Amazon Book Reviews: 3 Stars or 4?

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4stars

I’ll admit it: I’m chintzy with my book review stars.  I save my 5-star recommendations for books that are perfect – the ones I stay up all night for, the ones I’d re-read immediately, the ones for which I’d grab a total stranger by the shoulders and yell, “You’ve GOT to read this book!”

Okay, I’ve never really done that last one, but I’ve felt like it.  And when I do, that’s the book that gets 5 stars from me.

Most other books get 3 or 4 stars.  Four if I really liked it: well-written, good characters, no plot problems, and it leaves me with a good feeling.  Not necessarily a happy ending, but the right one.  (I don’t bother reviewing just to give 1 or 2 stars unless a book really makes me angry.)

Three stars go to books that I liked, but weren’t quite as smooth.  Sometimes books I enjoy but aren’t unputdownable, but also books that have plot or character or formatting issues that make me shake my head, but I enjoy the story enough to say “who cares?”

No more.

In my recent web browsing (now that school has slacked off), I came across Amazon Book  Reviews: 10 Cardinal Rules of Using Reviewing Power from Patricia de Hemricourt at epublishabook.com.

In the article, she explains that Amazon considers a good review to be 4 or 5 stars, while 3 stars or less is a negative mark.  And too many 3 star reviews can kill a book.

Wow, who knew?

She suggests that if you want to support an author but you think it only rates 3 stars, that you instead give it 4 stars and an explanation of what didn’t click with you.

Interested?  She also talks about Likes and Tags and what constitutes a review in Amazon’s eyes – at least until the next time they change the algorithm.   So take a minute, go click on the link up there and read the whole thing.  C’mon, that means you, too.  Yes, you, still sitting here reading my words.

Hurry up, I’m waiting.

Now that you’re back, what did you think?  For me, I first apologize to any authors to whom I gave 3 star reviews.  I really didn’t mean to give you a negative ranking – I promise.  Second, in the future I’ll be much more generous with 4 star reviews, with full comments describing what I liked and what I thought fell short.  I may even hand out a few more 5s.  And third, when I have the chance, I’ll explain why I don’t give 3s so other readers can understand too.

One other thought:  now that Amazon has bought GoodReads, none of us know how the reviews there will affect book rankings on Amazon.  So to be safe, I’ll use the 3 star understanding over there, too.

What about you? Were you already savvy about the 3/4 star issue?  Does it affect how you rate books?  Leave a comment below and let’s get talking!

Integrity: Where’s Your Line in the Sand?

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Snickers; photo by "lancem_123" via PhotoBucketSo the other day, I succumbed to the vending machines on campus and got a Snickers bar.  Need brain food, right?  And you know what?  It spit out two Snickers bars.  That’s right, TWO!

My first thought was that the vending machine gods had smiled upon me.  My second thought was a definition: Integrity is what you do when no one is looking.

My honesty/integrity level has always been pretty high – as a child, I got in more trouble for telling a lie than for whatever I had done wrong in the first place, and we raised our kids the same way. Don’t pass the blame to someone else, take responsibility for your own actions, work for your pay, and pay for what you get.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’d end up in the parking lot and find a greeting card or lipstick or something under my purse, and have to trudge the kids back in with me so I could pay for it.  I also couldn’t tell you how many Wows or Thank Yous I got when I did.

Vending machines are a little different, but I knew it would bother me all day if I just kept the second Snickers.  So I found the nearest office and asked who was in charge of the vending machines.

“Why, did it take your money?” the guy asked.

“No, it gave me an extra Snickers bar.”

He shrugged and said it must just be my lucky day.

The woman in the glass-walled private office smiled through her open door and nodded.  “The company that does the vending machines is off campus and nobody here has anything to do with them.  Enjoy it.”  And no, she didn’t want me to leave the money with them.

I thought about getting the company address and mailing it (I know, I know, I take things to extremes), but the postage plus their costs in processing a single dollar made that seem counterproductive.

