2015 End of Year Book Survey

One of the tradition at year's end is to fill out this intense survey from Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner. Be sure to grab the questions, ponder your choices, post and link up!

Number Of Books You Read: 75 (as of this moment)
Number of Re-Reads: 3 (four if you count that I read another one twice this year)
Genre You Read The Most From: probably a toss up between YA fantasy and YA contemporary

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

YA Speculative: tie between Iluminae (Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff) and These Broken Stars (Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner)
YA Contemporary Romance: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
YA Fantasy: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
YA Historical Fiction: The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond
Adult Fantasy: The Golem and the Ginni by Helene Wecker
Adult Science Fiction: The Martian by Andy Weir
Adult Romance: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Girl on the Train. Sheesh. This book did NOT live up to the hype for me in any way at ALL!

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Half Bad by Sally Green, which was a random unsolicited book I got in the mail, one I knew nothing about. But I loved it. I need to get my hands on its sequel!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I have no idea what I pushed a lot this year. These Broken Stars maybe, even though that's sort of an "old" book. Maybe Illuminae too perhaps.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Best series I started was The Starbound trilogy beginning with These Broken Stars. The last one just came out and I have it in my hands and hope to get to it soon. Illluninae was the start to a new series too! LOVED it!

Best ending book was probably Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I totally loved that series. 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

The author teams of Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner... and Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I read a bunch of graphic novels this year... definitely not something I read much of, and I totally enjoyed American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

These Broken Stars, Illuminae, The Martian, to name a few.

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don't know what I'll re-read from this year's list, but I really want to re-read Edenbrooke!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

Illuminae for sure!

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Mark Watney from The Martian comes to mind. I also enjoyed Will from Me Before You, Tarver from These Broken Stars, Finch from All the Bright Places and Finn from Bone Gap.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

Bone Gap was beautiful. The Winner's Crime also beautiful. The Tightrope Walkers quite beautiful too.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

Life changing? That is just so dramatic. Though provoking though? Maybe Me Before You would fit this category! I'd also say Wonder might work here too.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?

It took me awhile to get to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Also, it took me too long to get to Wonder by R.J. Placio. Glad I finally read these two!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

"Push yourself. Don't settle. Just live well. Just live." -- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Shortest: Joy Street at 28 pages
Longest: The Golem and the Jinni at 657 pages

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Saga. Yes, I read the first of this popular science fiction graphic series and was pretty shocked by some of it's content.. though I also expected it too. Shocked and not shocked. Is that a thing?

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
Oh I love Lilac and Tarver from These Broken Stars!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The relationship between Jill and Mandy in How to Save a Life. Lots to learn from them!

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Winner's Crime perhaps. 

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis which several friends bugged and bugged me to read and I did and I loved it! Bone Gap was also recommended and I loved it to.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
Did I mention Tarver? Yes? From These Broken Stars. Sigh.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. That was a debut I think, yes?

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Oh my goodness! So many! I'm going with Illuminae for this one! So good!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Martian was a blast to read and I smiled throughout much of it.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

All the Bright Places is freaking sad and heart wrenching.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Heir to Edenbrooke is a tiny, little hidden gem! :)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

The Winner's Crime of course. The best soul crushing series ever. I can't wait to see how it all ends soon!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Illuminae, hands down. Yeah, have you noticed a theme here with this book?

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Winner's Crime made me mad because.. you know.. it ended and all.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

I've been so bad about making new blogging friends this year. The only one that stands out is Amy, even though I'm a terrible commenter there!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?

These Broken Stars

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Our first Book Banter about Jane Eyre got quite the discussion going! I loved it!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

The best events I participated in where the three read alongs I helped to host, but my favorite one of the three was North and South for sure. We had so much fun with that!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?

I blogged about all my best moments of the year here, but I'd have to say that eating lunch with a bunch of Newbery/National Book/Printz/Caldacott winners was pretty much at the top of the list.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

I think the most challenging thing right now and all this past year is just sticking with it in the face of the fact that it seems to be going out of style.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Most comments: A Day in the Life post back in March. When are we going to do another one of these??

Most views: My review for The Bishop's Wife way back in January! Wow. Weird.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I always wish my music posts got more love... like when I gushed about Kendji awhile back. Sigh. I guess my love for books and music don't cross over much with you all as it does with me! 

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I don't think I discovered anything particularly new this year, sadly.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I did not finish 90 books like I thought I would. I did not finish all the books on the PopSugar reading challenge, but I came close. (Here are the full results of that challenge.) Other than that, I had no specific challenges going on.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

Dying to get to Their Fractured Light! Why have I not read it already? It will be read probably the first week in the year.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

The Winner's Kiss!

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I don't ever know who is debuting!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?

The Winner's Kiss! Also, the next book after Illuminae whose name I forgot already. (Gemima!)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

Change up my review format. At this writing I have no idea what that's going to be yet!

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

I haven't got my hands on any ARCs for 2016 yet!

Want to participate in this survey? Be sure to grab the questions and link up here!

What is Space Opera?

I've been realizing lately, as I've been working on this new story, the one I'm calling a space opera, that lots of people don't really know, or haven't heard of this particular genre term.

So let's discuss!

No, it's not people singing in space. Though that would be awesome. And no, it's not hard science fiction. Because the emphasis is on the drama and not necessarily the science.

