Monthly Archives: May 2013

Armchair BEA: Non-Fiction

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And for today’s second Armchair BEA topic: Non-Fiction — do you read it? do you review it? what types of non-fiction do you prefer?

My reading preference is strongly, strongly, strongly (yes, strongly!) weighted toward fiction — but I do sneak in some non-fiction, here and there, as the mood strikes me.

In order for me to read non-fiction, I have to feel some sort of attraction to the topic, and the writing has to be sharp and flowing. I shy away from how-to books, business-themed books (except those that relate to my real-world career), or anything that strikes me as dry and dusty. Very subjective, I know, but there it is.

I’ve had the best non-fiction reading experiences with memoirs, adventure stories, and books that focus on a particular person or challenge. Another category I enjoy is science — the weirder, the better. Basically, if it reads like fiction — fast-paced, interesting or quirky characters, some suspense or drama — I’ll give it a try.

Favorites from my recent reading history* include:

  • Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielson (featured as my Flashback Friday pick today): The memoirs of the South Pole doctor who treated herself for breast cancer while “wintering over” in Antarctica.
  • The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure: The experiences of a woman and her obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Seriously!)
  • Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Two very different topics, one amazing writer.
  • Life by Keith Richards. Just because.
  • The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.
  • The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. Yes, I read a football book. And I liked it.
  • Packing for Mars and Stiff by Mary Roach. If you think science can’t be hilariously funny, then you’ve never read Mary Roach.
  • Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

That’s just a smidgen, but you get the idea. I’ll always be a fiction girl at heart, but give me a good, well-written book that surprises me, intrigues me, or keeps me guessing, and I’m in!

*I realize that most of these are books that I read before I was a blogger. I’ve provided links to the two that I’ve actually reviewed here. In theory, I have no problem with reviewing non-fiction books on Bookshelf Fantasies — I just don’t read that much non-fiction; therefore, I don’t review much of it either.

What are your non-fiction tastes? Any favorites to recommend?

Armchair BEA: Ethical Blogging

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This is my first of two items for today, playing along with today’s Armchair BEA topics.

First up: Ethics in Blogging

We’re getting back into discussion mode in a big way today with the topic of “Ethics in Blogging.” What guidelines must we follow as bloggers–attribution, disclosure, honesty? Have you had an experience with plagiarism (victim or perpetrator?), and how did you deal with it? Do you have recommendations to new bloggers about how to ensure that credit is given to whom/where it’s due?

Perhaps because I’m still relatively new to the blogging world, I haven’t personally run into any problems, although I’ve seen a lot of discussion and comments on the topic. I actually have a fairly vivid fear — not so much about real plagiarism — but more about being accidentally influenced in some way before I’ve really formulated my own thoughts. For that reason, I try to avoid reading reviews of anything I’m thinking of reviewing until after I write my own.

The only hard and fast rule that seems to apply on a regular basis, at least for what I tend to do on my blog, is to give credit to meme hosts and link back to their sites. I’ve had a couple of nice bloggers ask to reblog something I’d written, and I was happy to say yes — and happy to be asked. It hasn’t come up for me yet, but of course I’d expect to do the same.

I did make a boo-boo early on, when I copied a book cover image from a blog instead of from Goodreads, and used the “copy from URL” tool instead of just copying the image itself. Months later, I guess someone must have clicked on the image and linked to the other site. That blog owner sent me a fairly nasty comment on how rude I was to link to his site without permission. Fortunately, I have moderation turned on for new commenters, and so that comment did not go public. Unfortunately, he did not provide me with any contact information, so I was unable to respond, explain that I’d made an error, and apologize. I did take down the image and the link, but it left a rather bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The issue of giving credit can be a thorny one. In this age of Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr, where cute pictures get shared and forwarded constantly, I think the mindset often becomes that any picture that’s out there on social networks is fair game. And that simply isn’t the case. I try to be mindful of what I copy and give appropriate credit, and mostly stick to using book cover images (which, from everything I’ve read, is okay to do) and photos I’ve taken and uploaded myself. I do want to explore further the various resources out there for public domain image archives. Suggestions, anyone?

