And with it, I hope to continue bringing some insight into books you should be reading to this corner of the blogosphere. Do I expect you to agree with me all the time? Obviously not. But I do feel as though I have interesting tastes in reading material, and that those tastes are wide-ranging enough to provide most people with something they’ll like, if they browse this blog from time to time.
Matt Reads was conceptualized as a way to let you know that there are good books–no, great books–out there, many of whom you may not have heard about. Just to clarify, I don’t expect to post many, if any, reviews of books you shouldn’t read. There are millions upon millions of books you should stay as far from as is humanly possible. Why would you need my help to find those? No, this place is about finding the good ones. If I read something and don’t enjoy it, I can’t think of many reasons to publicize said book.
That’s why I got rid of the rating scale I started off with–turns out, I’d rather write about books I’ve thought were brilliant. What’s the point of a rating scale that’s always on the upper end? You should probably assume that if I’m reviewing a book, I’m probably going to advocate that you read it as well.
Some of my reviews may be short, and some have already been longer than they should have been–but that’s the nature of the beast. I’ve read ten-page books that have enthralled me, and thousand-page books that have left me bored to tears. Sometimes, you just need to write more (or less) to convey your thoughts on a given book.
Matt Reads is not about generating income, or monetizing anything. That’s simply because I have a perfectly good career of my own, and am not looking to become a highly-paid blogger. I get plenty of satisfaction from knowing that somebody might find a good read here, and get some enjoyment from that which they might not otherwise have gotten. If you see a link to a book, it’s just that–a link to a book. No secret kickback schemes are in motion.
Oh, and that’s the other thing. The only way I’ve benefited personally through Matt Reads has been that sometimes, I’m able to get a free copy of a book in exchange for reviewing said book here. My perspective on that has been that I see no issue with doing so, as long as I let you know my honest feelings about the book (and as long as I let you know I got it for free). If I desperately hate a free book, I’ll probably review it in other places other than this blog, since I’m trying to focus my efforts on good books, not mediocre ones. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Hasn’t happened yet.
Thank you for reading (both Matt Reads and just reading in general). The world needs as many lovers of fine books as it can get, and I hope you’re up to the challenge! I’m looking forward to the future of Matt Reads, and hopefully it provides some value to someone other than myself. If not, hey–at least I get to keep reading good books!
Thanks for stopping by!
matt reads 