I think the term comes from soap opera... so yes, it IS a soap opera in space! Or, it's big saga drama, in space. It's characters dealing with stuff, in space.

In fact, Star Wars is a space opera. Though it has a lot of fantasy elements too. We could call it a space opera fantasy!

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, and often risk-taking as well as chivalric romance; usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons and other sophisticated technology. The term has no relation to music but is instead a play on the term "horse opera", which was coined during the heyday of silent movies to indicate clichéd and formulaic western movies. Space operas emerged in the 1930s and they continue to be produced in literature, film, comics and video games.

Okay, so they say horse opera...which I've never heard of. I like the soap opera idea better. I guess it can be a similar idea anyway.

So basically, I think of a space opera as all the stuff I normally like, only set in space. And in fact, my story will not necessarily have futuristic weapons, advanced abilities or sophisticated technology... though that may change. So now I'm wondering, can it  still be called space opera? I think so!

In fact, if I make them be in space, but sort of Victorian, I wonder if I can call it steampunk space opera? 

Anyway, some popular great space opera books:

The Foundation series by Issac Asimov

The Ender series by Orson Scott Card

The Skylark series by E.E "Doc" Smith

The Saga graphic novel series by Brain K. Vaughan

Some recent YA books I say are space opera:

These Broken Stars and series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

For Darkness Shows the Stars and series by Diana Peterfreund

Cinder and series by Marissa Meyer

And besides Star Wars, we also have Star Trek, and Firefly and Dr. Who and Battlestar Galactica and Guardians of the Galaxy. All considered space opera. Awesome stuff, no?

So, now you know. What do you think? Fan of the genre or not so much? 

One thing I know,  I need to be reading more of it.

Twenty Bookish Questions

And now it's survey time! This questions were lifted from Trish at Love Laughter and a Touch of Insanity. If you want to see where she got them and her answers, click on over and give her a visit! 

1. Favorite childhood book:

Just one of many

2. What are you reading right now?

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

None at the moment. I usually don't have a bunch from the library.


4. Bad book habit:

Laying it down, open, pages down, without a bookmark.
Oh, possibly buying too many!

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

6. Do you have an e-reader?

Yes, yes I do. And I love it.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

At least two usually.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Um... very much yes. I used to go wander the library and pick out whatever looked good. I rarely do that now. I have too many on my shelves to read! Because somehow starting a blog meant buying more. Or something.

9. Least favorite book you read this year:

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year:

One of many, but this one is in my head at the moment

11. How often do you read outside of your comfort zone?

Not often, but now and then. I'm not usually afraid to try most anything.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

YA for sure... fantasy and contemporary both.

13. Can you read on the bus?

I don't ride the bus but if I did, probably not. I used to not be able to read in the car, but as I've gotten older I can do it as long as we are on a straight steady road.

14. Favorite place to read:

It's toss up between the bed and the couch.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

I'm a bit wary and people have to prove themselves. If they pass the test, I'm usually okay lending, though I will keep track of who has what (usually) and will bug for it back. I will not lend out signed copies if I can help it.

16. Do you dog-ear your books?

Nope.

17. Do you write notes on the margins of your books?

Nope, but I think it would be cool if I could make myself do it.

18. Do you break/crack the spines?

Not really, but maybe a little accidentally.

19. What is your favorite language to read?

LOL! Um, English! But I did read a few novels in French back in college days!

20. What makes you love a book?

awesome characters, vulnerable villains, beautiful writing, romance, intense action, cool worlds, emotion emotion emotion, unique plot and story idea, learning about another place or historical person

Historical vs. Contemporary

Okay guys! Here's another genre question for you!

We all know a historical novel is one that takes place in the past.  Usually, but not always, a novel based around either a true event, or some big event in history.  And if not that, then you usually learn about customs or practices from the past.

A contemporary novel is one that takes place in the present, obviously! The current day. Now times, dealing with nowadays issues.

But when does one become the other? How far back does "present" day go? And how far close to now does historical come?

I think we can agree that 20s and 30s would be historical. World War II times and the 40s obviously are. How about the 50s and 60s? Yes?

So... what about the 70s? Vietnam war? Watergate? Historical? Probably.

And the 80s? Historical or contemporary? The 90s? Historical or contemporary?

See? Starting to get a little fuzzy, ain't it?

Think of books set in those times periods. How do you think of them? Present day or historical past times? What's the "newest" setting you think of as historical and the "oldest" you think of as contemporary?

Let me know what you think!

Speaking Like Our Favorite Books

Have you ever noticed that after you read a certain book, you find the language of that book creeping into your own method of speaking? I've noticed this a lot over the years and some of that language stays with me no matter how long it's been since I've read the book. I find it fascinating.

Some examples:

After reading The Good Earth, I started saying "well and so" all the time, or writing it especially. Have you read this book? Have you noticed how many paragraphs and dialogue bits start with "well and so"? I loved it and it stuck in my head and it's never left!

After reading The Sparrow, I started adding yes after every sentence... well, I mean not every but after many sentences. You may have even noticed this in my writing of blog posts, yes? :) I do it all the time, but I don't remember doing it before that book. There's a character in that book, who sticks a yes after everything he says. Maybe a no sometimes too. It stuck with me!

Remember the "happy-making" and other such "makings" that permeated the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld? I think it drove people all crazy-making after awhile, but it stuck in our speech around here. That one has faded a bit though. But hey, actually, I have proof that my husband was using this term LONG long before the Uglies series! Funny, that. (and where does THAT phrase come from, eh?)

