Book Blogger Confessions: Spoilers

Book Blogger Confessions is a new(ish) meme run by Tiger at All-Consuming Media and Karen at For What It's Worth. Every first and third Monday they post a new question to open up discussion about common frustrations to book bloggers. Link up your post on either blog and hop around to listen to and learn from your fellow bloggers!

This week's question is:

Spoilers in reviews: Do you read them, do you include them? How do you describe (or avoid describing) spoilery parts of a book?
I generally do not care about reading spoilers, but I am super sensitive to people who vigilantly avoid them. It's because I don't have much personal animosity toward spoilers that I'm always paranoid I'm going to accidentally let one slip.

Sometimes it's difficult for me to perceive what is a true spoiler. If it's something revealed by reading a cover jacket, I'm not sure that's a spoiler, but some reviewers hide sequel summary descriptions for fear that someone may happen across a spoiler. I don't go that far. Most regular readers of this blog know the books I'm discussing, or at least know if it's a part of a big series that they want to avoid for fear of spoilers.

That said, I'm also not out to ruin anyone's fun. If people want to be surprised, they should be surprised, regardless of my thoughts on the matter. That's why I don't post spoilers - simple common courtesy. It may mean cutting short a review or dancing around an issue, but I always know at least one or two other bloggers who have read the same book, so I'll take to Twitter or email if I really need to discuss a spoilery issue.

What do you do about spoilers in your reviews?

Book Blogger Confessions: Social Networking with Authors

Book Blogger Confessions is a new(ish) meme run by Tiger at All-Consuming Media and Karen at For What It's Worth. Every first and third Monday they post a new question to open up discussion about common frustrations to book bloggers. Link up your post on either blog and hop around to listen to and learn from your fellow bloggers!

This week's question is:

Social networking with authors: Do you interact on Twitter/Facebook/etc. with authors? Does it affect how you review their work or do you look at their books differently because you're on friendly terms with them?
I do interact with authors on Twitter, but considering I'm such a rare tweeter anyway, it's not anything that happens super frequently. The authors I interact with the most are those whose books I've read and adored (like @LisaTBergren), or authors who just happen to tweet a lot in general (like @LiaHabel and @TaherehMafi).

The big caveat here is that when I say I interact with these authors, I mean we've had a conversation or two. Which may have only consisted of a couple of tweets. With the exception of Lisa, I don't think any of the authors I have interacted with via Twitter really know or remember me. And I consider that a good thing.

As a reviewer, who also happens to be a writer, I try to keep myself at a professional distance. I don't go out of my way to contact authors. I don't tweet at them when I post reviews, with the possible exception of major fangirl 5 star lovey ones. I prefer to stay under the radar, happily occupying my little blog space with warm bookish thoughts until one day (hopefully) this domain can be used to publicize my own work. I'm also incredibly shy, and feel like if I start tweeting at authors I'll just annoy them. (I should mention that I'm focusing on Twitter because I don't use Facebook for blog-related things.)

As for how it impacts my reviews, I think that in general I'm always worried about loving an author, but hating their book. For the most part, I limit my interactions to authors until after I've read their book. If I wasn't a big fan of their book, I usually just quietly unfollow them. If I am a fan, I'll keep following, and if the mood strikes, I'll start up a conversation. I'm a cheerleader at heart, so when I read books that I love, I want to pump up their authors. I want to sing their praises to the world, and thank them for writing such amazing stories.

And I love that social networking allows us to do that.

Silly Sunday is back! - Shit [blank]s Say

Can you believe it's been almost a year since I last did a Silly Sunday?! Yikes! Time to get back in the game. Life is too funny to go without giggles.

Today I'm caving to the Shit ___ Say meme, but only because I find it really, really funny. Frankly, I'm glad that @ShitGirlsSay spawned an internet craze of hilarious (and not-so-hilarious) knock-offs. The more the merrier.

If you haven't seen the original, behold:

Shit Girls Say



"TWINSIES!"

There are two more episodes on YouTube, but the third one is not so great. I highly recommend Episode 2, though. "That poor dog needs water!"

