Do you have a recently published or upcoming climate fiction or nonfiction book you’d like me to promote or review? I would love to know about it! But first, you should know about my book review policy.
Book Review Policy
This is a team-of-one operation, and I read about one book a week. With this limited capacity, I tend to stick to traditionally published books. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further. All book reviews are my own opinions. Advanced reader copies and free books will not sway my reviews. If I am sent a book and decide it is something that I am not interested in reading, I will decline to review it. I am only reviewing books on this website that I genuinely enjoy (even when it’s that Type 2 ‘fun’). This is a website to celebrate climate writers!
My Climate Fiction Wish List
While I will consider reviewing any book offered, I will decline to review if I lack the time or the book doesn’t feel like a good fit for my individual reading taste. I get nightmares easily, so I don’t read horror or stories with too much blood and gore that don’t advance the story. I usually avoid dystopian stories where everyone dies, people start eating each other on the regular, or there’s too much child trauma. For example, I know I should read The Road, but I haven’t worked up the courage up enough yet.
Doom & Bloom Books generally reviews fiction, though I will include excellent climate nonfiction that will keep readers up-to-date on the climate science and provide them with actionable steps. I love reading excellent storytelling that makes the science come alive with emotion. Braiding Sweetgrass makes me teary eyed about lichen, for example! If the nonfiction is too dry and technical without heart, empathy, or emotion, I will likely decline to review it.
Doom and Bloom Ratings
With my book review policy, I’m not scoring or rating climate fiction like a typical Goodreads account might do. I’m only reviewing books that I already think are worth reading because of their importance to the climate fiction genre. They might bring an interesting perspective to living with climate angst, like Weather, or be a climate fiction classic like Parable of the Sower.
- 5 Stars: Total chaos, massive climate impacts, government collapse, and unsafe conditions, pessimistic outcomes.
- 4 Stars: Climate change has caused systemic problems, government is barely functioning, unsafe conditions but you’re less likely to be casually murdered.
- 3 Stars: Climate change has caused problems and the world is trying to adapt. Some suffering.
- 2 Stars: Some characters know climate change is happening and are working towards solutions, or impacts aren’t that severe.
- 1 Star: Climate change is on the horizon; government is functioning as usual.
- 5 Stars: We’ve solved climate change and social justice and live symbiotically with mother nature and her creatures! Or, the characters feel that this is possible. Someone, send me this book!
- 4 Stars: We are on our way to solving climate change. The characters are striving for a sustainable future.
- 3 Stars: Climate impacts are still occurring but the characters have hope and support each other. They’ve found a way to survive in challenging times.
- 2 Stars: Characters are struggling to survive in challenging times but they haven’t given up.
- 1 Star: Most or all of the main characters assume climate change is inevitable and they’ve given up hope of things changing for the better. They feel apathetic or despondent.
