I recently received an email questioning why nearly every review I write is rated 5 stars. ~ Here is the thing. I'm a writer, not a reviewer, though I don't mind sharing my thoughts with other readers. I read a lot. I don't review much. If I read a book I think is poorly written, I figure there are tons of experts out there just waiting to tell you how bad it is. I'll leave that to them. I try to read the kind of writing I aspire to myself, ergo, you generally see very high marks because if I am disappointed, I either stop reading it or simply scratch the author from future reading lists.

I won't continue reading a book I can't rate at least 4 stars. My time is too valuable. But I know how hard writing can be. And learning good writing can require making some mistakes. Writers deserve a bit of a break from other writers, in my opinion, because they aren't going to get that from reviewers and fans. Based on the reviews I see posted, you don't need me to point the bad ones out to you, there are plenty of reviewers who are more than willing to do that job.

I plan to continue reading great novels by writers I respect and from whom I can learn and hopefully improve my craft. Writers I will share with you. Here's the thing, if a writer makes my reading list, he or she, in my estimation, is a good author.

The bad news is, there simply isn't enough time to read all the great work available to us today. There are some really great talents out there.