Monday Musings: The Importance of Half Stars in Ratings

Monday Musings is a weekly post in which I talk about whatever I would like to talk about.  Often it's book related.  Sometimes it's not.

Do you get annoyed at not being able to give half stars on Goodreads and other rating sites?  I know it frustrates me.  There is such a big different between a 3 star rating and a 4 star rating, I think.  This is where I tend to use half stars the most.  Because a book might be pretty good--the writing is well-done, the characters are developed, but there's something missing.  Something that doesn't bring it to a four, but it's definitely not a 3, either.

For me, the other numbers are much more concrete and I rarely use half stars elsewhere--but I still do!

For example:
1= There were some major issues with character, plot, or something else.  I finished reading it, but it was really hard to make it through.

2= Some minor issues that made it difficult to want to read it, but I did.  I didn't very much enjoy it, but there wasn't anything terribly wrong.

3= If there are issues, they are minor.  I liked it well enough, but there was something really big missing or not completely developed.

3.5= Well-written overall, but not mind-blowing.  I was interested and intrigued, but not to the point where I couldn't stop.

4=I really really liked this book.  There were so many positive things happening and it kept me engaged throughout.

5= I cannot stop thinking about this book or the characters or the upcoming sequel.  It is sure to be a book that I bring up throughout the years as one that others should read.


Could I just lump that .5 in either the 3 or the 4?  Sure, but I really believe there needs to be a place in between.  Just give us the option!  Come on, Goodreads.  Help us be more accurate in our reviewing and rating.  :)

Mini-Review: A Time to Dance

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman and highly recommend it. Veda, an award winning dancer of traditional Indian Bharatanatyam, is in a horrific accident that leads to having one foot amputated. Dancing is all she has known and now it is taken away from her. However, Veda is fierce and will not go down without a fight. She's just going to have to relearn everything she ever knew about dance and life. Told in verse, Padma Venkatraman paints beautiful images that not only allow you to see the movement of Veda's world, but to hear music as she does, and feel her pain, humiliation, and hope.

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Review: Passenger

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This time traveling adventure will take you through various historical events and destinations as Etta and Nicholas search for a tool that could change their entire lives, both past, present, and future. In order to save her mother, Etta goes in search of the astrolabe, a tool wanted by Cyrus Ironwood who is keeping her mother hostage. Nicholas follows her after being promised his freedom from the Ironwoods if he makes sure Etta follows through on her promise to return it. Neither wants to tell the other the truth, but as they journey through time it becomes harder and harder to keep the truth a secret from one another.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. The pacing was pretty well done as Etta jumps from one time period to the next, following clues her mother left behind. She and Nicholas are thrown into various times that force them to adapt rather quickly, despite not having the right attire or means to acquire them. All while running from evil men chasing them throughout the time periods so they can get to the astrolabe first.

What I didn't like:
The romance between Etta and Nicholas was somewhat contrived. From the very beginning (as soon as they saw one another across a ship) they are taken with each other. And it's not just that they like one another--they are meant to be together. After one look. I wanted there to be some work on either or both of their parts, but it just came too easily. The only problem was that they were from two different time periods and someone would have to leave their time period in order for a relationship to be had.

Will I read the second book?
I haven't' decided yet. Probably. The place in which Alexandra Bracken leaves us, is one in which I must find out the end. Nicholas...I need to see him in Wayfarer after that ending. So many things revealed at the end that I'm going to need some closure here.

Happy Reading!

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Picture Book Review: The Queen of the Frogs

The Queen of the Frogs
Davide Cali and Marco Soma
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2017
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

**I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is available to purchase on March 20, 2017.

In The Queen of the Frogs, a normal, every day frog finds a crown and becomes queen.  But what does that mean?  What does a queen do?  Well her fellow frogs have many ideas about what it means to be queen and so she follows them all and things change for their little community.

The pictures in this book are whimsical and depict the frogs in little outfits, including old fashioned swimming suits, plaid pants, and sweater vests.  The story is also fun as we see the frogs fawning over their new queen in different ways.  The big issue I have with the story is that at the end, they are watching a couple on a bridge (wait, what bridge?).  Apparently the couple used to argue on the bridge (we've seen them before?) but now they are very happy together.  These last two pages threw the entire thing for me because it seemed unnecessary.  I was actually pretty surprised to even see anymore pages because the story seemed to have ended.

