Why book reviews? Well, they have always been a fascination of mine. You see, I used to work for the book publishing industry's trade association which allowed me to turn my love of books into a mild obsession. Okay, an obsession of great heights actually, and I can say this with no hint of shame at all. Since then, I have found myself seeking out reviews whenever I could. Recently I began trying my hand at writing a few.

I like to keep the reviews short, around 500 words, starting with a brief overview, moving on to a few plot points, and of course, my take on it all. I'm not including spoilers, against my own instincts. Yes, I am one of those annoying people who reads the last page first, but I have forced myself to remain elusive since there are not many people like me out there.

This is only a small sampling but I do hope to have more in the next few weeks and months, depending on how much reading time I get in of course.

I tend to focus on fiction but you may find a few non-fiction reads in the mix along with old and new books. My reading list for 2009 includes many classics that I have found on shelves and will finally get around to reading this year. I also plan to include a few favorite authors and books which I hope will make for a nice eclectic list in the end.

Finally, the rating system. I use a scale of 1 to 5 stars, 1 being the lowest rating and 5 the highest. So basically, a read at your own risk to a very high you must read this book rating. It's far from scientific but I find it works for me.

If you want to see what I'm reading, visit my book blog at http://justbookreading.com/.