After reading a Victorian era regency type novel I find myself wanting to use terms like... daft and civil and methinks... and "shall we take a turn about the room?" and other such formalities. I love it when this happens and I wish it would stick a bit longer than it does. This one fades after awhile, but always comes back for a moment upon finishing such a book.

I know there's more, many many more, but those are the main examples that come to mind at the moment. What experience have you had were the language or style of a book has crept into your own speaking? I'd love to know!

What IS a Fairy Tale Anyway?

This month for book club we are all reading a fairy tale re-telling of our choice. Last month, as we discussed all the possibilities, we ended up wondering:  what is a fairy tale anyway?

So I wondered what you, my readers, thought!

What do you consider a fairy tale?

Does it have to be something from Grimm? Or Mr. Hans Christian Anderson? Or is it something Disney grabbed and reinvented? Or is it any story that has, I don't know, that fairy tale feeling? You know what I mean, right?

So this last week I've read a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood and Peter Pan. Is there only one fairy tale in that mix? Or could they all be considered fairy tales?

In looking the question up on Wikipedia, it says a fairy tale is any story that features European folky/fantasy characters like fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, etc. And it includes magic and happy endings and a moral tale... usually. I think with that definition, we could include Peter Pan and Alice, yes?

What else might be considered a fairy tale, but isn't necessarily something from Grimm?

Armchair BEA: Thoughts on YA

Do you see all the discussion all the time on Twitter and elsewhere between authors and the stuffy know-it-alls in publishing? It's happening all the time! It seems like we have to defend our love of YA over and over and over again. And I'm happy to do it here as well!

Here are the questions of the day from Armchair BEA:

 Our final genre of discussion is one that we know is a popular one these days: books for the younger crowd, from middle grade to young adult. If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to list your favorites, make recommendations based on genres, or feature some titles that you are excited to read coming later this year.

So, it goes without saying that I love YA books. Middle grade books too, though I tend to not read as many of them. Last week, there was a Twitter campaign about YA (#IReadYA) that I found fun and I wanted to respond to it all day long, except I didn't. So I'll pretend I did and write my list here:

I Read YA... because I will always be 17 in my head.
I Read YA... because these books tend to be faster and easier to read.
I Read YA... because there are so many awesome characters!
I Read YA... because I love to experiences all the firsts all over again.
I Read YA... because the coolest authors write this stuff!
I Read YA... because the stories are intense and exciting.
I Read YA... because sometimes the stories are simply fluffy and fun!
I Read YA... because we can all (no matter our age) learn something from all sorts of books and stories no matter the intended audience.

Yeah, I always laugh when I see someone say.. "I'm GASP, like 25 (or 27 or 30 or even 35) and even I read YA!" Well, gasp, even nearly 50 year olds read YA! And can totally relate to it all. (Like I said, still 17 in my head, always and forever.)

Some of my favorite YA books:

• the Legend series by Marie Lu
• the Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi
• the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
• the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvatter
• the Partials series by Dan Wells
• the Finnikin of the Rock series by Melina Marchetta
• The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
• anything and everything by Markus Zusak! (even his first books about the Wolfe brothers!)

Okay. I'm stopping now. I pretty much love them all. So, if you're "scared" of YA... it's time to suck it up and read 'em!

Swoony vs Cheesy: A Mission For You

So I mentioned in my Nano update on Sunday's post that I'm curious and pondering and wondering how authors can write scenes that come off as swoony rather than cheesy or corny. I'm to those parts in my own Nano story now where as I'm writing I'm thinking, "sheesh, this sounds so stupid!" And, you know, I don't want them to sound stupid, I want them to be SWOONY!

Even though I've read I-don't-even-know-how-many-books where there are swoony parts, I can't quite put my finger on what makes them so and then to be able to go and do likewise.

Thus, I'm coming to you all for help!

Here's how I define the two:

SWOONY: Obviously, the parts of the romantic story that make you swoon, as you read it. Which is to say, it is full of all sorts of emotions that make you actually feel right along with the characters. It makes you fall in love too. It makes you say after reading it, "that was the BEST!"

CHEESY: The parts of the romantic story that make you groan and roll your eyes and go oh, sheesh, why? It makes you want the scene to just be over already. It makes you wonder why she even likes him, or he even likes her, because you just don't get it.

I've been asking around in other places, but I really want to ask here and to know what you my bestest blog buddies think. Here's your mission should you choose to accept it:

1. Tell me how you define these terms and what EXACTLY makes one scene one way and one scene other. Are there certain words that need to be used or avoided? Is it simply a matter of cliches vs. new ideas? Is it your investment in the characters? Is it just some overall feeling that you can't really describe? Is it different for everyone? Is it a personal taste sort of thing?

2. Give me some examples! I know you must have your favorite swoon-worthy scene you can share with me! Or even a remembered cheesy one! But I really want to dissect the swoony ones so I can copy learn from them! And no movie scenes allowed because I want to see how the author uses the WORDS to create such scenes. Am I right? So....can you think of some?

Here's one of my favorites from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: 

"I can't concentrate. I thought I could do this." He put his hands up in defeat. "Can't." Then he came closer. Aria didn't think her heart could beat any faster, but then it did, faster with every step he took toward her, until it hammered against her chest, making her breathless when he stopped right in front of her. Her wooden blade rested on his chest. She stared at it, her heart in her throat. She stared at the way it pressed into his shirt.