As a book blogger, I can hardly ignore my own group's contribution to the meme:

Sh*t Book Bloggers Say



Finally, in what I deem to be the most hilarious of them all, I give you:

Sh*t Nobody Says



If anyone needs help with that Papyrus problem, I can take care of that for you.

TGIF at GReads! (16) & Weekly Recap

This Friday blog hop is run by Ginger at GReads! (who also created this beautiful button). Every Friday you can answer a new question and recap your week. Click the button to join in!

This week's question is:

Book Blogger Pride:
What do you take pride in when it comes to blogging?
I take pride in the quality of my reviews. I try not to slap something together just to get it up on the blog. I like taking time to reflect on what I'm reading, then putting my thoughts into a format that hopefully gives people an idea of what to expect from a book. I review so that people will want to check out the books that I'm reading, and enjoy them as much as I do!

*EDIT* Okay, everyone is writing such nice things that now I feel like the asshat who didn't get the assignment. I'm the girl in Drop Dead Gorgeous who wore the Biggest Ball of Twine costume. So here's my postscript:

I also take pride in the fact that my blog paved the way for me to meet some pretty amazing people and learn SO MUCH about YA fiction. Without this blog, I wouldn't know half the stuff I do about the types of stories I like, who is publishing what books when, which authors go the extra mile, the generosity of readers, and how fawesomely individual we all can be while hanging out together in this cool little niche in the corner of the blogosphere.

That's pretty damn amazing.

---

My weekly recap is inspired by the phenomenally talented, kind and generous Small Review. If you are not already following her, you are really missing out. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Cool Text? They're the folks that allow me to make these cool (and simple) text buttons - for FREE!

If you're a first time visitor, or just didn't get the chance to stop by this week, here's what you missed:

Reviews
INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows
3/5 stars
Debut Author Challenge

HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne
4/5 stars
First in a Series Challenge

SCARLET by A. C. Gaughen
5/5 stars
Debut Author Challenge
YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Book Blogger Confessions - Deadlines

Book Blogger Confessions is a new(ish) meme run by Tiger at All-Consuming Media and Karen at For What It's Worth. Every first and third Monday they post a new question to open up discussion about common frustrations to book bloggers. Link up your post on either blog and hop around to listen to and learn from your fellow bloggers!

This week's question is:

Deadlines for reviewing and blogging. Do you set them? How do you keep them? What do you do if you can't meet a deadline?
I typically operate with soft deadlines, meaning when I accept a book for review, I calendar a date by which I want the review posted. I also enter it in a spreadsheet that tracks all of my pending review books, and prioritize the list based on the release date. Books with closer release dates get read first, as those are the dates around which I schedule my reviews.

These dates are not set in stone, however. The longer I blog, the more lee-way I give myself to push those deadlines back as needed. When I first started, I was incredibly rigid about my deadlines, but this led to me reading a lot of review books and very few pleasure books. This is a big reason (if not the reason) that I have stopped accepting review copies. I make an exception for NetGalley, because I have more self-control where those books are concerned, and I've made a conscious effort to only request books I know I want to read.

If I'm coming up on a deadline and I haven't gotten around to reading the book, I push the review posting date back to a time when I think I'll read the book. For a lot of my review copies, this has happened with embarrassing regularity, and it's reached the point where I may have to contact the authors and tell them I can't review their books.

Finding the balance between a blog made up entirely of review deadlines and one with a structure so loose that nobody cares to read it anymore is harder than I first thought. I thought deadlines would give me structure and allow me to plan my blog out to well-oiled machinery perfection, but what I ended up with was a joyless blog that consisted of lots of reviews and memes with little room for spontaneity. I have more demands on my time than ever, and blogging has taken a back seat. I still have a long list of books to read and review, but my posting schedule has more room on it now for interesting discussion topics that may come up or new memes I want to try without having to schedule them three months in advance.

Deadlines give me structure, but I can get a little crazy with them. I've found that without them, however, I tend to push everything off my plate and get nothing done. I'm still looking for that happy medium.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (2)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme run by Sheila at Book Journey, where we share the books we read and/or reviewed last week and what's on deck for this week. Now Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts have started an offshoot for kidlit fans: It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA. I just had to check it out!

