You can also find me at www.hallietibbetts.com. --2/23/2013
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I'm Hallie. I'm a former teacher, and at present, a literature event planner, among other things, on top of the day job. If you want to find out more about the events, please visit the Narrate Conferences site. This blog doesn't represent Narrate Conferences, its opinions, and other sorts of things you might see in a disclaimer, and if you're interested in Narrate, I suggest going through that site and contacts instead of this blog.
This is where I review books, mostly informally, with a focus on young adult literature, and on occasion, I review middle grade, picture books, and (much less frequently) books marketed for adults. I read first and foremost for entertainment, and I think books are some of the very best and most important entertainment we have! Reading for information, and for learning, are of course important uses of books as well, but I'm less likely to review my readings of those books here.
I buy a lot of books; some of the reviews I post are based on advance copies, and those I usually receive in some fashion where I don't think an FTC disclaimer would apply. (If that changes, so will this page.) If I requested an advance copy, say, from NetGalley, I will acknowledge that. I typically buy a copy later if I enjoy the advance version. A few reviews come from borrowed editions.
I usually review books that I can recommend. That might be because I really genuinely enjoyed a book, because I enjoyed a particular aspect of a book, because I think a book is important, or because--even if the book isn't a good fit for me or isn't to my taste--I think a book will resonate with people who read my reviews. I don't usually review a book if I have nothing in particular to say other than "I liked it" or "I didn't like it," or if I think that the writing isn't up to par, but I do sometimes review books where I can pinpoint why I didn't like them; my preferences may be the exact opposite of someone else's! See this post about writing "bad" reviews and why you're free to ignore my reviews if you like.
Right now, I'm clearing out my shelves, and giving away lots of books so that my house won't be so crowded and dusty. That means, unfortunately, that I can't commit to accepting review copies and reviewing them in a timely manner--and if I could, I'd be very hesitant to commit to reviewing any particular book, and I simply could not ever promise that any particular book would receive a favorable review! Additionally, I am probably not interested in hosting interviews, giveaways, or articles connected to books I haven't read or authors I am not already a big, big fan of. I do apologize, because I know that many bloggers really enjoy the informal marketing aspect of book reviewing, but I am not comfortable promising or promoting anything where I don't know the work inside and out (and love it based on my reading, not just a promise that I'll love some new book or other) or where I feel pressured to provide results, particularly on a timeline.
When my shelves are a little emptier, I will revisit these policies. Thanks for understanding!
