Hi! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. I’m Kinsey, a 30-something booklover who set a goal last year to get better at writing reviews of the books I read. As you can probably guess by my Substack name — Everywhere Reader — I love to read! I read all the time, everywhere I go; whether it’s a physical book, my Kindle or Kindle app on my phone, or through my earbuds and the ever-available world of audiobooks, you better believe I’m reading as much as possible each and every day.
I’ve always been a fast reader, and as soon as I finish one book, I have another ready to go, often in each of those formats mentioned above — physical, digital, and audio. Over the years I have found myself struggling to remember the details of the books I’ve read — even ones I’ve really enjoyed in the moment! So this past year, I set out to get better about writing down my thoughts while I read and writing a more detailed review after I finish a book… and I did okay. I’d definitely say I did better than in previous years, but I’m still not where I’d like to be.
Enter, Substack! Having started to read several Substacks this year, I began to dream about starting my own and seeing where it could take me. But I waffled about how to name it, what it would be about, etc. etc. etc. But I’ve decided, what better time than the start of a new year to take the plunge, and to use this space as a way to write about what I’m reading — and who knows what else down the line.
Today I’m just posting this quick intro, as well as an explanation of my star rating system (everyone has their own version of what 3 stars means to them!) and an invitation to follow along with my book club prompts for the year. You can also follow me on Storygraph or Goodreads!
To further introduce myself, over the next four days I’ll share some stats and highlights (thank you Storygraph!) from my 2024 reading and my hopes and plans for reading in 2025. I’m aiming to update bi-weekly with everything that I’m reading and what I’m thinking about it, and then to add in some other fun book-related (or maybe just life-related) posts along the way!
So, thanks for being here! I’d love to hear from you what you love to read and your reading goals for this year. Let’s kick things off with a little poll:
Kinsey’s 5 Star Rating System
Everyone has their own way of rating books, and I think it’s helpful when hearing from anybody to know what they mean when they say a book gets 3 stars. Here’s how I rate the books I read:
1 star – I did not like anything about this book and do not recommend you try it for yourself. (I really never give a 1 star rating, because if I’m not enjoying a book this much, I’ll DNF it, and I don’t rate the books I DNF.)
2 stars – This book was not for me, and I probably considered DNF-ing it. It’s possible it could be for you, though! Every book has its audience.
3 stars – This was a solid reading experience. I enjoyed this book and think others will, too. However, it was forgettable and nothing particularly stood out to me (good or bad).
4 stars – I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.
5 stars – I loved this book, highly recommend it, want to talk about it with everyone I know, likely will re-read it, and want a physical copy to live on my bookshelf forever.
Kinsey’s Book Club Prompts
I host a monthly book club with friends, and a few years ago we pivoted our format in a way I really enjoy! Instead of choosing one book for everyone to read and discuss, we set a category or prompt each month. Everyone reads whatever they want that fits that month’s prompt, and then we get together to share what we read. It allows for a lot of fun conversation and lots of discovery of new books for everyone! I thought it would be fun to share this year’s prompts, in case anyone wants to read along. All the prompts this year have to do with the book’s title, and I’m a big fan of there being no rules, so everything is up for interpretation. Here are this year’s prompts, as well as the books I am planning (as of now) to read for them.
January: Has someone’s name in the title – The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet1 by Reif Larsen
February: Has a one-word title – Mischling by Affinity Konar
March: Has a place in the title – The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
April: No articles or prepositions in the title – Real Americans by Rachel Khong
May: Has a color in the title – The Color Purple by Alice Walker
June: Has a number in the title – The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig
July: Has punctuation in the title – The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton
August: Has time in the title – The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell
September: Has an animal in the title – Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
October: Has five or more words in the title – The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
November: Has food/drink in the title – Cooking for Kings2 by Ian Kelly
December: Has a holiday in the title – The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids
One of my friends (thanks, Amy!) has also helpfully put these into a challenge on Storygraph, so if you prefer, you can join in over there. Let me know which prompt is the most exciting or the most challenging to you!
Come back tomorrow for a look at my reading from the first quarter of 2024, as well as a little discussion about reading goals and my hopes for 2025!
Links are not affiliate links and most will take you to bookshop.org, where you can shop online and support your favorite local bookshops! Some books I couldn’t find on bookshop.org, so they are Amazon links.
Wow, this book is expensive! I found it at a library book sale for less than $5.
I really like the book club prompts that avoid the common “so what did you think about the book we all read?” stall that happens in most book clubs. Having a prompt creates good conditions for conversation without relying on someone crafting discussion questions.