Last week:

• I finished Jodi Meadows' Incarnate. I hate to admit it, but it didn't live up to the hype for me.
• I started, and abandoned, Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes. Don't get me wrong - it's a good book. I just don't have time to read such a long book right now.
• I started Kate Klimo's Daughter of the Centaurs. I'm not loving it.

Plans for this week:

• Read Hounded by Kevin Hearne.
  

  Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.


• Start Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.
  

  In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

Yes, these are the same as last week. I didn't have as much time to read as I thought! I did start Hounded today, and so far it's amazing.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme run by Sheila at Book Journey, where we share the books we read and/or reviewed last week and what's on deck for this week. Now Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts have started an offshoot for kidlit fans: It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA. I just had to check it out!

Last week:

• I finally finished the second book in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series, When Gods Die. I was only able to read in brief spurts, late at night, and the heavy details in this historical novel made it tough to keep my eyes open.
• I finished my first NetGalley book of the year, Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
• I started Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.
• I absolutely devoured Ann Aguirre's Enclave. I read it in two sittings this weekend.

Plans for this week:

• Read Hounded by Kevin Hearne.
  

  Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.




• Finish Incarnate.
  

  Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?




• Start Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.
  

  In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

I'll get some good alone time this weekend to read, so I'm hoping to make up some ground on my reading. It's been a slow start in 2012, and some of these are library books due back at the end of the month. Read, Logan, read!

In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme devoted to sharing the new books we've received, borrowed, or bought. For more information, visit IMM's fantastic host, The Story Siren. You can visit other blogs that are participating in this week’s IMM here.

I haven't done an IMM in months, but I recently grabbed some goodies through sales, trades, and the library. Here's the haul from the New Year:

Bought on sale:

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Tahereh Mafi tweeted a 50% off coupon for teen books through Barnes & Noble's website. How could I resist? I picked up some books I'd considered reading, but never got around to because I didn't want to pony up full price. Looking forward to these!

Received from trade with Ruby's Reads:

Vesper by Jeff Sampson
The Jewel and the Key by Louise Spiegler
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
The Native Star by M. K. Hobson
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti
Under Wraps by Hannah Jayne
Under Attack by Hannah Jayne
Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Ruby is moving, and therefore trying to unload some books. This is a genius plan, and surely one I will copy when the time comes for a move of my own. I scored this shoebox full of books for the price of three hardcover pre-orders. Some of these I've read but didn't own copies, and some I hadn't even heard of but sounded cool. Full of win! Thanks Ruby!

Borrowed from the library:

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward
When Gods Die by C. S. Harris
History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Hounded by Kevin Hearne

This was part of a set I checked out during my end of the year break, but still haven't managed to finish a single one. I always get overly ambitious at the library, but thank goodness for online renewals, amirite? I covered almost all of my bases, too - fantasy, romance, historical mystery, nonfiction, YA dystopian, steampunk, and YA urban fantasy/paranormal. Eclectic, much?

That's it for now. What books did you get recently?

In My Mailbox (14)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme devoted to sharing the new books we've received, borrowed, or bought. For more information, visit IMM's fantastic host, The Story Siren. You can visit other blogs that are participating in this week’s IMM here.

I got an awesome haul of books through the library, gifted, or on sale this week. This is the frugal edition of IMM!

Bought:
The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Deception (Haunting Emma #1) by Lee Nichols
First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel by Karen S. Wiesner

Received for ARC tour:
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen from Around the World Tours

I make a habit of checking Amazon's Bargain Books every few weeks to see if anything good pops up, and this week I jumped on sale prices for The Iron Duke, Prophecy of the Sisters, and Deception. I've wanted to read all of them for a long time, so I'm glad I got them on the cheap. :) Dearly, Departed was a pre-order that arrived on Tuesday (happy release day to Lia Habel!), and the two writing books are for outline help pre-NaNoWriMo. I had a coupon for Writer's Digest Shop, so hooray for discounts!

