About

Area53 banner which is a collection of lots of scattered pictures of things the blogger likes, from music artists and films to TV shows.

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From the Past

Films on the to-do list

  • Armageddon Time
  • Black Widow
  • Chimes at Midnight
  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  • Last Christmas
  • Remember Sunday
  • Shazam! 2
  • Thor: Love and Thunder
  • Spy Guys

Review Policy

21 June 2014: Please be aware that I am not currently in a position to offer reviews. I have a backlog of 20+ books from Netgalley that I still need to get through, and I’d like to be able to read some other books as well, and I don’t read all that quickly.

Some ground rules for the reviews published here on Area53, and a disclaimer of sorts.

Last updated: 2022-06-03

I have obtained everything myself.
And if I haven’t, I’ll make sure to tell you it’s a review copy and who gave it to me. If it’s from Netgalley, the post is tagged.

I don’t get paid for writing reviews.
It would be nice if I did, but alas, I doubt that’s ever going to happen. And if it did, I’d let you know, and even then:

I guarantee you my honest opinion.
Even if I’m really grateful to be given things to review, I’m not going to love everything that comes my way. I’ll be honest with you, and that might mean I love it and gush overexcitedly over it, or I might rant and/or slate it, but I’ll try at least to be constructive in any criticism. I won’t give something favourable review just because I’ve been given a free copy to review and/or a friend made it.

I’ll review lots of things, except products. Oh, and poetry.
Seriously. Ebooks (Kindle compatible), novels, short stories, audiobooks, essays, fiction, non-fiction, films, TV series, music albums, stage shows (in Nottingham), you name it. I have access to a region free DVD player too. Unless I deem it particularly useful for the readers of this blog and fitting with the general theme, I will not review other kinds of products. Or poetry.

I welcome independent authors who might only publish for Kindle.
Who says you need a major publishing house behind you anyway? If you’re self-publishing, I’m more likely to pick you up on any layout and formatting issues, but hopefully, you’ve done a good job editing.

I post reviews here, and elsewhere too.
Book reviews are put on Amazon UK as well as worldwide as a priority. I will try to add them all to Goodreads in due course, and might post them elsewhere too.

I like to take things slow.
If you’re in a hurry to get something reviewed, you’re probably not looking at the right person here. How quickly I can get through a book depends on how easy it is to read, how hard I find it is to put down and how much time I have, but I’m not the fastest reader in the world. (Whereas films might take a couple of hours and then it’s done – this is a major factor in why I review more films than books.) If you haven’t published the item yet, if you give me at least a month’s notice (or two), I should be able to have it read so the review can coincide with publication. If not, I’ll read as quickly as I can, and I’ll write the review whenever possible. Books I’ve been given to review will always have the highest priority.

There are other ways of marketing your product than by just reviews.
I’m happy to host giveaways, competitions, interviews or Q&As, or be a stop on blog tours –provided I actually get to read the book or see the film. I can’t endorse something I have never laid my eyes on.

I’m in Nottingham, in the heart of England, and I’m Swedish.
This blog is therefore rather Euro-centric, which might influence my reviews in some cases. Not to mention grammar and spelling. What you see is what you get. If you don’t like my reviews, I’m not the right person to review your work.

Any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Get in touch through social media or email connect@area53.co.uk for more info.

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