This blog is a hobby. I do occasionally accept complimentary books from authors or publishers for review. I am most interested in high-quality science fiction, horror, and suspense. I generally do not read or review romance, Christian fiction, mysteries, and young adult. Please contact me first to determine whether the book is one I would be interested in reviewing. 

After careful consideration, I have decided not to accept self-published books for review. While I think there is much to improve in the traditional publishing system, I believe that the editorial and design roles offered by publishers are vital to creating a readable book. Publishers also perform a gateway function in choosing which books they want to invest in, so that the quality is generally higher than that of self-published books.

I am not claiming that all self-published books are unreadable. I have read a few that I have enjoyed very much. But as I read in my spare time, I don’t have time to wade through all the self-published books now available in order to highlight the gems. I actually think this is a role I would enjoy, if I had the time available, which would mean that my reviews would have to support me. That is currently not the situation, and that doesn’t seem like it will change anytime soon. (Full disclosure: I do review self-published books for a major book review magazine and website, for which I review one book per week, but I must keep those reviews anonymous and cannot republish them on this site.)

Because I update this blog in my spare time, I cannot promise to have a review posted by any specific date. I do attempt to read review copies in a timely fashion.

I cannot promise that any book will be reviewed positively. I strive to post honest reactions to the books I read. Positive reactions result in a full review on this blog. A less positive review will probably get a much shorter notice. I will repost my review, whether positive or negative, on my LibraryThing page. I may also repost reviews on other websites, if applicable. I reserve the right to discontinue reading any review book and to not post a review of the book if I find the book to be unsatisfactory for any reason.

– Shannon (shannon.turlington @ gmail.com)