"I've been watching you and Roar. Wanting it to be me training with you." His shoulders came up. "I don't want to do it now."

"Why?" Aria's voice was high and thin.

He smiled, a flash of shyness, before he leaned close. "There are other things I'd rather do when I'm alone with you."

Time to step off the edge. "Then do them."

Anyway, I hope some of you take me up on this and share your thoughts. I really would love to know what you think and what you feel is the bottom line thing that is the difference between these two sorts of romantic moments.

Have fun! Thank you!

Discussing Fiction and Libraries with Neil Gaiman

Awhile back (about a month ago) I saw this article from The Guardian making the rounds, and I loved it so much I myself passed it along everywhere I could. Since then, I've been wanting to share it here and to discuss it a bit, but haven't had time! I still don't have time to do it justice, but it's now or never.

This article is actually taken from a speech that Neil Gaiman gave to an organization in England called The Reading Agency. He made so many awesome points in this speech that I felt like cheering and clapping throughout the whole thing. (I wonder if the people who got to hear it person did that very thing?! I bet so!)

So really, you should go read it for yourself. But if you you don't (and even if you do), here are the things that stood out to me:

First of all, he sort of subtitled the talk as..... what reading does and what it's good for. So think about that for a minute and how you would answer it. Maybe an idea for another post?

Here's what he had to say about it.

First of all, he wanted to be a champion for fiction reading. He says, fiction is a gateway to all other reading. And since our world is all about words and information these days, it's pretty important that kids learn to read, which they never will do if they aren't reading something they like.

Speaking of kids and their reading, he wants to make sure that we understand there's no such thing a a bad kids author. Ideas that are worn out to us old people are new to them. And if we as adults think something is crap, well, it's quite possible we have different reading tastes than the kids reading those books!

Also, fiction makes you feel things. He said, "You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You're being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you're going to be slightly changed."

Going along with this, fiction makes people more inventive. If you can't imagine things, you can't create things.

And when you shun the idea of reading for escape, remember this quote by JRR Tolkien, the only people who inveigh against escape are jailers. I just love that. I really hope to remember that the next time someone pooh poohs the idea of reading fiction to escape the real world.

Then he went on to talk about libraries:

- They are about freedom.... "Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication"
- They are about education, entertainment and they create a safe place to enjoy all of that
- They are a place to go for information
- There will always be physical books, just like there have always been sharks in the ocean (even before the dinosaurs!) They will survive, which means, there will always be libraries to house them.

We have obligations to the future:

- to read for pleasure
- to support libraries "If you do not value libraries then you do not value information or culture or wisdom. You are silencing the voices of the past and you are damaging the future." Books are the way we communicate with the dead, and learn lessons from them.
- to read aloud to our kids
- to write true things, not necessarily in what happens, but in who we are
- to day dream and to imagine... everything around you, everything you see was at one point just in someone's imagination
- to make things beautiful, to leave things better than we found it

So... what do you think? Do you ever have to defend the reading of fiction and of pleasure to people in your life? Do you find yourself at a loss for words on how to explain how important it is? That using your imagination is just as important as learning something from a non-fiction book? 

Do you find yourself defending libraries and their continued existence very often? Do you think physical books will ever become extinct? Do you think that libraries can grow and change with the changing world?

At any rate, I loved what he had to say and how it was such a nice pep talk for all things bookish and reading. Hip hip hooray!

Reading Emotions

While reading certain highly emotional books recently, I've felt the need to have a little discussion! And it's been so long since I've thought up a discussion post, I figured it's long past time!

Something that I find interesting and worth defending is when we read books that bring out some sort of strong emotion and then we base the "goodness" of that book on the emotion. For instance, if the book made you MAD, do you then hate the book because of it? If the book made you cry buckets, do you hate the book because of it? If the book made you CRAZY with frustration, do you hate the book and deem it a bad one?

Yes, the question here is.... do we judge a book good or bad based on the emotions we feel while reading it?

My argument is that a book is good if it causes strong emotions. And that in fact, this is the very definition of a good book. I mean, of course you can still say you liked it or didn't like it, but I'm hoping you'd still say it's a GOOD book. Am I making sense here? That the very fact that it stirs up strong emotions and causes some sort of reaction for the reader makes it be a good book, and one that you should talk up and recommend around.

So on the other hand, if a book is emotionally dead, perhaps that's a bad book. Now, I'm a little squirmy even using the terms good and bad for this discussion because it's all so relative, right? But I think you get what I'm saying here, yes?

At any rate, I find myself always defending books when people say the reason they didn't like them was because of a certain emotion. And I'll always say... but, but, but that's what made this book so GOOD! Now, I don't know if that's right or wrong that I do this defending thing, so that's what I'm wondering here.

What do you think?

A Poignant Post: In Defense of the Word

So the other week during her presentation  Megan Whalen Turner gave all readers advice, saying "Never read a book with poignant on the back!" 

We all laughed. I laughed. It's very funny, yes?

And yet, later in thinking it over, I wondered.... but why? Why SHOULDN'T we read a book declared poignant?

Is it because that word is way too much overused? (I've used it! Many times. Have you?)

Is it because no one really knows what it means?

