in this blog. Between here and my other blog, I was posting six to eight times a week. Since I want to amp up my writing speed, I've decided to start blogging on Mondays and Wednesdays only.

So what does that mean here?

Instead of Monday - Book Review, Tuesday - Teaser Tuesdays, and Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday, I will now have Monday - Book Review/Teasers and Wednesday - Hook Me.

It also looks like I might occasionally have two book reviews on Monday. I've overbooked, so to speak, and I want to get reviews out there in time for the books to come out.

What's "Hook Me"?

Hook Me posts will be my impressions on a book's sample pages. I will have the first line of the book and last line read. Then, I'll give my short impressions, and then whether or not I would keep reading (Yes, No, or Maybe). I have a massive to-read list, and I thought this would give me a chance to weed out my to-read list a bit. I'm getting the samples from Amazon, since it is easy to send a sample to my Kindle Fire HD.

Also, you may notice that I give a lot of five bookworms. It's because I genuinely enjoy most books I read. I know I don't have to explain my ratings, but I thought I would.

Five Bookworms: I loved the book. The characters and story kept me coming back when I set the book down, or I didn't want to set the book down at all and neglected things I needed to do in order to keep reading. Sometimes the characters and plot keep me thinking about them even after I finish the book. I usually read five bookworm books fast, but it's not always the case (sometimes I only catch 15 minutes here and there to read). If I can't wait to get back to the book, then it'll be a five bookworm book.

Four Bookworms: I really liked the book. I wanted to keep reading the book, but when I put it down, sometimes I thought about it and other times I didn't. The plot and characters are intriguing, but perhaps there are a few things I thought felt off about them. Perhaps I skim a little here and there, especially if there are lengthy passages of description. In the end, I'm glad I read the book, but I didn't love it as much as a five bookworm book.

Three Bookworms: I liked the book. Some parts of the book may be slow. I tend to struggle to read some of these or skim large sections of the book to get the gist of what's happening, so I can get to the good parts. Perhaps I didn't relate to a main character as much as I would have liked or thought the book could've been better. When I'm not reading the book, I'm not anxious to get back to it. Sometimes a book just isn't as well-written, although I've given three stars to a well-written book that just didn't resonate with me as the reader.

Two and one bookworms, you'll never see on here. Why? I've made it a point to not finish reading a two or one bookworm book, and I don't review books I haven't finished (i.e. Hook Me posts are not really real reviews, since I'm just tasting the book). There are too many good books out there for me to waste time on something I'm not enjoying.

How do you rate your books? Are you cutting back on blogging a bit after A-Z?

Blog Changes in 2012

Hello, everyone!

Since the new year is rapidly approaching, I've decided to evaluate the blog and make some changes.

First, I will add ratings to reviews.
Three bookworms = I liked it! 
Four bookworms = I really liked it! 
Five bookworms = I loved it! 
Pretty simple, right? Also, I will not review something that is one or two stars. Why? I only review books I've finished reading, and I do not finish books that would get a one or two star. There are too many books out there to read and not enough time to read them, so I won't spend time reading a book that is at the one or two star level.

Second, I am adding genres and Goodreads links to my book reviews in 2012. Also, instead of the purchase links page, I have linked the books to my review of them on this blog. I have chosen not to link to purchase pages for the most part because I want everyone to have a chance to choose where they want to purchase the book rather than send them to a specific page.

Third, my blogging schedule is changing slightly.
Mondays - Books Released This Week
Tuesdays - Teaser Tuesdays (A Meme created by MizB at Should Be Reading)
Wednesday - A Book Review
Thursdays - Important Information/Interviews/Giveaways/Etc.
For the most part, I will not blog Friday-Sunday. Schedule is subject to change, and this blog will be participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April, so stay tune to promotional opportunities in February.

I review every book I read. I believe it is important to spread the word, and I have a LONG list of books I want to read. At this time, Surrounded by Books Reviews is closed indefinitely to unsolicited reviews. What this means is if I've never heard of you before, it is unlikely I'll review your book if you just email me about it. I will be on the lookout for books I want to request to read and review as well as will take reviews from authors I've previously reviewed. I will likely open up to review requests sometime in 2012, but I don't know when or how long yet.

Tomorrow I will look back on my top ten reads of 2011.

Blog Changes Starting in September

First off, don't forget to sign up for the Favorite Summer Reads Blogfest. You'll get to tell people of your favorite summer read and have a chance to win some cool books.

Since August is this blog's one year blogoversary, I've decided to add some content to it starting in September. The new blog schedule will be:

Mondays: New Releases Week - Books I've noticed that are coming out that week. If you have a book coming out and want me to announce it, click here for the form.

Wednesdays: Reviews - I'll put up a new book review. If you have a book coming out and would like me to consider reviewing your book, please click here. Keep in mind that I'm not accepting new review books until September.

Fridays: Interviews - These will be occasional, but I'm hoping to have interviews from the authors whose books I review. Plus, a giveaway here and there will be nice. These will occur on Fridays.

I do have a few reviews scheduled for non-Wednesdays due to release dates and such, but in general, we'll stick to the schedule.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.