Suzanne McLeod - Links
Author of the Spellcrackers.com Urban Fantasy Series
My Agent - John Jarrold
My UK Publisher - Gollancz
Places you'll find me on the internet - Come and friend me :-)
Authors
Sites for fans of Urban Fantasy
Sites of Interest for fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
My Goodreads' Review Policy
I’m on Goodreads, both as an author and as a reader. I'm always delighted for other readers/authors to friend me, and/or become a fan if they so wish: either or both works great for me *g*. And if you’ve read my books and (hopefully loved them) and want to leave an (honest) review and/or a star rating of what you thought about them (on Goodreads, or anywhre else), then thank you, it’s very much appreciated. My only request is that you put anything spoilery under the spoiler cut :-).
As for my own list of ‘books read’, you might notice that I don’t do any written reviews, and I choose to list only my 5 star ratings. There are reasons for this ...
There are lots of great reviewers out there already, so my opinion is only a drop in the ocean, plus I have to time-manage. As such writing my own books, and anything else to do with them, will always be my priority. Reading is also my first choice for entertainment and relaxation, and to be honest, even without the lack-of-time aspect, writing a review of a book can feel a bit too much like 'work' for me :-).
I also read a lot of books, some of which I don’t always enjoy, or don’t always finish for various reasons*. This doesn’t mean they are bad books in any way, or that other folk won't like them, just that they didn’t work for me. But those books wouldn’t be 5 star reads for me, and because I feel that other authors are in most ways my colleagues, and I like to support my colleagues, if I can’t give a book 5 stars, those books won’t be on my Goodreads’ list.
As an example of my how much I read, here are some recent reading stats. In January 2011 I read: 6 short stories; 2 novellas; and 11 books; which is 19 stories in total. Only 11 of those I rated on Goodreads. In February 2011 I read 10 books, 8 of which are rated on Goodreads. I also had 2 DNF; I might go back to them, or I might not.
You can also see the contents of my bookcases as of January 2011 here. (They are slightly more organsied now than when these pictures were taken *g*). Not all of the books are listed on Goodreads. This doesn't mean that any books you can identify in the pictures aren't 5 star reads, but instead is more because I read a lot of these books before I joined Goodreads, and also comes back to that limited time/organisational thing again :-).
*Reasons I might, or might not like a book . . .
It could be down to something as simple as genre. In general I prefer urban fantasy to paranormal romance. I prefer fantasy to science fiction. I prefer contemporary to historical. I prefer adult to young adult. I prefer paranormal to non-paranormal books, and I could go on . . .
Sometimes I pick up a book that I think I'm going to love going by my preferences, and it doesn't happen for me. Other times I'll read a book that falls outside of my preferences, that I'm almost sure I'm not going to like, and instead I love it. Again, I might start a book and not be in the mood for it, but a few months later it works. With some authors I love everything they write regardless of what genre it is. Others can have me desperate to read their next in a current series, but another series of theirs might not work for me. Some books hit my pet peeves, either as a reader or a writer. Sometimes a first book doesn't quite work for me, but on giving the series another chance, by the third I'm loving the read. My best reading buddies and I can all love the same books, or some of us can love one, and the others not so much.
Which all comes down to - Reading is personal and subjective :-).
However, I do list books I've read on shelves, and one reason for this is the blurring that can occur between some urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Frex: a book that I feel is more PR than UF will be listed as 'paranormal romance urban fantasy' (handily enough :-)) whereas if I feel a book concentrates more on the action and the romance takes a back seat, then I'll list it under urban fantasy.
So, the books on my reading list are those I’ve enjoyed, and other folk will no doubt enjoy them too. I can’t guarantee that our tastes will match even if you like my own books, or you love another author's books the same as I do. So, if you think the blurb of a book I've liked sounds your sort of thing, there’s an even chance that you might like it too. Only you can tell :- ).