So I finally walked into the computer lab where I was heading to begin with, feeling rather smug.  I ate the first Snickers, the second one is waiting for another calorie splurge, and my sense of integrity is intact.  Unless we’re going to talk about cheating on diets.

Obviously, I can carry things to the point where other people shake their heads.  But where is your line in the sand?  When do you go back to make something right, and when do you just let it go? 

This Year, May is Mine

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May is redbud trees and flowering crabapples and weeping cherries.

May is planting petunias and lobelia and bee balm.

And tomatoes and cucumbers and green beans.

May is hummingbird feeders and songbird seed and trying to outsmart the squirrel.

May is thwarting thistle and decapitating dandelions.

May is losing myself in garden books and backyard landscape plans.

May is putting my college boys to work digging out dying shrubs and tilling new beds.

May is a whole month off between spring and summer semesters at college.

May is sunny days and having the heater off and the windows open.

May is pleasant nights and putting the electric blanket away.

May is eating right and trying new recipes.

May is lots of gym time, Pilates videos, and power walks in a shady park.

May is sewing curtains, painting the kitchen,

and actually seeing the surface of my desk again.

May is organizing the storage room, sorting through boxes and clearing out closets –

but only if I feel like it.

May is picnics and bike rides and playing with our granddaughter.

May is reading books, doing puzzles and having lunch with old friends.

This year, May is mine!

What will May be for you – a pressure cooker or a delight?

Sunday Funnies – Prank Time!

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(For some reason this didn’t post yesterday, so here it is on Monday instead.)

I had a different blog post in the works, but it’s now on hold while I share a laugh with you.  Settle back and enjoy a minute or two of giggles and admiration for a well-planned, well-executed prank!

Glad it wasn’t me – I think my heart would have stopped!

(For more giggles, here are some of the previous Sunday Funnies.)

Are you a prankster?  Do you like being pranked?  Leave a note in the comments and have a great weekend.  I’ll be back in a few days.

Reading is a Sign of . . .

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“Someone reading a book is a sign of . . . ”

A few weeks ago, my writing professor put this quote by Mary Ruefle up on the computer.  And since the giant guy between me and the projector screen was leaning forward, I couldn’t see the rest.  So of course, I filled in the blanks myself.

My mind is not the most, shall we say, predictable.  Hubby O’Mine likes to say I use circular logic.  I like to say I have an imagination.  And frequent silliness.  And occasional snark.  So here (in order) is where my mind went:

  • Someone reading a book is a sign of … intelligence.
  • Someone reading a book is a sign of … insanity.
  • Someone reading a book is a sign of … unwashed dishes.

    Never Too Young to Love Reading!

    Never Too Young to Love Reading!

Okay, I’ve just admitted I use books as a major form of escape.  But what else are novels for, but to get out of our world and into someone else’s?  And besides, the dishes get done eventually.

But wait, you cry.  What’s the real answer? Well, if you insist:

“Someone reading a book is a sign of order in the world.”

That’s actually pretty deep:  How does reading create order? What happens when people don’t read? When a society doesn’t read? (Fahrenheit 451, anyone?)  And, of course, for me it begs the question of “if I’m creating order when I read, why is my house so disordered?”

But what I really want to know is:

Where does your mind take you when you read  “Someone reading a book is a sign of ______?”  How would you finish the quote? 

Be whimsical, be insightful, be snarky – just leave your ideas in the comments!

 

 

 

 

Red for Life!

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Get Your Red On!

Get Your Red On!

I just changed into a red shirt, so now I can write this.

My father had congestive heart failure.  My grandmother had a quadruple bypass in the early days of such things.  Other relatives have had heart attacks or live with other heart issues.  And yet I worry that if I had a heart attack, I wouldn’t recognize it.

I know that symptoms for women – shortness of breath or an aching jaw, among others – can be very different than the left arm pain that many men get, but they can be so vague it’s easy to pass them off as something else.

