I have a bookish alter ego

     My name is Angie and I love books.  It might be an addiction.  I am a teacher by day, and a reader by night. When talking to a fellow teacher about my favorite books and authors and how I love to communicate with them online, she was totally surprised.  She said she had no idea I had this whole other alter ego.  What?!? I began to think about ways I could use this "alter ego" for good and took the advice of an author friend (yes Bria, we're friends!) and dive into the world of blogging.  I want to create a place to talk about the books I'm reading, the books that I have read and the books I have yet to discover!
     I want to begin by saying that when looking for new books to purchase, I almost always read reviews.  I look at reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads.  Do these reviews influence my decision on a book?  Yes and no.  If a book's ratings seem consistent and most of the feedback is positive, then I'll probably purchase the book.  If feedback is negative because the book is "too clean" or "not enough angst", then I won't let those reviews decide my decision.  Honestly, I read reviews to get an overall feel for the book, i.e the sensual level, is there a cliffhanger, etc.  I have found many great authors by ignoring reviews and I've found some really sloppy writing by following those "5 star review". All that being said, I want to post honest reviews and reflections about the books I'm reading.  My goal is to find those hidden gems that are not receiving enough attention and spotlight them to the reader world. I love discovering new authors and I believe in spreading the author love!