So overall I'd say it's a cute read and the pictures are very beautiful, but it's not a must-own for me.  For now, we'll pass on this one, or borrow from the library.

Monday Musings: The Old Lady Who Read YA

Monday Musings is a weekly post in which I talk about whatever I would like to talk about.  Often it's book related.  Sometimes it's not.


I'm 35 years old.  Wait... yes that's correct.  I'm seriously always losing track of exactly how old I am.  No joke.  I just had to think it through to see if I am 35 or 36.  Is it because my birthday is at the end of the year, so I'm subconsciously subtracting the 1981 from the current year, even though my birthday is still 10 months away?  Maybe.  But I digress.

We're here to discuss the Old Lady Who Read YA.  That's me.  Although I really don't consider myself old--at all.  More often than not, I'm struck by the fact that I am an a adult.  And not a just-turn-21-adult, but like a real adult.  I'm even a mom.  I'm in charge of a classroom full of children.  This is all very strange to me.  Who in their right mind would allow someone so young to be so independent?  Oh yeah... I'm 35.

Many people think that means I should be reading "adult" books.  Which I do sometimes--mostly when my husband has teased me enough and I feel the need to prove to him that I can and do read books that are written for teenagers or middle schoolers. When I'm asked what I'm reading, I can see that look that tells me they don't appreciate the greatness of MG and YA reads.  And I also find myself not always able to join in books with other adult readers because I haven't read anything they have recently.

But here's the secret folks:  Middle Grade and YA books are so much better than most adult books.  Seriously!  I mean think about the character development.  Pre-teens and Teens are naturally going through so much change and development that it's almost impossible not to have great character development happening.  I'm not saying that it's easy to write MG and YA books, but that there is so much growth potential.  And as much as I love character development, I also want my book to move along.  The plot has to go somewhere.  Good MG and YA has both strong character development and a plot that pulls you in and makes you stay up all night to see what happens next!

Then there's nostalgia.  I already mentioned above that I don't feel old (well maybe physically sometimes).  I'm not sure if that why I like YA or if it's because I read MG and YA that I feel that way.  Who knows.

Why do you read YA or MG?  Do you go back and forth?  Does it make you feel younger?  Older?

Next week's musing: Half-stars in ratings

Monday Musings: ARCs

Monday Musings is a weekly post in which I talk about whatever I would like to talk about.  Often it's book related.  Sometimes it's not.

People seem to have very strong views about ARCs.  If you're not sure what this means, it stands for "Advanced Reader Copy" and it means that this copy was an advanced release, given out for review purposes before the publishing date.

I have not received any hard copies of ARCs myself.  I don't attend book conferences (I can't afford it and the ones I could "swing" happen during the school year) and I'm not big enough for authors and publishers to reach out to me and offer them.  No big deal.  I'm not blogging to get ARCs.  If I was, I would have quit  by now!

I have, however used NetGalley to get e-ARCs or digital copies of the book, so I got to read a few books before they were published.  Again, my blog isn't popular enough to get flagged for the really popular books.  No biggie.  I found a couple of books that I later bought for my classroom!

However, I haven't read an ARC in ages.  It's been about a year.  Why?  Because there is too much pressure and I needed to back off the pressure.  Pressure? To read?  What?  Yes, pressure.  Because when you accept an ARC, there is the expectation that you will read and review it before publication.  This truly seems fair since you're getting a book for free, right? So there's a deadline and my life gets a little too hectic to have too many deadlines (I have enough deadlines for work!).  Plus, I just wanted to read all these other books that were already out.  What about those? I was missing out on those!  So I gave up on my pursuit of ARCs.  I'm considering going back to Netgalley, but trying to be more selective and only choosing books that have far publishing dates, so that I can read them and review them in time.

What are your thoughts on ARCs?  Do you love them?  Have you ever tried NetGalley or Edelweiss?  Or have you sworn them off?  

Next week's musing: The greatness of MG and YA

Book Excitement!

I am super excited about two books that just arrived!  I spent some very precious reading time re-reading the first books in the series for both of these.  Now I have them both in my hands and I can't read fast enough!

Unfortunately I haven't' finished reading them yet!  I haven't even started...  I'm actually still reading Glass Sword again before I can start King's Cage.  I think I'll go straight to King's Cage because I will NOT be able to stop myself.  Then I'll jump back into The Dark Days Pact.  

The difficult decisions!  

I love books. Just saying.

Have you read either of these series?  What do you think?