So in honor of National Wear Red Day, I’m sharing a video that’s not only fun, but will help me (and hopefully you) remember:

Today (February 1st), the American Heart Association is asking everyone to wear red to help spread the word.  (February is their Go Red for Women month.) And if you zip over to Susie Landau’s AHA fundraising page, you can donate any amount to the AHA and get a link back on her blogroll!

We all have people in our lives who have had heart attacks, or who live with heart problems.  So pass the word (Tweet, Facebook, blog, or just plain talking face-to-face), and thanks to Susie, who passed it to me!

Did you know these symptoms already? Were any new to you? Do you have a heart story to tell?  Scroll down and leave us a comment!

RSS and Me – Technological Alzheimer’s

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RSS icon, illustration by Matt ForsytheThanks to Amy Andrews, my new tutor/blogging guru over at Blogging with Amy, I’m finally getting around to adding an RSS feed.  Blog readers need convenience, right?  Yeah, I know.  I’m not only slow, I’m almost a technological dinosaur.  (And if there are any other technological dinosaurs out there, here’s a visual description of what an RSS feed does.)

Since you read RSS-fed blogs in a “reader,” I decided to open a Google Reader account.  To my amazement … drumroll … I already have one!

Not only slow, but forgetful!

So then I click on Amy’s link to Feedburner.  It takes me to Google Feedburner, and guess what again? It seems I’m already set up!

Not only am I already set up, but I have one subscriber.  One.  Pitiful, until I remember that my blog doesn’t even have a little RSS button, which is why I started this whole adventure in the first place.

So I click on Amy’s link to Church Crunch for a walk-through on how to optimize my feed and … gee, this looks familiar.  *asks self how bad memory problem really is*

I go through all the optimization again, and the only thing left is to put an icon on my blog page.  BUT I CAN’T FIND AN ICON!

I download a WordPress plug-in, but don’t like way the form looks.  I want a cute little icon, dagnabbit!  So I download several more plug-ins, check on the way the site looks with each, and … no difference.

*groan*

Finally I re-read one description and notice the word “widget.”  I go to my widgets and – aha! – there they are.  No cute little icons, but hey, I find one that’s simple and works.  I hope.

So if you like to read blogs through an RSS feed, be brave and test it for me – click on it now.  Or if you prefer an e-mail subscription like I do, head for the section right above that.  I promise not to overflow your inbox.

Moi, I love subscribing by e-mail, but what’s your take on it?  Why do you prefer RSS over e-mail (or vice-versa)?  Or if you don’t subscribe, what stops you?

The No Good, Very Bad Dangers of an Electric Blanket

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I bought an electric blanket for my mother’s visit last week.  The guest room is chilly, she’s 77 years old, and wise daughters do NOT separate their mothers from their electric blankets in the winter.  And I’m a wise daughter, right?

She loved it, and when she left, I moved it down to our bed.  We like sleeping in a cool room, but I hate getting into a cold bed.  And while my husband is the world’s best heater, he doesn’t like sharing his heat directly with my frigid feet.

So.  Friday night.  I turned the heater down, but stayed up playing a stupid game on my phone.  I couldn’t let the computer trounce me that badly, now, could I?  (If you like to be stupid too, go check out “Farkle.”)

Chilly in the living room, shivering in the bedroom.  Turn the blanket on ten.  Teeth, face, prayers.  Climb in and . . . sigh.  Luxurious warmth.

The danger came later.

I didn’t leave it on high, I turned it down to one and went to sleep.

I didn’t get up and leave it cooking in a scrunched bundle like I did as a teenager.

I just lay in lovely comfort and didn’t get up.  I thought about things to do.  I thought about how Mom was feeling after long flights.  I thought about the fact that 29 years ago that morning, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

I drifted off to sleep again.