Is it because it's a word reviewers and blurbers use when they can't think of anything else?

Or is it that we shouldn't like poignant books?

Let me help you out here.

The definition of poignant according to merriam-webster.com:

1

: pungently pervasive <a poignant perfume>
2
a (1) : painfully affecting the feelings : piercing (2) : deeply affecting : touching
b : designed to make an impression : cutting <poignant satire>
3
a : pleasurably stimulating
b : being to the point : apt
Sounds like a book I'd want to read actually!

Okay, here are some words to use in place of poignant, should you so need them (also nabbed from merriam-webster.com):

affecting, emotional, impactful, impressive, moving,stirring, touching, eloquent, expressive, meaningful, significant;demonstrative, excitable, feeling, passionate, responsive,sensitive; exciting, inspirational, provoking, rousing,stimulating; dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic, theatrical,cathartic

Now it REALLY sounds like a book I'd want to read!

Here's a trend I'm seeing a lot lately all around twitter and on many many blogs to describe a book: "It makes you feel ALL THE THINGS".... or "I felt ALL THE FEELS!!" (You've seen this too, right? Have you used it yet? I think I may have once or twice!)

So, is that not just saying poignant, without saying poignant? I think so, yes!

And while I like the above phrase, and it makes me smile, and it gets the point across,  I do think it is on its way to being overused AND if it's not a cop out for "I-don't-know-what-word-to-use-to-describe-the-feelings-I-felt-but-I-felt-them".... I don't know what is!

And so I for one will NOT be turned off from a book that's been declared poignant and while I may try not to not use that word myself to describe a book, I guarantee nothing!

What about you? Do you hate the word? Will you take the above advice to heart? Or does this word not bother you so much? 

Five Stars: Real or Not Real?

So the other day when I was at an LTUE panel about reviewing books, the conversation turned to rating books. As always, the discussion gets fairly lively for this topic, but I was shocked when one of the dudes on the panel said "five star ratings are fake!"

Perhaps he was referring to Amazon star ratting exclusively, because you know we've all heard of the stories of people getting paid to put positive reviews on there. Because, yes, we did talk a lot about the difference between reviews on Goodreads compared to those on Amazon. And Amazon is just not to be trusted. I guess.

But the way I took it to mean was that all five star ratings should be dismissed by the author and even the reading public with the idea that that reviewer is just way too bias to give a legitimate review. Or something. And that the only meaningful reviews are those that fall in the 3 and 4 star category. I mean, I sat there confused for the rest of the time wondering about it and getting even a little miffed. Of course, I didn't have the guts to ask a follow up question and make him clarify what he meant.

Instead, I sat there and wondered about what rating I should give to all those books I absolutely love! The books that stick with me, that I can't stop thinking about, whose characters I completely fall in love with! The books that I want to read over and over again, and tell everyone else to read NOW! The books that I want to hug and keep forever!  Do not those books deserve a five star rating? And if I give it to them, is that FAKE? And to be dismissed as worthless? What?

Okay so I've been accused of liking too many books. A thought that I find funny, actually, given the fact that I've made the habit of reading and talking up books a huge part of my life! It seems you'd just assume that I like them for the most part, right? And in fact, there was a guy on the panel, a book reviewer, that seemed to talk a lot about all the books he hates. (Because the discussion of course tended to go the direction of what to do when you DON'T like a book.) And it made me think, I wonder if he likes ANY of the books he reads and reviews? But of course he does, he has list on his site!

Anyway, so yes, it appears that I like most of the books I read, and lately I've tried to be more stingy with the five stars so that they will mean a little more, and I understand that if I give everything five stars, then the meaning of the rating is essentially gone. But if I am consciously trying to only give five stars to books that fit the above criteria, then one thing they are not is FAKE.

They are so very very real, and it truly means that I love that book.

So I will keep giving out the five stars, even if I review on Amazon. Take it or leave it!

That being said, I did come away from this panel with a cool new way to look at reviews (and I think it was even the above mentioned guy who came up with this):

Amazon reviews are to get people to BUY the books
Goodreads reviews are to get people to READ the books
Blog post reviews are to ENTERTAIN people about the books.

Makes sense to me.

For those that are interested, other notes I took while at this panel:

* the difference between a book review and a critique (review: speaks to the audience about your feelings of the book, a critique speaks to the author about your suggestions and advice to fix the book.)
* think of your audience (share in your book love? want to buy the book? friends?)
* there are good reviews, there are bad reviews and there are UGLY reviews (don't be ugly)
* remember kindness and honesty
* is your greater responsibility to the author or the audience? (Audience! But... don't kill the author.)

So all my expert reviewer friends, what say you?

Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favorite Bookish Memories

This is going to be a fun post to write! I'm thinking back in all my whole long life to all my bookish memories (and there are A LOT) and am trying to decide what the best ten should be! This is not an easy task people. But here's what I'm settling on:

Top Ten Bookish Memories..EVER!

1. I'm sorry to list it YET AGAIN and regular readers are going to be sick of hearing about it over and over, BUT, my best bookish memory to date is meeting Markus Zusak. Nothing has yet to compare how awesome that night was.

2. The whole Harry Potter phenomenon will always be something to remember. We were on vacation when the third book came out and it was on the news. I had never ever before in my life heard of a book making news like that. It blew me away. The following books were the first books I'd ever cared about getting on the first day. And it was so much fun!

