Happy Labor Day!

I managed to have the rare holiday off, and I took advantage of it and did nothing. That’s right, I spent a lazy day doing nothing, watching reruns of Good Eats, and dozing in and out. It was glorious!

But while I did nothing all day, I received an email from Oliver Chase, an author whose book Marsh Island, I reviewed back in November of 2013. He has a new book on the way, Levant Mirage, due to be published next month and is offering me a copy of it. How can I refuse? Of course, I’ll have to read it and I’ll write up a review to share with you all.

While I’m at it, I should consider writing more reviews. I enjoyed doing them, though I’ll admit to a little stress. I hate being critical of other author’s works. I know how hard it is to write, how difficult it is to shape, and how painful it is to set it free, but a job’s a job, and I have to be honest and give my opinion to the best of my ability.

I started my reviews in the hopes of bringing in some new readers to my blog, but I never saw much of an uptick. That’s okay. I read some good books, talked to people I never would have met otherwise, and seeing what others had to say broadened my horizon. I saw new ways of looking at things, experienced things I never would have experienced, and learned so much that I never knew before. That’s the power reading has. That’s the power a good writer embodies. It’s one I want.

Now I wait to get a copy, and I wonder what else I should read. I have a few books beside me, a couple from authors I have met in a writer’s group I meet with sporadically. I wish I could go more often, but my job limits my Sundays off. C’est la vie. If you are reading this, and you have a self-published book you want reviewed, don’t hesitate to email me at joe@joehinojosa.com.

You can also check out my other reviews here on my blog by clicking here or on the link at the top of the page. I can’t wait to get started again, and happy reading.