And when I woke up, the room was still chilly, I was still toasty warm, and I still didn’t get up.  I didn’t reach for the phone to read the news or check the weather or play another game of Farkle, but . . . let’s just say that my thoughts can wander far and wide before they come home.  And before I finally crawl out of bed.

The moral of the story?  If you also choose to revel in warmth, read the precautions on the label like any good consumer.  And then put your alarm clock across the room.

 

New Year’s Resolutions – Who, Me?

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As I write this on New Year’s Eve, I think of all my friends and writing buddies setting resolutions.  Some are big, some are small, and many of them are just way too … many.  Just consider:

Measureable Goals (my thoughts in italics)

  • Lose 5/10/50 pounds.
  • Exercise 2/5/15 times a week.
  • Read ten books this year.  (10 a month – at least!)
  • Cook more meals at home.  (Eat out at least once a week.)
  • Go on a cruise.  (Bask on the pond in a rowboat.)
  • Learn to speak French/Russian/Chinese.  (Remember a smidge of the French I used to know.)
  • Organize the house.  (Organize a closet.)
  • Put all the kids’ pictures in scrapbooks.  (Find the boxes that the pictures are in.)
  • Learn to use Excel/Scrivener/Photoshop well. (I’d settle for just one.)

Writing Goals

  • Write X number of words/hours each day.
  • Revise X number of chapters each week.
  • Send X number of queries each week/month.
  • Research X number of agents each week.
  • Write X number of blog posts each week.
  • Comment on X number of blogs each week.
  • Create more fully developed characters.
  • Develop more compelling plots.
  • Use more figurative language.

That’s enough to make any sane person (or me) run away.  So let’s turn to some Unmeasurable Lifestyle-type Goals:

  • Be kind.
  • Be grateful.
  • Be more loving to my spouse.
  • Be more appreciative to my family.
  • Be more faithful to God.
  • Take time for friends.
  • Take time to relax.
  • Serve others.
  • Get healthy.
  • Eat more unprocessed foods.
  • Get an adequate amount of sleep.
  • Go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and be more productive. (*snort*)
  • Keep the house clean. (double *snort*)
  • Call my far-flung family more often.
  • Learn to spell better (evidently “unmeasurable” isn’t a word).

Any or all of these are worthy New Year’s Resolutions, but can you see where I’m going?  Can you say O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-I-N-G?

All of these could easily be on my list, but I’m learning NOT to make lists like this.  First, while I love New Year’s Resolutions for the sense of starting fresh, I’m easily motivated and I could make lists like this every few months.  Actually, I do make lists like this every few months. *sigh*

So while I quit making actual New Year’s Resolutions a few years ago, this year … hmm … the new year intersects with my get-your-head-screwed-on-straight-between-semesters time.  So with great will power, I’m still refraining from the long list, and I’m trying to focus on only a few things:

  1. I must put a priority not getting overwhelmed again.  To mis-quote a favorite movie, “some things in this room don’t react well to stress.“  (I think the actual quote is “bullets,” not “stress.”  Extra points if you can name the movie.)
  2. I need more focus on my physical health.  My back, my neck and my weight have all suffered from this last year of stress, and it’s time to get back on track.  I have my schedule of workout classes in front of me and the candy is heading out the door. (*gasp*)
  3. I would like more social time with friends, which would also help with #1 above.  I get wrapped up in my world and don’t reach out enough other than routine church activities, work, or whatever.  Not to mention that it’s ridiculous to send Christmas cards to friends I don’t see much when they only live 15 miles away.  So, weekly social time, whether it’s lunch, shopping or a long phone call.

It took a day to finish this blog, but that’s what taking the pressure off is all about, right?

And that’s it.  College assignments will get done because they have to.  Writing will happen because I have a critique group expecting things.  Blogging will happen when I have something to say.  But if I can’t some weeks, then I can’t.

And the housecleaning will happen because . . . hmm, I’ll have to get back to you on that.

What about you? What goals are you setting for the new year?  And how do you keep them manageable? 

