Sunday Salon: a run of good ones

One of the really good things about belonging to discussion groups and reading the blogs of others, is that you collect lists and lists of recommendations, and you are never at a loss for what to read. It is more the selection of the next book that is the problem. I have enough unread books lying around to last me well over a year, in the unlikely scenario that I never bought or acquired any more.

When you look at my ratings of the books I've read this year, you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm easy to please. I don't see it that way at all. All the books I have lying around are likely to be "good reads" because the hard work of choosing has already been done, by the lists and lists that come my way.

So in the last week I have read

• HEARTSICK by Chelsea Cain, my rating: 4.5
• NOT DEAD ENOUGH by Peter James, my rating 4.8
• SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR by Fred Vargas, my rating 4.9

I read almost exclusively crime fiction, and I rate all I read between 0 and 5 with 5 as the best.

This year I've awarded 5.0 twice

• FAN MAIL, PD Martin
• DIRTY WEEKEND, Gabrielle Lord

One of the things I blogged about earlier this week was How much to reveal in a review
I am interested in collecting people's thoughts about how a good review is structured.