On the issue of reviews and the necessary disclosures, I suppose I should count my blessings, for once, in that I really don’t get that many ARCs! Most of the books I read and review on my blog are books that I’ve bought or borrowed. When I do write a review based on an ARC, I make sure to indicate the source of the review copy. The whole point, for me, of starting a blog was to have an outlet for saying what I think — so that’s what I do. I will say that if I don’t care for a book, I’m more likely not to post a review at all rather than writing a bad review. Again, I started a blog to share my love and excitement about what I’m reading, and I’d rather not dwell on the negative. As my mother always taught me, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all”!

I had no idea, when I started blogging, that there were so many issues to think about. For the most part, I think the basic rules of being a good person work as guidelines for being an ethical blogger as well:

  • Don’t take what’s not yours.
  • Be polite.
  • Don’t put other people down.
  • Treat others in the way you want to be treated.
  • Be lavish with praise; be careful with criticism.
  • Always ask permission before touching someone else’s stuff.
  • Share when asked, and people will be happy to share with you.
  • Making fun of others doesn’t make you look good; it makes you look mean.

I know there are several sites that have published some great “Blogging 101” guides, and I’ve found those incredibly helpful. (Of course, I’m drawing a blank on what those sites are right now!). There’s a lot to know and a lot to consider, and I do truly believe that most of the mistakes that bloggers — especially new bloggers — make are honest goofs that come from not knowing or not being aware, rather than coming from intent to deceive or to take someone else’s work.

What kind of guidelines do you keep in mind as you work on your blog? Where do you see the biggest pitfalls and challenges for bloggers? I’d love to hear your thoughts on these issues.

Flashback Friday: Ice Bound

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Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

  1. Has to be something you’ve read yourself
  2. Has to still be available, preferably still in print
  3. Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

Other than that, the sky’s the limit! Join me, please, and let us all know: what are the books you’ve read that you always rave about? What books from your past do you wish EVERYONE would read? Pick something from five years ago, or go all the way back to the Canterbury Tales if you want. It’s Flashback Friday time!

My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole

Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielsen

(published 2000)

From Goodreads:

During the winter of 1999, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the only physician on a staff of forty-one people, discovered a lump in her breast. Consulting via satellite e-mail with doctors in the United States, she was forced to perform a biopsy and treat herself with chemotherapy in order to ensure that she could survive until conditions permitted her rescue. She was eventually rescued by the Air National Guard. Dr. Jerri Nielsen’s story of her transforming experiences is a thrilling adventure and moving drama. Since the publication of Ice Bound in hardcover in January 2000, Dr. Nielsen has inspired people throughout the country, met hundreds of fans, received numerous awards including Irish American of the Year, which was presented to her by Hillary Clinton, as well as tremendous praise from the media.

I don’t generally read a lot of non-fiction, but I’m always thrilled to encounter a memoir that transports me into another place or another life. Ice Bound is just such a book. I’m sure many people are familiar with Dr. Jerri Nielsen’s incredible story, which received a great deal of media attention as it was actually happening. In Ice Bound, the author writes about her personal struggles and challenges with honesty and humor. But it’s not just her battle with cancer that makes this book such a remarkable read. In Ice Bound, Dr. Nielsen also invites us into the little-known world of “wintering over” at the South Pole, describing with great detail and heaping doses of humanity just what it means to spend months in isolation in Antarctica, what kind of people sign up for this unique experience, and what it takes to get through it all.

Sadly, Dr. Nielsen passed away in 2009. If you enjoy reading about strong women who make a difference, I encourage you to give Ice Bound a try.

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join the Flashback Friday fun, write a blog post about a book you love (please mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the Flashback Friday host!) and share your link below. Don’t have a blog post to share? Then share your favorite oldie-but-goodie in the comments section. Jump in!

Armchair BEA: Literary Fiction

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And for today’s Armchair BEA topic: Literary Fiction — how do you define it? What are some great examples?

