Welcome to My Book Life! This is where I post articles and book reviews. I am completely new to blogging but I decided to start this website because I LOVE books and reading, and talking about books and reading! Bear with me while I struggle through learning to blog. I hope to provide a great resource and conversation space for other book nerds like me!
Although the title of this website is My Cook and Book Life, I will not be focusing on food-themed books. I love ALL books and read a wide variety. I will, however, often highlight food themes in the books I have read. You may be surprised how central food and recipes are in many good stories.
Before I start posting, I wanted to set out a few housekeeping matters about my review style.
Rating System
I will usually post a rating out of 5 (0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest). I will rarely if ever, rate a book 0. If I truly hate a book (a VERY rare occurrence), I simply won’t finish it and probably will not review it. Usually, the culprit is me – I am simply not the right audience for that book. The very rare exception might be a book with strong racist or sexist undertones, or something similar (but usually I would not choose that book at all).
A few caveats here:
- My rating might change the second or third time I read something. Life is not static and neither are my opinions.
- I am not an expert in most things. If you think I have missed something important let me know in the comments!
- I don’t rate memoirs because I think it is kind of strange to rate someone’s personal experience and life story. I will still tell you what I think but will attempt not to judge an author for their personal experiences.
The Rating Scale:
0 = Terrible and cannot be redeemed. I can’t imagine a world in which someone would like this book or should like this book.
1 = Really bad and I regret reading it. There might be a specific audience for this book.
2 = Not bad but not good. Generally “meh”. There is probably a more suitable audience and I am simply not it.
3 = Good and I enjoyed it. I probably don’t have super strong feelings toward it. These are the kinds of books that I enjoyed in the moment but may forget I have read in the future.
4 = Really great but not quite a 5. I rate A LOT of books 4. That is because I really like a lot of books!
5 = A favourite! I laughed, I cried, I will think about this book for years to come.
Trigger Warnings
I will do my absolute best to post trigger warnings in advance of the review. For those who do not know, a trigger warning is “a statement made prior to sharing potentially disturbing content.” For my reviews or posts, a trigger warning might also indicate a book that has potentially disturbing content (even though my review may not delve into it). For straight-up lists I will not post trigger warnings.
I apologize in advance for missing a trigger warning. Ultimately, adding a trigger warning is a judgment call and my judgment may not always be the same as yours. One example of this is drug abuse. I may not consider light weed use a “drug abuse” trigger but you might. Another example is where I miss a brief mention of triggering content or forget it when I write my review.
I will try to indicate the following triggers:
- sexual assault,
- abuse,
- self-harm,
- violence,
- eating disorders,
- alcoholism,
- drug abuse,
- child abuse/pedophilia,
- incest,
- kidnapping and abduction,
- miscarriages,
- ableism,
- racism and racial slurs,
- sexism and misogyny,
- classism,
- hateful language directed at religious groups,
- transphobia and trans misogyny,
- homophobia and hetero-sexism.
Spoilers!
I will attempt not to include any! Spoilers are no fun! Especially, because part of the purpose of this website is to encourage you to read more and help you find your next book! Where I do include a spoiler, I will do my best to label it far in advance.
My Cook and Book Life 