YA Author Cindy Hogan: Balancing Writing with Real Life

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Wow, I have my first guest blogger today!  Help me welcome author Cindy M. Hogan, who’s on a virtual book tour for her latest YA suspense novel, Created.

With three YA novels under her belt now, plus a busy family and community commitments, I asked Cindy the ever-present question in my own life:  how do keep your life from spinning out of control?  She came up with some great advice for us, so read on:

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I’m so excited to be visiting Jennifer’s blog today. The topic she gave me is one that I have learned a ton about in the last year and a half and I hope to share with you what I’ve learned.

How do I balance my writing life with my real life?

My writing life before I published was pretty off and on. I didn’t schedule any writing time, I just wrote when it was convenient or I had the urge. Then I got published and everything changed. My family was so excited about it they wanted nothing more than for me to succeed and to help me do it. We talked about regular businesses and that most failed within the first two years. We decided we wouldn’t let my little venture do that and instead, we would work mega-hard for two years to make sure I did succeed.

It just so happened that my first book was such a huge success I was signing somewhere six days a week, something my family had not counted on. When that happened, I just let everything fall by the wayside: the chores, family dinner, dates with my husband, family time, laundry, everything. All I did was focus on writing. Not a good thing. We needed a new plan.

My good friend, Tristi Pinkston, taught an online class about almost this very thing not long ago, so when Jennifer gave me this topic I went back to that class and looked it over. (Tristi is my hero, by the way.) I was glad to discover my family had done many of the things she suggested.

Here’s what I think. To be successful with the least amount of stress, you should do these four things:

1.  Have a meeting with yourself. What do you really want? What does success look like to you? What are you willing to give up to become successful as a writer? My meeting only lasted about 2 seconds. I was that committed.

2.  Have a meeting with your spouse. Tell him what you want and then ask if he is willing to help you succeed. Talk about any problems you foresee (dinner, laundry, chores, family time, carpool, kids’ activities). As Tristi pointed out, make sure your husband also gets time to go after his own dreams or hobbies. Build that into the conversation.

(We didn’t do this simply because we didn’t think about it. My goal was my husband’s goal that first year. Then he had to discover his own.)

3.   Have a meeting with the whole family. Be excited! Talk about your goals and what it will take to achieve them. Discuss the problems you and your husband came up with and how you intend to tackle them. I think it’s important here to set firm goals that are measurable with a specific time limit.

Your family can’t be in a constant state of upheaval for you. Discuss the extras that the kids will have to pick up on and then what the awesome rewards are going to be. Fun family time is always a great incentive to do extra things.

(We decided to go full-hog for 2 years. It’s only been 1-1/2 years and we are thrilled with the results. We are also looking forward to that 2 year mark to attain a more expansive family time.)

4.  Now it’s time to follow through. Show your family that you have the self-discipline to see this undertaking through. Make sure you stick to the schedules and routines you’ve come up with as a family. Set a specific time each week to meet together and talk about your successes and failures as well as theirs. (We made a point to spend the little time we had together with laughter and fun. We have a specific time once a week that we play together.)

Most importantly, according to Tristi, (and I whole-heartedly agree) “be open, honest, loving, and fair when going through this process. Be flexible. You may find that the schedules you’ve created don’t really work and you have to change them.

Writing should be a grand, fun adventure and if your “Real” life is getting in the way, draining the fun, then go through these four steps and see if you can’t discover the fun again.

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Thanks so much for the great advice, Cindy!  I really like the idea of getting my family involved and having planning meetings to discuss what to expect.  Even if I’m not to the book stage yet, writing plus college is taking the same toll on us. Hmm . . . maybe I should have had that meeting with myself before I started!

What to do you do to keep your family life strong through demanding times? What ideas of Cindy’s grab you the most?

And after you comment (you will comment, won’t you?), you can stalk Cindy in any of these places (just click on the link):

If you like it, share it!