3. Reading the Little House books. Looking back, I'm not sure these were the best and most exciting books after all! But I loved them and I ate them up and I owned the whole series!

4. Joining online book groups in the mid to late 90s. It was the coolest, COOLEST, I tell you, to be able to connect with people all over the world about books! Who knew? Wow.

5. Scholastic Book Fairs. Both going to them as a kid, and running them for 10 years as a mom. Going to them was so fun, because we could get quite a little handful of books for not much money. It was awesome! And running them? That defined my life for years! And was also lots of fun.

6. Another very specific bookish memory was the day my dad and I were at the library, and we were walking up and down the shelves and he randomly picked a book for me and said, here read this one! So I did, and I LOVED it! It was the love story of Tristan and Isolde (The Enchanted Cup by Dorothy Roberts). The fact that you could just up and pick something, not knowing a thing about it, and that it would end up being so so good, was amazing to me. A whole new world!

7. I've probably mentioned this one before, but once when I was probably 10 or so, we went on a trip and while on that trip we meet up with my dad's cousin who was a librarian. My dad said to him, hey, this kid likes to read, what should she be reading? And he gave me a list that I hung on to for years and methodically went through all the books one by one and read them. They were a bunch of Newbery Awards winners like Island of the Blue Dolphins, Julie of the Wolves, The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frank...something something! This was a defining moment in my bookish life, this list. It was most awesome!

8. Shortly after getting married, we had only one working car. So while my husband was still at work, and even after I had walked a good distance home from school, I would still walk a nice good distance to the public library and check out book after book after book. I remember loving that small little library (which now, by the way, is the BIG Provo Library where so many awesome events happen!) and I felt the need to read EVERYTHING they had!

9. A few years after starting the blogging thing, we had a Utah book blogger party. And there was an author there! (James Dashner) And that's when it occurred to me that readers and authors could actually interact with each other and maybe even be friends. The concept was a big one, and another most awesome bookish memory!

10. One of the first signings I went to was Stephenie Meyer. We crashed a paid event to get in line. When we were discovered, they made us get OUT of line and sit on the chairs and wait and wait and wait.... in order to insure that we would indeed be the VERY LAST people in line. After nearly three hours, we got our books (Twilight and New Moon at the time) signed by a very very tired author! There's been so many book signing lines since then, but this memory is one that stands out and makes me realize the things I'll endure in order to get a book signed!

Ah, there's so many memories! I look forward to hopping around to see what sort things everyone else has listed today! Come and link your stories up over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Pondering Imagination and the Reading of Fiction

Awhile back, quite awhile back in fact, someone on Twitter linked to this article/speech. It was fascinating to me because it talks about people, guys in particular, with regard to their reading of fiction. And how they, as manly men, sometimes tend to want to hide or discount their desire for fantastical fiction that's full of imagination. They may feel it's beneath them, or too frivolous or not worth their time.

At first you may think, wait, what? Guys are just as imaginative as the next person! Look at the wonderful imaginations of all the wonderful writers out there, who are male. And look at the major demographic who goes to, say for instance, Brandon Sanderson's book signings. Lots and lots of guys.

But at the same time, isn't it interesting that I've had this very conversation regarding fiction and its merits with people in my family. Once I was asked, by a guy in my family, "why should I read fiction? You don't learn anything!" Whoa, did that get me going!

In fact my husband and son both will come to me for their next book selection and request, "I want something real."  Which is fine and all good, but it makes me wonder if they ever enjoy the fiction that they DO read. Or are they sort of suffering through it.

Then there's the hard evidence of our book blogging world where male book bloggers make up a very small minority. (I love it when I find an awesome guy book blog to read! Their different perspective is refreshing.) Perhaps it's because guys aren't so much into blogging...but then again perhaps it IS because they aren't so much into reading... especially fiction.

I don't know. What do you think? I just found the whole discussion fascinating and have been dying to throw it out here and see what you all thought about it! Do you see people in your life, guys especially  who poo poo fiction and fantasy? Or is it completely the opposite in your experience? Are guys the biggest consumers of this genre?  Imagination vs. guys vs. fiction vs fantasy.  What's the real scoop?

Must Read Faster!

Awhile back I read a blog post by a certain favorite author that I can't seem to get out of my head. Well, he's actually written a few posts recently that have stuck with me, but this one post particularly because it's all about books.

This author, Dan Wells, shared a mathematical formula for how many books we will most likely read before we die. Click on over to his post to read it and see this formula. But basically you take your age and minus that from how long you think you'll live, and times it by how many books you normally read a year.

Using a life expectancy of 80 and an average figure of 90 books a year (obviously that number will go way down as I get older, but for now, that's where I'm at!) I get the number of 2970.

Does that sound like a lot? Or hardly any?

Here's what it makes me wonder:

-- what books should I be spending my time reading? All the classics? All the new books? All the books by my favorite authors? And what about the never ending re-reading question? Should I even "waste" my limited number of books by doing re-reads?

--and if you tend to think that I should only be reading "good" books and don't waste time on the "bad"... how would we even define that? A book is mostly good or bad simply depending on my mood....

-- does this mean I have all the more power to DNF a book if I want? No guilt? No regrets? No apologies? Ah, but still, what if that book ends up being a favorite if I stick with it? What if it's just my mood again?

-- should I try to up the amount of books I read? Read less chunksters and more littles? Or more chunksters and less littles?

