Welcome to my book catalog! I'm really excited for everyone to check it out and discover some of my favorite titles. If you didn't know yet, this is a catalog in which I organize all the books that I have read by genre as well as by series. My main goal is to provide an easy way to browse all of the books that I've read so that viewers have an easier time discovering my favorite books, past and present. 

Feel free to peruse my shelves and make sure to find yourself a copy of any book that piques your interest. As of now, I rate and review every book that I read, but unfortunately, this isn't something that I have done forever. Many books on this site don't have reviews, but every single one does have a star rating. 

I hope that you enjoy your time at this section of The Book Nerd's Corner and that you find an amazing book to read while you are here. If one of my favorite books becomes one of your favorites, I hope you'll reach out to me at thebooknerdscorner@gmail.com or send me a DM on Instagram. I love chatting with fellow readers! 

 Happy reading, book nerds! :)

~Ashlee, The Book Nerd's Corner~

P.S. Below I have included a model of how every book entry is formatted on my website, as well as in-depth information on how my star rating system works. 

Series Rating: 

I put an overall rating of  the series, instead of just each book individually. You know, sometimes in that really great series, one book doesn't really step up to the plate. 

Individual Book Outline 

Book Title 

Author(s) of the Book 

Back of Book: 

This is a description of the book that you would find on the back cover or on the inside flap. I take most of them from Goodreads, but I also type them by hand if the mood strikes me (or if I can't seem to find a good one on the interweb). 

Book Number: The number in the series that the book is. I label singular books "Stand Alone." 

Genre: I list both the age group (middle grade, young adult, or adult) and the genres that the book is a part of. Many books encompass more than one genre. I add additional genres to help refine your search so you can more accurately find a book that you will enjoy. 

Review: A rating out of five stars and an overall review of the book by yours truly! A question mark denotes that I have yet to read the book and can't give it a rating yet. 

A quick look at the meaning behind the stars: 

🌟: I wasn't a fan of the book. It was a struggle to even finish the entire thing. If I DNFd (did not finish) books, I would have. Instead, I suffered but finished (SBFd) it. 

🌟🌟: It was okay. These books are a bit of a drag, but I cared enough about the story to continue reading them. These books just are not for me. 

🌟🌟🌟: It was a pretty good read, but I wouldn't prioritize rereading it. These books usually have some major component missing from them or let me down in a significant way. I would only recommend these books to very specific types of readers or people that read a large number of books. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟: I really enjoyed this book and the odds of me rereading it again in my lifetime is high. It had a few minor details that kept me from loving it, but was overall great. I would recommend these books to a more general populace. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟: I loved this book! The odds are that I will read it multiple times in my lifetime. I will consistently recommend these books to others. 

I wanted to write a brief explanation on what makes a five star book for me. I think it is important that you have access to things that I specifically love in books so you can be more aware of why a book achieved such a high rating. Below, I have listed some criteria on what makes a book a five star read. 

• Feels Real.  If the book isn't realistic and the characters don't feel like real people, then it can't be a five star book. When I say this, I mean that the events seem like they could happen, and the characters feel fully fleshed out. They can be talking to a unicorn in the land of Oz and as long as it seems real, it has the potential to become a five star read. I mean if an author can make talking to a unicorn in Oz seem real, you deserve to be here.

• New and Different.  I can't count a book among the best if I can think of fourteen other books of the top of my head that have the exact same story line. I'm not saying that it has to be completely original (I happen to love retellings!), but it should seem fresh. 

• Not Too Predictable.  I want a story to keep me on my toes. I want the author to have me guessing at every twist and turn. I have read some really good books that you can guess the ending from the very beginning, but I mostly want the journey there to be a surprise. Predictability often knocks my star ratings down if the book doesn't seem urgent enough. 

• Withdraws Emotion.  If a book makes me laugh out loud, bawl, starts my heart pounding, or even makes my hair stand on edge, it is much more likely to be a five star read. I love when I get a physical reaction from the books that I read; it proves that the author has hooked me on their story and characters and that I care deeply about what is happening, 

• Amazing Characters.  A five star book needs characters that are unique and intriguing. This doesn't always mean that I have to like the protagonist or the love interest, but they do have to be interesting. Boring and flat characters are my number one reason that I give low ratings to books. 

• A Great Message.  All really good books should have some sort of message that will affect the person reading it in some way. A person is made who they are by the things they experience and the people they are with. A book has both of these. Make yourself into a better you by reading about important things. I know I am and always will. A good book should affect you as a person, deep down.  

• A Book to Be Remembered.  What I mean by this one is that it has to be memorable enough that you still think about it after you read it. It makes you want to come back and read it again because you want to see what you missed. A book like this will stay inside your head and heart for a very long time. 

• Makes You Think.  An astonishing book is one that makes you think and keeps you thinking the whole time you are reading it and a time after you've read it. If a book doesn't make you think hard, it isn't the best constructed. Some books are meant to be funny and simple, but even the easiest reads have something to offer. 

Note: Just because I rated a book less than five stars doesn't mean that you shouldn't read it. Some books I rated three star have really good things going for them, but they just weren't books for me. All ratings and reviews are all my opinions and I believe that every reader should decide what they want to read. If there's a book that I rated poorly that catches your interest, go for it! Also, if I rate one of your favorite books poorly, I hope that we can still be friends. Like any other creative media, everyone has different books that they enjoy. Learning to put a difference in opinions aside is a really helpful skill and I yearn that you keep an open mind. 

