Policies

I can be contacted by any of the methods noted on my Contact page, though email--myneedtoread (at) gmail (dot) com--is always preferred.

***NOTE: For the time being, I will not be able to accept any new review requests. Once I work through the list of already accepted requests, I'll  make it known! ^_^ Many thanks.****

Genres/themes I typically accept for review requests:
  • Paranormal - this is my darling. ^_^
  • Fantasy (urban, epic)
  • Science Fiction / SpecFic
  • Horror/Gothic
  • Romance (contemporary, historical, thriller, chick-lit)
  • Mystery (cozy, thriller/suspense, procedural)
  • some Young Adult (particularly with a paranormal angle)
  • some Non-Fiction (humor, humorous memoirs, language, trivia)
  • Non-Fiction related to any of the above genres
Genres/themes I do NOT currently accept for review requests:
  • war-themed Historical Fiction
  • Children's Literature
  • Middle Grade Literature
  • Self-Help/How-To Non-Fiction
  • Christian Fiction
...which leaves some in-between (and thus unmentioned). I'm open. ^_^

Timelines
If reading a book requested for review, I greatly appreciate receiving a preferred timeline for a review/feature post (whilst noting that I personally prefer having about a month of lead time). Otherwise, I will try to post within 2 weeks prior to release date (for yet-unreleased titles), or as soon as I'm able (for already-released books).

Availability
There may be times in which I cannot accept requests due to an influx of previously-accepted material. In such cases, I'd certainly be willing to do a feature (interview, guest post, blog tour, etc.) on books that I would otherwise have accepted for review.

A Note on Positive Reviews

I'll note that I cannot guarantee a positive review of a book. But in choosing to read a book, I've determined that it's at least of interest and promising based on what I know of it at that point. As a result, there are very few books that I end up absolutely disliking; and even then, I will most likely not finish (DNF) and forego full review OR note why I discontinued reading the book and provide a couple links to alternative views on the title.

My Review Post Format/Procedure
Currently, my standard book review contains...
  1. book title, series name (if applicable), author, genre description;
  2. link to an excerpt, if available;
  3. a "Quick Take," containing a brief opinion on the book;
  4. book description--often from Goodreads or author website;
  5. full review text; and
  6. numerical rating.
Reviews are always posted on this blog, on my Goodreads account, and on my Twitter page (as a link directed to the blog). I will occasionally post to other sites (Smashwords, BooksOnBoard, Fictionwise, etc.), depending.

Book Formats
At this time, I greatly prefer electronic book formats (mobi, prc, azw, epub, pdf). However, I absolutely accept hardcopies (ARCs, galleys, finished copies) and can provide postage information upon request.

Ratings Scale
The very short version of my ratings, which more than anything refer to my personal reading experience:

     5: Amazing! ~ I absolutely loved it.
     4: Really good ~ I really liked it.
     3: Not bad ~ I liked it.
     2: Not good ~ I didn't like it.
     1: Struggled to finish ~ I really didn't like it.
Half (.5) ratings are some measure between those sentiments.

Reading Challenges

Nonfiction
TBR Pile
Graphic Novels
50 States
(Tracking lists HERE)


My "Read" Shelf:
Alisha's book recommendations, favorite quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

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