While I’m tempted to give the same answer as I did for definining classics — “I know it when I see it” — I’ll try to actually say a bit more. For me, when I think of literary fiction, I think of books in which the language itself is a key piece of the reading experience. Interesting or unusual word choices, lyrical phrasing, thoughtful use of symbolism, a unique approach to sentence structure — these are all elements that elevate a book for me into the realm of literature. On top of the language itself is the subject matter and how it’s presented. Literary fiction can have any topic, any setting, any type of character — but should have more going on in it than heavy action or a pulse-pounding plot. Literary fiction makes me think about what I’m reading — not just in terms of “what will happen next?” — but really think about the deeper meaning of events and choices, the way the characters express themselves, the signs and symbols that might add another layer to the plot itself. Finally, I tend to equate literary fiction with beauty, especially in terms of beautiful writing and beautiful descriptions.

Some of the best books I’ve read in the past couple of years that I would consider literary fiction are:

  • The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
  • Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
  • Doc by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Round House by Louise Erdrich
  • The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
  • The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Another part of today’s prompt from the Armchair BEA organizers is:

Name a novel that hasn’t received a lot of buzz that definitely deserves it.

I think I’ll switch that up a bit and mention an author who deserves much more attention than I think she gets, and that’s Mary Doria Russell, author of five amazing novels (so far!), on topics ranging from space exploration to WWII to the old West to Lawrence of Arabia. What makes each and every one of her novels a literary masterpiece, in my mind, is her incredible talent for choosing just the right words to express a feeling, a mood, a setting, an emotion. Her writing is beautiful and never fails to just slay me; in fact, I wrote a post about the emotional impact her book The Sparrow had on me when I reread it last year.

So, literary fiction. How do you define it? Are you a fan? And what are your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t miss my giveaway today, ending soon!

 

Armchair BEA: It’s a Giveaway Day!

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Updated May 31, 2013: The giveaway is now closed. It was quick and fun — thanks for joining in! I’ll be reaching out the winner later today.

Day 3 of Armchair BEA is a fun one… it’s a giveaway day!

Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card! What better way to start your reading summer than by getting to pick WHATEVER YOU WANT??

Thanks for stopping by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Click the link below to get started. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday Quotables: The 5th Wave

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cooltext1045178755Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week.  Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

If you’d like to participate, it’s really simple:

  • Follow Bookshelf Fantasies, if you please!
  • Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now.
  • Link up via the linky below (look for the cute froggy face).
  • Make sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com).
  • Have fun!

This week’s Thursday Quotable:

Aliens are stupid.

I’m not talking about real aliens. The Others aren’t stupid. The Others are so far ahead of us, it’s like comparing the dumbest human to the smartest dog. No contest.

No, I’m talking about the aliens inside our own heads.

The ones we made up, the ones we’ve been making up since we realized those glittering lights in the sky were suns like ours and probably had planets like ours spinning around them. You know, the aliens we imagine, the kind of aliens we’d like to attack us, human aliens. You’ve seen them a million times. They swoop down from the sky in their flying saucers to level New York and Tokyo and London, or they march across the countryside in huge machines that look like mechanical spiders, ray guns blasting away, and always, always, humanity sets aside its differences and bands together to defeat the alien horde. David slays Goliath, and everybody (except Goliath) goes home happy.

What crap.

Source:  The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Putnam Juvenile, 2013

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

Link up, or share your quote of the week in the comments.

Armchair BEA: Genre Fiction

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The second Armchair BEA topic today is Genre Fiction:

Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, and more–is genre fiction your thing? Post about the genre(s) you love–or the ones you don’t-

I’ve never been one for strict definitions. If I like a book, I like a book! That said, I do aim toward some sections of the book store more than others.

While I do read straight-up contemporary fiction, I tend to veer off toward the weird, the unusual, the spooky, and the odd more often than not. My reading wanders all over the map, but what I end up enjoying most is:

  • Science fiction/fantasy: I love excellent world-building, new frontiers, unusual circumstances or rules. Throw in time travel, threats to human civilizations, maybe a bit of a humorous approach, some deep interpersonal connections, and I’m there.
  • Paranormal/urban fantasy: I can OD on these pretty quickly, but give me a few well-chosen series to commit to, and I’m happy.
  • Horror: Of a sort. Nothing too gross for me, but I do love a more psychological chill-inducing thrill ride.
  • Historical fiction: When it suits me. I won’t read historical fiction indiscriminately, but if I find a good book or series on a time period that interests me, I’m easily hooked!

