Welcome to Dzifa’s Bookshelf!
This serves as my personal digital archive, a space to document my reading journey, organize my thoughts, and share reflections. While I take reading seriously, this blog is a creative outlet amidst research and school applications, intended for fun and reflection. Though I will seek out ARCs from time to time, and welcome them with open arms, I don’t claim to be a professional critic.
You can contact me at dzifa [at] dzifasbookshelf [dot] com
My Philosophy
I believe reading should be a joy. My reviews focus on vibe, emotional resonance, and pacing of a story vs an academic breakdown.
My Rating Scale
I use a 1-5 star scale based entirely on my personal enjoyment and whether I’d recommend the book to a friend. I also use .25 increments to capture the nuance between I liked it and I loved it. Above 3.0 is generally considered a successful read to me!
- 5 stars: fantastic, I will never stop talking about this book!
- 4 stars: great read, I enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend
- 3 stars: solid read, I liked parts of it but some elements didn’t quite land for me
- 2 stars: not for me, I struggled to connect with the characters/plot
- 1 star: never reading this again, might not admit to having read
- 0 stars: …burn it!
ARC/Review Requests
I am open to receiving advance reader copies and review requests, particularly in the following genres:
- Contemporary & Literary Fiction
- Christian Fiction
- Romance
- Mystery, Thriller, and YA Procedurals
- Diverse Voices (Ghanaian/African-American authors are always a priority)
Note to Publishers & Authors
- Accepting a book does not guarantee a positive review. I will always provide my 100% honest opinion.
- For ARCs, I aim to post a review on this blog and Storygraph within two weeks of the publication date.
- All reviews are 100% my own. I do not and will not use AI to write them.