Borrowed from the library:
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa M. Klein
The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon and Hoang Nguyen
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Graphic novels borrowed from the library:
Criminal Vol. 1: Coward, Vol. 2: Lawless, and Vol. 3: The Dead and the Dying by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Fables: Legends in Exile (Vol. 1) and Fables: Animal Farm (Vol. 2) by Bill Willingham, Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha, Mark Buckingham
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned and Vol. 2: Cycles by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, José Marzán Jr.

I'm trying to make better use of my library, considering it is so close to my house. They have a well-stocked young adult section for a small branch, and this week I stumbled upon an excellent stash of graphic novels that included some titles I've been DYING to read but wasn't sure I wanted to buy. I've been getting a bit crazycakes with buying comics, so I'm happy that I can get a lot of great titles from my local library instead of spending money on them.

Fall Book Exchange:
Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) by Kalayna Price
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville #1) by Carrie Vaughn


I participated in the Fall Book Exchange hosted by Ruby's Reads and I received these two ebooks gifted through Amazon from my Santa: Mickey at imabookshark! I told her to surprise me from my wish list and I was so happy to receive these titles as I've been meaning to read them both for a reeeeeeally long time. And just in time for next week's Bout of Books Read-a-thon!

A huge, mega, universe-sized thank you to Mickey for these books and to Ruby for hosting the exchange!

That's it for now. What books did you get recently?

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

I love lists, so I'm excited to dip my toes in the listy fun that is Top Ten Tuesday. This meme is run by The Broke and the Bookish and each week they post a new list for us to complete and share.

Just post your own list, link back to The Broke and the Bookish, and add your link to the linky tool to participate!

Top Ten Books Whose Titles Or Covers Made Me Buy It:

For me, it's all about covers. I rely on covers to communicate the tone, theme, or genre of a novel. If it grabs my eye and tells me it's exactly what I'm looking for at that moment, then I'm going to read it. Bonus points if it's purty. These are 10 books that got me interested because their covers promised a story or tone I was going to love.

1. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel.

2. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon.

3. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.

4. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer.

5. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

6. Huntress by Malinda Lo.

7. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell.

8. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.

9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

10. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

What books have you read based on covers or titles?

TGIF at GReads! (15) & Weekly Recap

This Friday blog hop is run by Ginger at GReads! (who also created this beautiful button). Each week she posts a new question for us to ponder. Click the button to join in!

This week's question is:

Show & Tell: Where do you grab a book and get lost in it? Show us your favorite spot you like to read at.

Photo credit: Carolyn Surh/MEDILL

As weird as it may seem, I actually love reading on the train. My commute is one of the few times during my day that I can spend time alone and uninterrupted. I find it much harder to concentrate on my reading when I'm at home with the husband and the dog. Plus, the train noise and rocking is kind of soothing.

---

My weekly recap is inspired by the phenomenally talented, kind and generous Small Review. If you are not already following her, you are really missing out. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Cool Text? They're the folks that allow me to make these cool (and simple) text buttons - for FREE!

If you're a first time visitor, or just didn't get the chance to stop by this week, here's what you missed:

Reviews
LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
4/5 stars

13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES by Maureen Johnson
3/5 stars
Vacation Reading Challenge

Features
Trailer Tuesday - Anonymous
Writing Wednesday - The Struggle to Revise

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

TGIF at GReads! (14) & Weekly Recap

This Friday blog hop is run by Ginger at GReads! (who also created this beautiful button). Each week she posts a new question for us to ponder. Click the button to join in!

This week's question is:

Banned Books: How do you feel about the censorship of the freedom to read? Do you think the education system needs to be more strict on what children are exposed to in books?
I strongly believe that the regulation of reading material among kids is the duty of parents. If parents have objections to material available to kids, it is their job to communicate that to their kids and teachers. Parents have the right to remove their kids from educational programming that they don't agree with, but just because some parents may find material objectionable doesn't mean that nobody gets to read it.

The right to free speech is one of our greatest liberties and is not something to be taken lightly. Self-expression is so important to public discourse on societal wrongs and to the further development of society in general. Ideas, in any form, can and should be expressed, and not one person should ever feel afraid to speak their mind. People take offense to a wide variety of materials, words, and concepts, and it is because of that subjectivity that limits on expression are so dangerous. The moment we start to homogenize our thinking is the moment our society starts to crumble. Progress is born on a foundation of daring, bold thoughts. We have to take risks and listen to the very things that frighten or abhor us in order to better understand the world around us.