What I mostly avoid:

  • Mysteries: I’ll read a good mystery once in a while, but overall, this is a section of the fiction world that I avoid. Much like I don’t watch police procedurals on TV — I’m just not interested in a “case of the week”.
  • Romance: Again, I’ll give any good book a try, but typically if a book has a shirtless man on the cover or a woman who looks like she’s about to pop out of her low-cut dress, it’s not for me.

Outside of the “genre” classification, I find in general that I’m also drawn to:

  • Graphic novels and comic book compilations: I’m relatively new to this world, but over the past few years I’ve absolutely fallen in love with certain books and series, including the children’s Bone series, Fables, and Y: The Last Man, to name but a few.
  • Children’s books: As a mom, I’m always on the look-out for good, engaging middle grade books — but I also enjoy these for myself as a reader. I like smart characters, interesting scenarios, and good writing, and finding a gem for this age is such a delight!
  • Young adult: I’m not a big fan of labels, but I do find so much to enjoy from the young adult shelves. I keep trying to convince my “grown-up” friends to give certain young adult titles a try. Good fiction is good fiction!

Overall, though, I’m not a big believer in “wills” and “won’ts”. Convince me that a book is worth my time and I’ll read it, regardless of what shelf it sits on!

 

Armchair BEA: Blogger Development

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This is my first of two items for today, playing along with today’s Armchair BEA topics.

First up: Blogger Development.

The purpose of the conference is to foster “blogger development”–and clearly, that development can go in a variety of directions! Today, we’re inviting you to talk about your approach. Have you branched out into your community? Do you partner with other bloggers? Have you gone “pro” or tried generating some income through your blog? If you’re a long-term blogger, how has your online personality developed over the years?

Tell us about things you’ve done to expand your blogging horizons, and the things you’d like to do but haven’t managed (or figured out) yet. Come back here to link up your post, and then go see what other participants have to say. Let’s foster our development as bloggers and learn from each other!

As a relatively new blogger, still in my first year in the blogosphere, I’m working my way through issues constantly and trying to find the right fit for me. When I started Bookshelf Fantasies, my only goal was to take the scattered bits and pieces of book-related writing I was doing anyway and to put them together in one consistent outlet. I had hoped that writing a blog would give me a good creative outlet, help me find other like-minded booklovers to connect with, and lead me to new and different approaches to thinking about books.

What’s worked for me so far is trying to write or post almost every day; participating in a few — but not too many — weekly or ongoing memes and features; and trying to establish my own rhythms and identity for blogging.

I haven’t thought about blogging in terms of income, and that’s not why I do it. I understand some people find it helpful to become Amazon affiliates, and I could see doing that in order to be able to offer giveaways and other perks that might cost me money. I’m not blogging for money, but I also don’t want to lose money on it!

What have I done to expand my blogging horizons? Well, one thing I’ve done is to start two regular features on my blog. While they haven’t really taken off yet (I get a few participants here and there, but it’s not consistent), I haven’t given up hope! My two weekly events are:

cooltext1045178755Thursday Quotables: Every Thursday, I feature a quote or passage from something I’ve read that week, and encourage other bloggers and readers to link up and share their own quotables from their weekly reading.

Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday: On Fridays, I highlight an older book that I’ve read and enjoyed, and invite bloggers to post their own Flashback Friday selection and link up!

Of course, the main thing I’ve done to expand my blogging horizons is to visit other blogs, comment, and connect! I don’t think I “got it” when I first started, but now I absolutely do: There’s a whole wide world of amazing bloggers out there, and the number one takeaway for me from my first year of blogging is the wonderful sense of support and community that comes from connecting with other people who care about reading and love to talk about books.

