Book Blogger Posts Round Up

A collection of blog posts by book bloggers

This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Looking for new bookish content to read? Want to discover some new book bloggers to follow? Look no further!

I introduced this new feature here on the blog in May to showcase blog posts by other book bloggers. I'll be linking up a variety of blog posts so hopefully there will be something to suit all tastes.

The following posts were submitted for inclusion in this round up via my Twitter, where I asked for posts. I'll be continuing to do this every month.

Why?

Because I like reading blog posts by other book bloggers and thought you might too. Finding the time to scan through various social media feeds to find suitable content can take up valuable time though and so I figured I'd make it easier and put together a collection here on the blog.

My plan is to include a wide variety of content so there's something for everyone. You'll find book reviews, interviews, discussion pieces and more...

Want to be included in future round ups? Follow my Twitter profile and keep an eye out for the submission tweet.

You might also like: Book Reviews: Star Rating Systems for Books

November 2021 Book Blogger Round Up

@LadyInReadvt gave a fun list of Things Bibliophiles Do When Someone Says They “Hate” Reading.

@BiblioNerdRflxn did The Last 10 Books Tag answering questions about books e.g. Last Book I Gave Up On, Last Book That I Had Signed, Last Book I Re-Read, Last Book I Argued Over etc...

@WordsofMystery shared "What I Read In October". It was quite a varied month for her.

@alitescape reviewed For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten. This is the first book she's pre-ordered since her high school days when Harry Potter midnight release parties were a big deal, and says "If you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favor and get on it."

@owlbookworld shares suggestions of Christmas Horror Books, stating "Don’t get me wrong though I do love happy books ones that revolved around Christmas are a bit cheesy to me....I rely on scary Christmas books to kind of get my little taste of Christmas".

@grabthisbook chatted with The Reacher Guy author @drheathermartin about how she wrote the biography of one of the best selling authors in the world: Lee Child. Check out the interview here.

@TtlyAdd2Reading reviewed Malignant by Michaelbrent Collings. "From the moment I read the introduction, I expected Malignant to take me on an intense journey. It did not disappoint. The level of intensity went beyond my expectation. This is one of those books where it’s best for the reader to go in blind. I have read several thrillers since the start of the year, but none like this one. From the moment I began reading, I was hooked, and this was before the actual story began."

@ReadingLadiesBC reviewed The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede stating "I’m enthusiastically recommending this inspirational true story for fans of narrative nonfiction, for readers who want to read more about 9-11, and for book clubs."

@storywhispers reviewed Underneath the Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain, stating "I loved everything about it. From its eye-catching cover to its captivating plot, and its spectacular setting. This story had everything you could want in a Christmas read."

@_armedwithabook did an interview with Quenby Olson, author of Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons.

What bookish blog posts did you enjoy reading in November? Have a favourite book you read in November that you want to share?

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the October Round Up for even more great bookish posts by different book bloggers.

You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers

Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

Boost Book Bloggers

Easy Ways To Support Your Favourite Book Blogs

Being a book blogger can take a lot of work. Buying books, reading books, reviewing books, posting about books on blogs and social media... book blogging is very time consuming.

Unfortunately book bloggers are also often underappreciated. In most cases they don't get paid for the work they do and, even if they do, it's usually not much.

The good news is that it's super easy to show book bloggers your support.

How can you support book bloggers?

A Guide to Stanning Book Blogs // What Are Book Blogs, How & Why You Should Support Book Bloggers, & More is a great post on this subject that I highly recommend checking out if you get the time.

Read their blog posts

This might seem obvious but reading their blog posts is a great way to support book bloggers.

Bloggers often feel like they're talking to themselves half the time and many get discouraged when they don't get a lot of traffic to their blogs. What's the point in putting in so much work if nobody is reading it?

Comment on their blog posts

This is step 2 of the previous point. Yes, they might see that people are visiting their blog but they also want reassurance that their content is good. They thrive on feedback and welcome a discussion or further conversation about their content.

Share their blog posts

Again this might seem obvious but when someone shares their blog posts, be it via social media or by linking to it in another blog post, trust me, it will make that bloggers day!

