Posts

What NetGalley publishers can see about you, the reviewer

Image
This information is a summary of what NetGalley posts on the "NetGalley Client Knowledge Base." Here are the links to all of those useful posts: What You Can See In a Member Profile: https://netgalleyclient.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4414690350103-What-You-Can-See-In-a-Member-Profile Information About Members Requesting Titles: https://netgalleyclient.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4414690362775-Information-About-Members-Requesting-Titles  Colored Circles on the Manage Request Page:  https://netgalleyclient.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4414690429463-Colored-Circles-on-the-Manage-Request-Page First Impressions This is the first thing that a publisher sees about a reviewer: (from Colored Circles on the Manage Request Page) The publisher sees the Member Name (and country flag), Member Type, Approval Percentage, Feedback Ratio, and "From Your Activity Previous" colored circles. The Approval Percentage and Feedback Ratio are from all interactions the reviewer has had

The Story Octagon (Harmon's 8 Point Story Circle)

This is a story structure designed by Dan Harmon (links to his explanations in the References). It is sometimes called Harmon's 8 Point Story Circle.  However, I will call it the Story Octagon . The Cambellian Hero's Journey is already taking up the "circular story structure" spot in the public consciousness, and so this makes it more distinct. Explaining the Story Octagon Dan Harmon explains it like this:  A character is in a zone of comfort, But they want something. They enter an unfamiliar situation, Adapt to it, Get what they wanted, Pay a heavy price for it, Then return to their familiar situation, Having changed. Or, You Need Go Search Find Take Return CHANGE Details You ESTABLISH A PROTAGONIST Give the audience a likeable protagonist, with their starting situation.  Need SOMETHING AIN'T QUITE RIGHT You show what the protagonist needs/wants. What is missing from their life? This is where they might receive (and refuse and accept) a call to adventure. Or, the

How to review books: questions to ask yourself, structure of a review, literature analysis, and plot summary

Everyone is going to review books differently, and there are many wonderful styles. Here's my thoughts.  (Please, share your thoughts with me, because I'm always trying to learn and improve here.) I try to apply these concepts on my youtube channel, Chloe Frizzle .  Things to talk about Here are some questions that I ask myself when I'm brainstorming what to talk about in a long book review. I don't fill out all of them, just whatever questions strike my fancy that time.  REMEMBER: why is each point important? Did it help or hurt my reading experience? Unorganized thoughts My tagline, main point, general thoughts Plot Summary Pros Cons My reactions How could this book be improved? favorite/least favorite parts Changing opinions as the book progressed Why was I hooked? agreeing/Disagreeing with character's decisions. The feels. Times when I laughed. Re-readablitity. Plot quality Pacing, structure, turning point, climax mystery and escalating tension and foreshado

13 Addicting Books (and series!) similar to Dresden Files: ranked and reviewed: Urban Fantasy Recommendations

Image
This is a list of Urban Fantasy recommendations, with a focus on books that are similar to Dresden Files. I hope you will enjoy this list of Dresden Files readalikes. The upper right quadrant are books that I would recommend if someone said, "I'm a fan of Dresden Files, what should I read next?" But really what that is is what I consider to be (at least okay quality) Urban Fantasy books.  Video giving an overview of all of these books:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA3RJ7Qpipk Playlist of videos talking about each of these books: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzKif11L57edKMx6vQ4F0NCkZqdN91yi1   My top recommendations:  Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch  London magic police, inventive magic system. Great characters and relationships. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey Witty and gritty. Strong characterization and themes, fast paced and high tension. Spider-man: Darkest Hours, Jim Butcher Classic Spider-man snark. Standalone book. Nice character arcs, power of frien

The different levels of spoilers: Spoiler Dials

Image
🚦Spoiler dial explanation: ↳ FREE 🟢: no major plot points ↳ MODERATE 🟡: plot details, but no twists ↳ ALL 🔴: will change your emotional experience A video explaining these more in depth: https://youtu.be/OpFsV_aE_oY?t=316 SPOILER FREE 🟢 This level does not include details of the plot past the premise of the story. Can also include small, insignificant plot points beyond the basic premise.  MODERATE SPOILERS 🟡 This level includes plot points (major and minor) from any portion of the story. However, it does not include plot points that significantly change the way you see the story (plot twists, surprising character deaths, significant subversions of expectations). ALL THE SPOILERS 🔴 These are the spoilers that change how you experience a story. By receiving these spoilers, a person will have their emotional journey with a story significantly changed. This can include dramatic twists, tragic character deaths, answers to mysteries, etc.  FREE DOWNLOADS! Let's spread this three-