Do I Give Away Too Much?

Reading in our backyard with our dog, Abby.

Writing book reviews is a bit tricky for me to know how much of the story to share without spoiling it for someone.  Recently, I got two replies to a couple reviews on Amazon that I shouldn't include spoilers in my reviews.  Honestly, I didn't think I did; however, the fact that these readers thought so made me question it.  On this blog, my husband and I both review the books we read and have very different styles.

Gerard tends to focus more on what he thought of the book and are generally very short reviews.  On the other hand, I give a short synopsis of what happens in the book without giving away the ending.  Sometimes I'll share a part I especially liked if it's a book I really enjoyed.  When I finish a book that makes me go "Wow!" and that I want to discuss it with someone, it's difficult for me not to share some details. 

So, I'm asking our blog readers, what do you think?  Do I give away too much.  Does Gerard give you enough?  In general, I am asking for constructive criticism here so we can improve our reviews.

Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: Historical Amish Fiction and a Mystery

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Karen's:

When they arrived at the second landing, the man shoved him forward down the final set of stairs and the slave landed with a cry of pain on top of Nathaniel. Immediately behind, Moses came tumbling down the steps after him.

Taken from page 25 of The Face of Heaven by Murray Pura. (Historical Christian Amish Fiction)

Gerard's:

"It's nothing I can't work out," he stated flatly. "We'll find Paul Everett, Ms. Gleason. If he's alive, we'll find him."

From page 21 of The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane. (Finished this one yesterday, click the link for the review.)

Here's a link to Our Favorite Reads For July.

If you have reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Line Between Here and Gone" by Andrea Kane

The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane is about Amanda’s son who needs a donor and fast! His father is a match but must be found, if he is alive. His car was found all bloody but he was not in it. Amanda hires a forensic team to find him but will it be in time or is he dead? This book moves fast but I would have liked more action. It is good though so gets 4 stars from me.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Homer" by Elisha Cooper Made Me Smile!

Our Abby Dabby Doo agrees this is a happy dog story!

Homer by Elisha Cooper is a cute children's full-page picture book with very little writing about a dog, Homer, and how he is content and loyal.  It's a happy little book that we both enjoyed.  It made us smile.  It took longer to look at the pictures than it did to actually read the book.
(Gerard and Karen's review)

If you are a dog lover, you might like to see what our dog, Abby Dabby Doo, is up to lately:

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Secret" by Beverly Lewis

The Secret by Beverly Lewis is an interesting read about a secret an Amish wife keeps from her whole family and after some 22 years of marriage, finally chooses to deal with it.  Her oldest daughter, Grace, has to step up and takes on the responsibility of cooking and holding the family together.  Heather, another non-Amish girl who is working on her thesis is also keeping a secret from everyone and hides out in Amish country.  This is the first in the Seasons of Grace series which of course leaves loose ends for the second book.  It’s okay, but not anything exciting—mostly a lot of inner turmoil and relationships that I think would appeal to women more than men.   
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!