Sure, I’ve had my down days when I’ve felt discouraged: Why aren’t I getting more page views? Why didn’t I get approved for that ARC? Why haven’t more people read that one particular post that I was so proud of? I’ve had to slow down and remind myself that I do all this because I love to read, I love to write about what I’m reading, and I love to talk books with other people who love them as much as I do! All the rest — the stats, the page views, the followers — that’s just icing on the cake!

What I’d still like to do is find new and different ways of connecting with others in the book world, develop new and interesting features for my blog, try to start featuring some guest posts, and overall, continue to be open to new ideas and meet new people.

I’d welcome your input! For anyone who’s visiting Bookshelf Fantasies for the first time, I’d be honored to get your feedback. Thanks for stopping by!

And a final bit of shameless self-promotion: If you’d like to take part in Thursday Quotables or Flashback Friday, I’d be thrilled!

Wishlist Wednesday

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Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday!

The concept is to post about one book from our wish lists that we can’t wait to read. Want to play? Here’s how:

  • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
  • Do a post about one book from your wishlist and why you want to read it.
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post at Pen to Paper.
  • Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere in your post.
  • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Wishlist Wednesday book is:

  The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

From Goodreads:

These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?

Why do I want to read this?

I just finished reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey a few days ago, and I’m still catching my breath! This suspenseful book about an alien invasion is one of my favorites so far in 2013, and I loved it so much that I want to read more by this author.

I actually picked up a copy of The Monstrumologist last year, when I was trying to catch up on some of the Printz award winners and honor books.* I’ve been hesitant to start any new series, particularly ongoing series — but as it turns out, the fourth and final book in The Monstrumologist series comes out this fall, so I think it’s time to jump in!

Have you read The Monstrumologist? What did you think?

*The Michael L. Printz award list has got to be one of my favorite resources. I’ve encountered so many great books thanks to this list! If you haven’t given it a look before, check it out here.

So what are you doing on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

Armchair BEA: The Classics

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Today’s focus for Armchair BEA discussions is “The Classics”:

Today, tell us all the reasons why you love classic literature. What are your favorite classics? If you could give a list of classics to someone who claims to hate them to make them change their mind, what would be on it? How would you convince them to give classics a try? And why do you keep coming back to those old favorites?

I suppose we could argue about the definition of a classic. Is it anything over a certain number of years old? Is it something that fits into a certain body of work? Do certain authors count more than others? I guess I go with the “I know it when I see it” standard: If it feels like a classic to me, then I consider it a classic!

My favorite classics are:

  1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  2. Any/all stories by Edgar Allan Poe
  3. The works of William Shakespeare
  4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  6. Anything and everything by Jane Austen
  7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

If I were trying to convince someone that classics are not all dusty and boring, I think I’d give them a few of the above, especially:

  • A Tale of Two Cities: This book really has it all! Drama, intrigue, plots, suspense, legal drama, historical fiction, mistaken identities… all the elements of modern-day TV dramas, in one terrific book.
  • Pride and Prejudice: I think it would be hard to find someone who hasn’t been exposed to at least one TV or movie version of Pride and Prejudice or any of the dozens of modern fiction retellings, sequels, and monster mash-ups. I think the popularity of the story helps keep it fresh and accessible, and it tends to be a good jumping-off point as an introduction to the rest of Jane Austen’s works.
  • Little Women: This is one that really feels universal. Do girls still read this growing up? The four sisters, their ups and downs, games and romances, successes and disappointments, are truly timeless. And again, given the numerous movie versions and the pop-culture references (remember the Friends episode where Joey read Little Women??), this doesn’t seem like an old, forgotten book.
  • Brave New World: If you haven’t read this one in a while, I strongly suggest going back to it. It’s amazing, really, to see how much the author got right. So many of the science fiction elements of this book can be found in our world today — it’s downright eerie!

As for why I keep coming back — well, there’s always something new to discover! I just re-read Jane Eyre for the first time in about 10 years, and was amazed to discover how fresh and sharp the dialogue is. When I stumble across some random “classic” short story and realize how much it gives me to think about, it makes me want to pull my older books off the shelf and read them all over again. True classics still have something to say that relevant even in a different time and a different society, and those are the ones that really last.