SEARCH FEATURE 

In the upper right hand corner of this catalog, there is a search button in the shape of a magnifying glass. If you click on it, you can search for certain words throughout my website. This comes in really handy if there is a certain author you like. You can just type in their name and it will list all of the pages that that writer is listed on. This allows you to easily and efficiently browse authors that you enjoy, even if they have written books that span multiple genres. 

This tool can also be used to search for certain topics. For example, if you type in the word "dragon", it will bring you up every book that mentions the word dragon in the title, back of book, or review. This allows you to explore topics without having to scroll through every individual tab. This might come in handy, so give it a go! 

CONTACT ME

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, email me at thebooknerdscorner@gmail.com. I would love to hear your feedback! I would be ecstatic to learn about your favorite book. I am always open for book suggestions and you never know, your suggestion could end up on The Book Nerd's Corner or even as The Book of the Month! If there is a book that you discovered on my website and you want to share with me, I would love to hear about it! I love to talk about books and if you do too, that is a huge bonus in my opinion. Feel free to reach out! 

If email seems a bit old school for you, don't worry! You can find me across the internet as The Book Nerd's Corner. Feel free to connect with me on your favorite social platform at any of the links below! 

Linktree: For the most up to date places to find me. 

Instagram: Follow me on Instagram for curated book rec lists, bookish collaborations, and even more book recs! 

Goodreads: In case you want to follow my reading journey as I read. 

The StoryGraph: If Goodreads isn't your thing but you still want to follow along with my reading journey, follow me here. 

NOTES ABOUT BOOK INFLUENCING

I've been reading and reviewing books for quite some time now, but I am still fairly new to Bookstagram and bookish collaborations in general. In 2024, I had the chance to be a part of dozens of book tours as well as several author's Street Teams, so I'm definitely gathering some clout in the bookish world. I am grateful for all the authors, publishers, and PR teams who are willing to send me free books in order to hear my honest opinion about them. I can't wait to see what 2025 entails for me! 

As of now, if you want to know everything that I am reading, Goodreads is the closest to updated at all times. If Goodreads is not your cup of tea for whatever reasons, you can also keep up with my reading over on The StoryGraph, which is an alternative site to track your books. If you haven't heard of it, you should definitely check it out! 

If you want my most random bookish musings, Instagram is the platform where I tend to spout whatever is on my mind (stories are good for that, after all). 

I'm hoping to get a website with a landing page going here within the nearish future, but we'll see where I'm sitting with everything life throws my way. It's most definitely a WIP that me and my sister are working on, but it something that I'm excited about getting all set up. 

Lastly, I just want to mention that I hope to one day transition into doing BookTube, too. It seem like a blast and I have so many ideas rolling around in this head of mine that I think would be fun to work with. I'm not sure when I'll be ready to dabble in this, but in the meantime, there is plenty of my other bookish content to consume! 

SPECIAL THANK YOUS

I want to thank Goodreads for being an easy place to track everything that I read. I also want to thank it for having all the information I need to know about books at my fingertips. It really does make my life easier. 

I need to literally praise my sister for all the hard work that she does for me in my bookish world. She not only designed my website and created my logo, but she also designs my yearly collage of books that make up my website header.  She is also a reader herself and she often picks out many of the books that I spend my time reading. Lastly, I want to thank her for her willingness to hear me rant about fictional characters for literal hours on end without batting an eye. 

I also want to thank all of the people that helped in the early process of this website, as well as my overall bookish career. I want to give an extra special thanks to two of my dear friends, Cristina and Fatma, for being some of the earliest viewers of this site. Your feedback has been priceless, and I will be forever grateful for it. More importantly though, I cannot thank you enough for being such amazing and supportive friends. It's a bonus that you guys always let me rant about the books that I'm currently reading, even if you haven't cracked open a book in months. Your patience and kindness are always appreciated. I love ya, girls! 

I think this is the year that I officially add my wonderful boyfriend, Kyle, to this list of people that I need to thank. I've definitely filled many of his hours rambling about all the strange books that I'm reading, and he always takes it with such grace. I am lucky to say that I am dating a fellow reader (though he doesn't read to the extreme that I do); I'm glad that he gets it (sorta). 

I would also like to thank my ninth grade English teacher, Mr. Scharnberg, who has always pushed me to be my best. This catalog originally started as a homework assignment in his class, but now it something that I cherish dearly. Thank you for kindling this spark and for supporting my love for reading. I hope that one day I can share everything that I have created with him. 

I would be remiss if I didn't thank all of the authors, bloggers, and publishing companies that send me free books to review. Every time I receive a bookish package in the mail, I am filled with such immense joy. Any day with book mail is a good day. 

My public library also deserves to be showered with praises. Most of the books I read are loaned out to me. I wouldn't be able to afford to feed my reading addiction on my own, so I am glad that there is this magical building that I can go to that lets me leave with bags full of books without having to pay a dime. I am eternally grateful for my library. 

Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank all of the authors and illustrators that work graces these pages. Without them, I wouldn't be able to read all of their books. If I couldn't read their books, you wouldn't be looking at this right now. Thank you authors. Keep working your magic and I'll keep working mine. I truly cherish every minute that I get to spend in your work's company. :)