My Other Job

I have been spending time working on my other job this morning; book reviews for Freshfiction.com.

I really enjoy some of the fabulous surprises I get in the mail to review. They vastly outweigh the occasional book that is not to my taste. Even those I read, of course, and do the best job I can to review them without letting my internal prejudices get in the way. Most of the books are very skillfully written, and I can always fall back on commenting on how well the plot is crafted.

I have one of those hanging over my head right now. The book is due out the first week of June, and I have managed to plow my way about half through. It is a non-genre book that aspires to literary heights, and I am a genre girl all the way, seeking entertainment, not enlightenment. On the plus side, the book is well-written, and the characters seem memorable. I skipped ahead to the end, though, and the conclusion was disappointingly sombre and predictable. I will go back and finish reading the book, and hope I find something more I can write about it in a positive vein. Just because I don't like modern literary (non-genre) fiction doesn't mean others shouldn't. My job is to let a potential reader know what they might enjoy, whether I enjoy the same things or not!

I have 19 reviews at Freshfiction so far, and have 2 more I just uploaded, waiting for final review. I have 5 left in the pile, although I have rough drafts written for 3 of those. Maybe I can squeak one more out today, although the Withig scarf is calling. I only have 3 more 36-row repetitions before it's done and ready for blocking!