Review policy + general info

Reading & reviewing philosophy: I read for escapism, entertainment, and education. Reading diversely is becoming increasingly important to me, and I'm always keeping an eye out for books from a variety of genres, eras, and countries. I value beautiful writing that makes me read between the lines, plots that keep be guessing, worlds that I can get immersed in, and characters with complex inner lives. I have a very lower tolerance for sexism, animal abuse, and shock value for the sake of it. 

I write reviews because I want to get the most out of my reading. I enjoy analyzing what the author has done and how I respond to it because I learn a lot in the process. And if I come across a good book, I want to help it gain a wider audience by telling people about what makes it so special.

Of course, I don't love every book. My reviews will include an honest discussion of what didn't work for me. In these cases, I try to criticize with kindness.

Acquisition habits: The majority of the books that I read are library books or ARCs, but I do support bookstores (especially independent ones) and authors by buying books when possible. I will purchase a book for my own collection if I've already read it, loved it, and can see myself reading it again someday, or if I expect that to be the case based on past experience with the author's work.

Rating system: I rate each book based on what (I think) it tries to accomplish. A history of science book is going to achieve a 5-star rating in very different way from a children's fantasy novel, but here's a general idea of what I'm thinking when I give a book a rating:
5 stars: Eloquent and captivating from beginning to end, and one of the best of its kind.
4 stars: Impressive and enjoyable, despite a few shortcomings.
3 stars: An ok book, usually one where the ideas were interesting but the execution left something to be desired.
2 stars: The flaws of this book prevented me from enjoying it, although I can perhaps see a hint of redeeming qualities.
1 star: This? Is a book?

Review requests: If you are an author or publisher and would like your book featured here and at Goodreads, you may write to rock.paperback.scissors [at] gmail [dot] com. If the book is of interest I will let you know, but a busy life and an already long to-read list means that I must be selective about accepting requests. I'm more likely to accept review requests for a book that is sci-fi or fantasy. I will not accept requests to read nonfiction or horror. Include the title, author, publisher, release date, genre, length, and synopsis. I prefer .mobi format. My usual review criteria will apply, and acceptance of a request does not guarantee a positive review.