In the end, I've decided there's no use feeling stressed by this! And I'm sure I won't change my reading habits in any significant way, except for maybe being easier on myself for not finishing a book that's just not working... or at the very least being okay to put it down and try it again later.

So... what's your number and what do you worry most about when you see it? Or does the thought even worry you at all?

Anyway, bottom line? GET READING! :)

My Kindle: Six Months Later

It's been six months since I joined the ranks of ebook reading and so I thought I'd give a little progress report.

First of all, let me point out what I thought about the idea of a Kindle back when I first heard about it. I was skeptical to say the least. I figured nothing could take the place of holding a book. Or smelling it. I figured the idea just really wouldn't take hold. I figured it would be a long while until I jumped in.

That post, the first time I heard of a Kindle, was back in late 2007. In May 2012 I found myself with one in hand! (So, yes, it took awhile.) And all through those years, I maintained the idea that I just wasn't sure about the whole digital book thing. I was nervous about it, I worried about it.

So, six months later, I have to now admit.. I LOVE THE THING!

I have had a blast with this device so far! I find it absolutely magic to hit a button and instantly have a book at your disposal, to read whenever you want. It literally makes me giggle in delight. The technology is SO COOL. You know? Do you agree?

I worried that I wouldn't feel justified in spending money on digital objects. With songs, I could always burn a CD and have a hard copy, so that idea never bothered me there. But with books, it's not like I'm going to go print them, right? Well, so far, I've spent very little money. All the books I have on my Kindle at this point have been very cheap, or free, or have been "given" to me for review and etc. I can handle cheap ebooks! I have yet to "really" buy a book, but I'm finding that so far, this approach works for me. I love the fact that the $25 dollar gift card I got with the Kindle has managed to get me probably 15 to 20 books, whereas that amount would have only purchased maybe 2 or 3 physical ones at the most.

As far as reading it, I have to admit it's actually easier than a book. It's easier to hold, to turn pages, to see even, especially in the dark!

Another thing that's been happening that I didn't expect, I will be browsing through my books, trying to remember what I've got and what I need to read soon, and I'll just start reading one, and suddenly I'll find that I've read a bunch and might as well keep going! This never really happens with my print books, those only get read on purpose  not "on accident." I'm thinking this is both fun and annoying.... that I'll just so easily jump into reading one of these books.

I don't normally write or mark up my physical books, but highlighting on my Kindle has been really fun! I have't done it a ton, but when I do, I have a blast with it.

Besides reading books, I've enjoyed using my Kindle to read blogs, browse Twitter, check email, watch TV shows on Amazon Prime streaming (lately I'll do this while walking on the treadmill which really works well!),  and all sorts of other things.

So, bottom line, I'd say I've been converted. Ebook reading is fun. I'll take it. I'll still buy the "real" books, but I'll keeping reading the e ones too!

My only sadness is that if I read a book on the Kindle that I love (Under the Never Sky or Raven Boys for instance) then I'll want that book on my shelf too. So... there's the rub. It means I spend more and more money to feed the habit. But maybe someday it will be that if you buy the print version, you get the e one too, or if you buy the ebook, you get a print one. Do you think? I don't know. I guess we'll see.

Also, I don't like that I can't pass the book along to someone else in my family to read, or a friend, or whoever. Yeah,  I know there's a lending thing for Kindle owners, but we are not to that point yet in this household, and still, it won't work for ARCs and other such books. So. That's a bit of  a sad thing too.

I'm guessing most of you have embraced the technology  Did it take you awhile to warm up to the idea? Are you still holding back? Or are you fully converted? Where do you stand on this issue these days?

It's a Kindle!

I'm feeling a little strange this week because I have finally joined the e-reader ranks! Yes, it's true. My husband surprised me with a Kindle Fire for Mother's Day and now I must embrace the change! I could feel it coming, this eminent embracing. I've been dragging my feet, I've been leery, I've even done a little eye rolling. I can remember years ago doing a post about the Kindle when I very first heard of it. It sort of freaked me out then.

And now, here we are, a happy Kindle owner!

After only three days of playing with it, here are my observations:

• You need a cover. It's too hard to hold without one, and too scary to haul around the house even. I finally got one on Tuesday, and of course, it's purple. (Which totally matches my phone!)
• I think reading blogs will be very fun on this thing, though commenting is still a bit hard (like on the phone) but maybe I'll get better at that.
• So far I've only nabbed three books... all free. A Tale of Two Cities, which I'm dying to re-read, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, which I think is pretty much one of the oldest "modern" Robin Hood stories which I'd like to read for Melissa's Classic Double Challenge, and the first volume of Clarissa, which I wanted to join in on the year long buddy read but didn't want to buy the book (and now I'm too late to join anyway!) 
• That battery does last long! I've yet to watch a movie or TV show on it though, that would be a pretty good battery test.
• I'm glad to have notebook/apps/etc. on it so I can do all sorts of things besides reading
• Reading on it, by the way, is very nice. I can get used to this!
• One of the first things I wanted to do was NetGalley, but that place is SLOW and a little confusing... so I gave it a break and now I've totally forgotten about it!
• And having a bigger screen for Draw Something is awesome! :)

Questions I have for you experienced Kindle people:

• Can someone please explain this Cloud thing? Is that a general thing, or just an Amazon thing? How does it work? Where do I find it?
• Can I listen to podcasts on this thing? How? What's the best way?
• What are some tricks and hints you've discovered? Let me know your secrets!
• NetGalley help please!

