This was first published Dec 4, 2007. Seems like a good time for a retro post….
Many questions are asked of how we grade things around here. Below is a quick reminder of what it means to be judged by the Pond.
Review Grades
A+
Squee worthy. Fantastic “keeper shelf” shelf material. So damn good the reviewer wanted to have sex with the book AND recommend it to everyone they know.
A to A-
Excellent. Highly recommended to everyone the reviewer knows.
B+ to B-
Good. An enjoyable book with a couple of problems but no major issues. Recommended to people the reviewer thinks would like it.
C+ to C-
Average. This is an average read that perhaps didn’t appeal to the reviewer, but may to others. Recommended to fans of the author/genre, with buts. (Note – A ‘C-review‘ isn’t a bad review on TGTBTU.)
D+ to D-
Poor. Has many problems but one shining moment saves it from sinking into oblivion. Not recommended unless you’re a die-hard fan of the author or genre.
F
It blows. No really, the reviewer asks themselves “Why am I reading this?” and then remembers it is so they may share with others on the blog. Not recommended except as birdcage liner.
DNF
Did Not Finish. But for whatever reason a reviewer wants to talk about it to either warn others away, or to see if anyone else was able to get thru it.
Things to keep in mind
Books may be reviewed by more than one person, but not every book can be reviewed. We don’t have enough reviewers or time in the day to get thru the mountains of new books published every day.
If there is a particular book you want to see reviewed, feel free to email redwyne @ gmail. com (minus the spaces) and we’ll see what we can do – we love new books, genres, authors, and we’re always looking for something shiny and different.
If bad reviews make an author sad or feel the need to make an ass of themselves in public, we suggest not reading our reviews of their books. We do not guarantee a good review simply because we’ve been sent a book. There are sites for that kind of stuff, this isn’t one of them.
Feel free to comment on how we do things around here. Not a lot bothers us. Opinions and discussion are what makes the world go ’round, after all.