Help me celebrate novel and bold ideas as part of Banned Books Week, and support authors who dare to be different. The Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop ends tomorrow, so click the link at the top of the page to enter!

---

My weekly recap is inspired by the phenomenally talented, kind and generous Small Review. If you are not already following her, you are really missing out. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Cool Text? They're the folks that allow me to make these cool (and simple) text buttons - for FREE!

If you're a first time visitor, or just didn't get the chance to stop by this week, here's what you missed:

Reviews
GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan
2/5 stars

WISDOM'S KISS by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
3/5 stars

Features
Let's Talk About...Virginity in YA Fiction

Events
Waterfall Wednesday

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

TGIF at GReads! (14) & Weekly Recap

This Friday blog hop is run by Ginger at GReads! (who also created this beautiful button). Each week she posts a new question for us to ponder. Click the button to join in!

This week's question is:

Reading Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? How has your progression been?
I finished one! Finally! I'm officially done with 12 books for the Debut Author Challenge. That was by far my favorite challenge of the year, and I hope to read a few more before the year is out.

As for the other challenges, I'm progressing pretty well. I'm on track to finish by the end of the year, which was the goal, and I've narrowed down my choices to books I already own in an attempt to avoid a lot of book buying before the holiday season. I can't wait to do a big recap post in the new year for all of the cool books I read for these challenges!

---

My weekly recap is inspired by the phenomenally talented, kind and generous Small Review. If you are not already following her, you are really missing out. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Cool Text? They're the folks that allow me to make these cool (and simple) text buttons - for FREE!

If you're a first time visitor, or just didn't get the chance to stop by this week, here's what you missed:

Reviews
PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White
4/5 stars
YA Paranormal Challenge

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor
5/5 stars
Fantasy Reading Challenge

THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
4/5 stars
Debut Author Challenge

Events
Waterfall Wednesday

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

TGIF at GReads! (13) & Weekly Recap

This Friday blog hop is run by Ginger at GReads! (who also created this beautiful button). Each week she posts a new question for us to ponder. Click the button to join in!

This week's question is:

Book Disappointments: Have you ever come across a book you were so stoked to read, but it failed miserably in your eyes?
Isn't that the worst feeling ever? I've definitely had some that stick out from recent memory. Between by Cynthia Tefft - I thought it would be like a young Outlander style book and I was so excited to read it...and then it offended me and I ended up not enjoying it after all. So sad.

Another big one? Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It was such a disappointing ending to the build up of the previous three books. Why the random shift to Jacob's perspective? It irked me to no end that the middle third of the book just jumps away from the action. And after all their chaste waiting-for-marriage crap, I found the love scene less than desirable - and then she IMMEDIATELY becomes pregnant? Ack! No! Bad bad bad! And let's not even get into the horror show that was the birth scene, or Bella's fate as super vampire who needs no training, or the creep factor of Renesmee. I was such a fan of Twilight, and to have the series reduced to this crazy whacked out soap opera mess at the end really upset me.

In all seriousness, I could have a conversation for days about that book. Hit me up in chat if you ever want to get me going.

What books have disappointed you?

---

My weekly recap is inspired by the phenomenally talented, kind and generous Small Review. If you are not already following her, you are really missing out. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Cool Text? They're the folks that allow me to make these cool (and simple) text buttons - for FREE!

If you're a first time visitor, or just didn't get the chance to stop by this week, here's what you missed:

Reviews
LOVER UNBOUND by J. R. Ward
2/5 stars
Black Dagger Brotherhood Challenge

STARSTRUCK by Cyn Balog
3/5 stars
YA Paranormal Challenge

BURNOUT by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
3/5 stars

Giveaways
Win the River of Time series!
I'm picking TWO winners for a complete set of Lisa T. Bergren's River of Time series and signed bookmarks.

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Amazingly beautiful and painstakingly crafted signature courtesy of Small Review