Anyway, it's going to be fun and I'm happy to be part of the crowd and not be left behind. I figured if I'm to consider myself a real reader, I have to ride this wave of change! I think it will be a fun ride. But I still stand by my position that "real" books are awesome and will hopefully stick around. 

Who's Your Author Rock Star?

Yesterday, I was asked this very question while I was working at the library. The guy in charge of programming is making a list of potential author appearances, and he basically said, if money is no matter, who would you want to see come? Yes, who is your author rock star?

Well, of course, if you've been reading here awhile, you know the answer I have to that question, though since he came just awhile back, my guess is he's not coming back anytime soon. :( (Just in case you are new reader, click here to find out who my rock star author is.) Except I know he has plans for Chicago, luckies.

So putting him aside for now, here are some others I suggested:

Suzanne Collins
Patrick Ness
Jeff Kinney
Neal Shusterman
Daniel Handler
Judy Blume
Melina Marchetta
Stephanie Perkins
John Green
Cassandra Clare


You may be surprised by a few on that list, but I was trying to keep in mind who would have a general wide spread rock star appeal, though a few of my personal rock stars did manage crept in. Also, I was not including of any of our local rock star authors such as Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale and Brandon Sanderson.

I'll be sure and let you know if we do manage to snag a real rock star author for a future event!

But it made me wonder how YOU would answer this question. If you could get anyone to come for an author event, who would it be? Who would you absolutely FREAK about, and stand in line hours for, then scream and jump for joy for when they walk into the room?

Who is YOUR author rock star?

Book Club Report: Watership Down by Richard Adams

Okay, so here's one of those books that I've felt bad forever for not reading. One of those books you hear about all the time, but just have never seem to get around to. You know the kind? So I was quite pleased when my book club decided to add Watership Down to the line up this year.

But when I saw how fat the book was, I was worried. That's a lot of words about rabbits!

In the end, I read about 130 pages of this popular book and decided I had too many other things to read to suffer through 400 more pages. Yes, people, take note... I DID NOT LIKE IT!

In fact, I was moved to create a DNF (did not finish for those unfamiliar with the term) shelf in Goodreads so I could stick it, and also the Path of Swords somewhere and get them out of my way. It was a sad sad day for me. Here's the thing about books I don't finish.... it's not that I never give up on a book, it's just that usually, when I do, I have all the intention in the world of coming back to it one day and finishing it. (Whether or not that actually is another thing.)

I highly doubt that's going to happen with this book.

And why did I not like it? Seriously, it was just plain boring. I know. How can I even utter the word? But it's true, and so I moved on to a different book, and one that will probably end up in my top ten of the year. See, why waste time, right? Move on, right?

BUT, you may ask, what did the book club think?

For the handful that actually stuck with it and read it, they said:

• loved the characters of Hazel and Fiver
• the ending was worth it, it was actually quite weepy
• how can you write 500 pages about rabbits?
• books (and movies etc.) that take animals and give them human characters are one thing, but those that allow them to "talk" yet keep their animal behaviors are another.
• most of us don't like talking animal books
• the author said in his note "this is a book about rabbits.. there is no other point I'm making" and to that most of us say, "yeah, right. NOT."
• is this a kid book or an adult one?
• there was too much description and much of that was using British terms and plants which we had no idea what they were
• where were the girl bunnies? (I know I know, they show up later after I quit!)
• why do so many people like this? Sentimental reasons? Why do boys like this so much? Adventure? Really?
• In the end, it came down to this... do you or do you not like rabbits? We had book club members that came down on both sides!

For other thoughts:

Jenni Elyse's book club report

Jenny's review

Up next month, Precious Bane by Mary Webb. Have you read it?

Vacation Book Reading

Some of you may have noticed my moaning this week (I can't remember where... Twitter? Goodreads?) about how vacation reading plans never seem to work out. It's so frustrating! So I thought I'd take my moaning further to a full on blog post here.

So let's see, this past week I took five books with me on vacation and bought one more while gone. One of those books I was nearly done with, I had maybe 30 pages left, and so I finished that, though it took me the first three days of the trip. (Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta)

Then, I started another book, and read 125 pages of it ( Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson)  And the other book I read about the same amount of pages (Return to Exile by E.J. Patten.) BUT, I had hopes of finishing them both, and starting on yet a third!

So why is it so hard to read while on vacation? Do you have the same problem? I always expect to have so much down time. I figure I can read while driving, and at night and in between things. But, it never happens.

In the car I end up wanting to watch the scenery fly by (what are road trips for anyway if you don't look out the window and watch stuff, you know?) Besides that, I'm not the best car reader anyway.

The down time never happens because we always end up going non-stop for the most part. When ever we find some down time, we are thinking... so now what do we do? What's next?

Which means at night, I'm exhausted and can barely hold my eyes open for a chapter or two. Such a bummer!

Then with this trip I also made the mistake(?) of taking the computer along and so many times I found myself playing on it instead of reading. Naughty!

I dream of a vacation where I CAN actually read all day if I wanted to. I wonder if it will ever happen.

How about you? Do you manage to read on vacation? Or are you always constantly going? Do you dream of a reading vacation? Or would you feel guilty about not getting out and seeing things?