Back-links and social shares play a huge role in the SEO of a blog and have an effect on DA score and Google ranking.

You might also like: Ways To Improve Your Blog DA Score

Tell others about how great they are

This follows on from the previous point. Spread the word about how great they are and how much you love their content. This is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any book blogger.

Tell them you appreciate their work

Don't limit yourself to just telling others. Let them know how much you appreciate what they do too. Seriously, fan mail is the best mail ever!

Engage with them on social media

Reach out and engage with them on social media. Not only will you be helping them show up better in the algorithms but you'll also make them feel seen and heard.

Help them earn

Donate- A lot of book bloggers have donate options on their blogs. The money they receive is often used to purchase more books and/or improve their blog. Even a small amount is most appreciated.

Send me a donation

Use affiliate links- It is common for book bloggers to use affiliate links in their posts. Amazon is one of the most widely used but there are plenty of others too. When you click on these links and make a purchase they earn a small percentage.

You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers

How do you support book bloggers? Can you think of any other ways to show your support?

Rating Systems for Book Reviews

Star Rating Systems for Books

When it comes to book review systems and star ratings things aren't always clean cut. Different people have their own systems when reviewing books. Even the top sites aren't aligned when it comes to what each star rating actually means.

Star Rating Systems of Goodreads and Amazon

Goodreads:

1 star - didn't like it
2 stars – it was OK
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing

Amazon:

1 star - hate it
2 stars - didn’t like it
3 stars - it was OK
4 stars - liked it
5 stars - loved it

The meaning of a 3 star rating has often caused a lot of discussion in the book blogging community. Some consider it a bad rating whilst others view it as a positive rating. The big reason behind this is because a 3 star rating on Goodreads is good, but on Amazon it's not.

Other reviewers have opted to use different rating systems altogether. An example of this is the C.A.W.P.I.L.E rating system. This rates books on a scale of 1 to 10 across different categories.

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” James Bryce #Quote

So what is a good review?

There is no right or wrong way to review a book. Everyone will have their own personal opinion about each book they read and as a book is rarely for everyone, it's normal to see a mixture of star ratings for the same book. Some will love it, some will hate it, and some will just think it was OK. All are valid reviews and equally worthy.

As the scope of a review is to help potential buyers decide whether the book is for them or not, a good review is one that is well balanced and gives information that will help them make that decision.

A 3 star review that explains the pro's and con's of the book could actually do more to convince a potential buyer than a 5 star rating that just says they loved it.

It's also worth noting that one person's reason for not liking a book could be another persons reason for picking it up.

You might also like: SEO for Book Bloggers: How to Improve SEO for Book Reviews

How to decide on a star rating

When reviewing a book how do you pick which star rating to give it? On what criteria is your rating based? Emotional attachment or technical aspects?

Do you weigh up the writing style, character development, grammar, etc...? Is formatting something that could cost the book a star? Or is your rating based purely on how the book made you feel?

Are Ratings Necessary?

Given how many different rating systems there are for reviews, are ratings really necessary?

Personally I like them. It helps when checking which books were the best/worst over the course of the year (perfect for this time of year as many book bloggers look back to give an overview of their reading throughout the year).

Star ratings might be particularly useful when you can't remember the details about every book. Ratings make it easy to find which rated highest.

Star ratings are also good for those who don't have time/ don't want to read a full review. It gives them an overall screenshot view of how readers felt about the book. If a book only has 1 and 2 stars it's likely they'll give it a miss. A book with a mixture of ratings all over 3 stars is more likely to catch their interest and make them consider it.

How I rate my books

For my reviews I follow the Goodreads system and consider 3 stars a good review.

It's actually very rare for me to give a book a rating lower than 3 stars. This is because over the years I've gained a clear idea about the sorts of books I enjoy and so tend to only select books I'm pretty sure I'm going to like. I'm definitely more picky about the books I read now than I used to be.

When it comes to deciding what rating to give I generally go with my gut feeling on finishing the book. Was it a page turner? How did I feel about the characters? Was it easy reading? Did I like how it dealt with certain themes or topics? I'll consider all this and more but the most important thing for me is emotional attachment. How invested was I in the book?

