First a Disclaimer

We understand that our choice of books may not be everyone else’s choice. We grew up reading widely and have fairly open minds when it comes to book choices. Our choices may or may not be yours.

All opinions expressed are our own, and we take full responsibility for them. You are welcome to share your opinion and it can be different than ours.

If we have links to other blogs, it doesn’t mean we endorse everything you might find there. Please use your good judgement.

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When discussing books, it helps if we are all on the same page. This information will help you understand the terms we use here.

Genres

Books are divided into two main groups. Fiction books are novels. These stories are about imaginary people and events. Non-fiction books contain factual information about real events and real people.

These two broad categories are divided into many genres and sub-genres. Here is a list of some you might run across on this blog.

Fiction

• Historical fiction: set within a defined time period and drawing context from the cultural understanding of that time
• Western: on the American frontier, usually includes sharp shooters
• Romance: romantic relationship is the source of this story’s drama
• Adventure: often based on survival or life in the outdoors
• Literary: realistic story with weighty issues; characters change and grow
• Thriller: built around the fast-paced pursuit of a life-or-death goal
• Crime: focuses on criminal activities
• Science-Fiction: features scientific aspects and non-existent technology
• Mystery: solves a mysterious set of circumstances

Non-fiction

• Biography: life story written by someone who researched that person’s life
• Memoir: life story about a small part of a life, memories
• Poetry: written in poem form
• Self-Help: addresses problems and proposes solutions
• Travel: about other cultures and lands
• Cookbook: contains recipes

A classic is a book that has stood the test of time and still not said all it has to say. It transcends time and culture with a universal appeal. Mark Twain said a classic is something that everybody wants to have read but nobody wants to read.

Star Ratings

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Really liked it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Couldn’t put it down

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A rare gem. I keep recommending it to others

Usually we will try to rate our enjoyment of the book using these stars. Anything we would give fewer than four stars we won’t even bother telling you about. Our goal is to pass on the best of what we read.

Vocabulary Words

We are readers that love to discover new words. Do not fear, we will not be giving pop quizzes to check your vocabulary, but we thought we’d pass on these lovely words.

Bibliophile: a lover of books

Dog-Eared: book pages that have been folded over in the corners

Marginalia: words written by previous owners in the margins of books

Looseleft: adj. feeling a sense of loss upon finishing a good book, sensing the weight of the back cover locking away the lives of characters you’ve gotten to know so well.

Bookplate: A pasted-in sign of ownership

Worming: small holes resulting from bookworms (larvae of various beetles)

Ex-libris: a Latin phrase meaning from the books

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Now on to the books! Happy reading to you all.

–Eva and Liz