About

I’m Sara! I’m a web developer by trade, and a chronic hobbyist of all sorts. In addition to cooking, card games, calligraphy, and quilting, I also love reading and discussing books.

For Readers / What I Read

Thanks for coming here and checking out my blog! If you’re wondering why you might want to stick around and maybe subscribe, here’s what I can offer you:
I generally read in 3 category pools, and most of the things I find are going to fall into at least two of the three. I like to think of it like a fun Venn diagram:

When it hits the middle intersection? Mmm, so good!

So, which books hit the middle intersection? Well, check out my favorites shelf on Goodreads for an idea.

I like to find obscure books, especially older and overlooked gems. I’ve been collecting vintage (pre-2000s) queer fantasy and sci-fi books, and I think I’ve managed to find quite a few interesting things in that genre.

And if you’re wondering about that “angst” category in the Venn diagram… I love to read books that pluck at my heartstrings and occasionally just full-on break my heart. If you know what the term whump (or hurt/comfort) means, we probably have similar taste in books! If you don’t know what that means, let me put it this way… think back to a book that had a character who was really suffering, even if it was just for a moment. Maybe they were injured, or heartbroken, or lost, or otherwise totally without hope. That emotional catharsis? That moment of despair? That’s what I live for, and my favorite thing to read. Moments like that are usually few and far between, which is good. Too much of a good thing can ruin it, after all. If you, like me, are always searching for another hit of tasty anguish, then definitely follow my blog and I will keep you posted on all the pain I come across.

My Rating Scale

I use a 5-star rating scale that roughly corresponds to the following ranks:
5 stars: Absolutely wonderful / right up my alley / something that I would love to reread
4 stars: Had great elements and tropes that appealed to me / an overall pleasant reading experience / probably not something I would reread
3 stars: There were things to enjoy / Good, but maybe just not for me / Might have been a little boring / not bad but not compelling
2 stars: Really disliked / Major annoyances with content or writing styles / Do not recommend
1 star: Probably didn’t manage to finish / unreadable

Contact Me!

Want to get in touch? Email me at sara@bookshelfsos.com