Before concluding this discussion about giving reading recommendations and star rating systems there is one last thing we should look at...

Books You Did Not Finish

When it comes to DNF books people have different views and systems for them.

Some, myself included, will just leave the book and not rate it. At most it may get put on a list on Goodreads filed under DNF.

Other book bloggers review and rate the books they DNF. They rate the part they read and, obviously, ratings for these books tend to be low.

Both are fine. Again it's a personal choice.

I my case I very rarely DNF a book. Some books I've read that didn't start out all that great really picked up later on and turned into good reads.

You might also like: Ways To Write More Creative Book Reviews

When it comes to giving reading suggestions and recommendations what system do you use? How do you rate books you've read?

Book Review Sword of Seven Sins by Emily Colin

My thoughts about Sword of Seven Sins by Emily Colin

This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

The book synopsis for Sword of the Seven Sins by Emily Colin

**Now a FINALIST for a Foreword INDIE Award**

From New York Times-bestselling author Emily Colin comes a story of one young woman’s battle for freedom in a future world where love is the ultimate sin.

Eva Marteinn never wanted to be a killer.

Raised in the Commonwealth, where citizens live and die by the code of the Seven Sins, Eva is sickened by the barbaric punishments the High Priests inflict. She sees the Bellators of Light, the Commonwealth’s executioners, as no more than conscienceless killers.

When she’s Chosen as the first female bellator—and can’t refuse, on threat of exile or disgrace—Eva is devastated. But she turns out to be inordinately gifted at the very role she abhors…no thanks to her mentor, Ari Westergaard, who alternates between ignoring her and challenging her to impossible tests.

Ari’s indifference conceals a dangerous secret: He’s loved Eva since they were children. When Eva falls for Ari too, she knows they should do anything to avoid each other. Love is forbidden. Lust is a death sentence. But as mentor and apprentice, they’re bound by the blood oath they swore the day of Eva’s Choosing.

Balanced on a razor’s edge of desire and betrayal, the two uncover a secret that could overturn the Commonwealth itself. Now Eva must make an impossible choice: Turn her back on Ari, and remain loyal to the only home she’s ever known—or risk everything on the slim hope of freedom, and stake her life on the boy she’s come to love.

You might also like: Percy Jackson Trivia Quiz

Discussing Sword of the Seven Sins by Emily Colin

Quotes from Sword of the Seven Sins by Emily Colin

We pledge our loyalty to the laws of the Commonwealth of Ashes, and to the Virtues which make it strong, one Sinless society under the eye of the Architect, united through piety, discipline, and truth.

We are not supposed to notice girls, not to think of them unless we must on Donation Day, when we make our contribution to ensure the Commonwealth’s survival. But I have always noticed her.

I look away, but that doesn’t help. On the bare white wall behind Mother Northrup, the shadows of the flames leap and dance. From inside them something stares at me—something with teeth—

“Tonight we see what you are made of, girl. Tonight, you walk with us.”

I never wanted this, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let them murder me. I will fight for my life. If I die trying, so be it.

I feel as if she sees right through me—all my thoughts and secret desires, the relentless ambition that drives me to train until my hands are callused and my muscles aching, the nights I’ve spent picturing her face and denying myself, again and again. Never mind what I’m thinking right now.

This is the Commonwealth’s justice: To take what sinners desire most and wield it as an instrument of torture. Such is the punishment of those who stray from the path of righteousness.

I don’t say a word, out of pure rebellion. That, and the more I aggravate him, the more distracted he’ll become. Distracted people make mistakes.

Ari tilts his head to one side, considering me. “It’d be worth it,” he says, so softly it’s hard to hear, “dying with you.”

He brushes my cheek with his fingertip, sending that now-familiar electricity searing through my veins. “Be brave,” he whispers. “Not for the sake of what’s between us. Not for me. But for yourself.”

“Citizen Marteinn is special. Unique. Even I don’t know everything she might be capable of.”

If I am to be a weapon, I’ll choose the hand that holds the blade.

We’ve been lucky so far, but unlike skill, luck cannot be trusted. Lady Luck is capricious; she gives as she wills, and takes away when the spirit pleases her.