What Grades Mean to Me by Caroline Russomanno
As a reviewer, I try to be consistent with the rest of AAR’s team in terms of what an A, B, C, D, or F grade means. I know, however, that there will always be judgment calls – not just in terms of what grade we think the book deserves, but even in terms of what the grades are. I wrote this piece to talk about what, very generally, places a book for me at each grade level. If there are multiple descriptors, the book might have all or just one of them. […]
Where I live, in North Carolina, it’s been HOT. Normally this time of year, we’d be headed to the mountains for a week of cooler vacation but–thank you COVID–not this year. In an effort to vacation, a bit, at home over the next week, I plan to work less and read more. I am (still) currently listening to The Stand–King’s ability to, with a few lines, create memorable characters continues to amaze me 
Has your bookishly curious mind ever wondered how I prepare and write my book reviews? Even if your answer is “nope,” I invite you to humor me.
In Mary Balogh’s 1997 Trad. Regency The Last Waltz, Gerard Percy is living and working in Canada when he learned that he has unexpectedly inherited an earldom. He returns to host a Christmas party at his new estate, to which he invites his Canadian friends, brother and sister Andrew and Jeanette Campbell.