Category Archives: Bookish Thoughts

The Trouble with Trilogies

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I have a problem with trilogies. But not just trilogies.

Sequels, series, you name it. Anything that’s to be continued is just trouble for me right now.

Why?

Because after a certain point, I just don’t care. If I have to wait a year to find out what happens next, most of the time, I simply won’t still be interested enough to bother with it.

Why are there so many trilogies in the YA fiction world now? Why is it practically the norm to turn every potentially good story into a series? Whatever happened to a beginning, middle and end all in one book?

I loved The Diviners by Libba Bray. I preordered book 2, which was supposed to be out this summer. Lo and behold, the release has been delayed until 2015. Guess what? By the time Lair of Dreams comes out, I don’t know that I’ll feel like bothering any more. Sure, I loved the characters and the setting of the first book. The plot was different and interesting and made me want to know more. But I was also mostly satisfied with how it ended, and in fact my only quibble about the book was the fact that it was clearly building up to an ongoing story, even though the main plot of The Diviners did have a pretty great wrap-up.

Another example: I just DNF’d a book that concludes a YA trilogy that I’d enjoyed so far, by an author whose writing I admire very much. But yeah… I read the first two books, and I liked them a lot. But time has gone by, and I don’t feel a burning need to know more about the story, and when I read the first couple of chapters, I realized I’d be totally fine with not reading the book. Just. Didn’t. Care.

So what’s this mini-rant all about? I guess I’m just fed up with stories being stretched into three (or more) books when they could be told in one. The trilogy I just walked away from could have made one really good book, and I can think of a few others where the same would be true. Is it just publishers wanting to sell more books? Does a series have a glamor to it that a stand-alone doesn’t?

Look, I do read series. Take Outlander or A Song of Ice and Fire, for instance. These books are huge, and the worlds they contain are vast, and each book is an event. Or, for example, some of the great ongoing urban fantasy series, such as the Dresden Files books or the Mercy Thompson series. Each book in these is a new chapter, a new adventure, in a carefully created world that continues to grow and expand. I love all of the above — and will keep reading them until the authors are done, or until an asteroid wipes out life on Earth, or something equally cataclysmic occurs.

The problem with so many of the series out there, particularly (but not exclusively) in YA, is that a lot of them feel like filler. With many of the YA trilogies I’ve read over the years, the story is stretched and padded and chopped in order to make three books out of a story that, with some good editing and tightening up, could have been one great book. I’m tired of the “to be continued” ending that exists just to keep us coming back for more (or, to put it more cynically, exists just to keep us taking out our credit cards).

Not that my complaint is about the money, really: It’s about the storytelling. Tell me a great story, make me care, introduce me to amazing characters, and have a compelling story arc. With an ending.

Like I said, some series are great and deserve every page and every volume. But sadly, there are a lot that miss the mark by a long shot.

So, yeah, today I walked way from book 3 in a trilogy that I actually thought had a pretty good start.

If it’s been a year and I haven’t thought about the earlier books in all that time, even if I liked them when I read them, then chances are when the big finale finally rolls around, I won’t be around for it. Because I just won’t care any more.

Just something to think about.

Five Reasons Why You Should Read I Shall Be Near To You… ASAP!

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My spotlight book this week is I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe. Earlier this week, my wonderful guest reviewer Mary shared her thoughts on this beautiful novel. (Click here for Mary’s review.) Later on, I’ll be featuring a Q&A with the author. For today, I’m here to tell you why you NEED to read this book!

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Here are my top five reasons why this may be the book for you:

1) Strong female character: Simply put, Rosetta Wakefield is one awesome woman. A young bride who decides that she will not sit home while the man she loves marches off to war, Rosetta takes her future into her own hands. Ignoring family disapproval and potential shame, not waiting for her husband’s agreement, Rosetta sets a course for herself and doesn’t look back. She joins the Union army, drills with the troops, pushes past overwhelming fear, and marches into battle — and simply won’t take no for an answer. Sure, there are fictional fantasy characters who use fancy martial arts, or stakes, or bows and arrows to face down bad guys. But Rosetta is a real-world heroine, based on historical records, who arms herself with her mind and her will to fight, steels herself with her love for her husband, and dares everything in order to achieve her own ends.

2) Bringing history to life: If you’re like me, you learned about the Civil War, about the battles of Bull Run and Antietam, in history class during middle school or high school. Maybe you had to learn the details, or write an essay on the strategic importance of certain battles. Maybe you had to memorize the dates or the names of the generals. Boring, right? Put all that aside, and read I Shall Be Near To You. I don’t think I’ve read another book that brings the battlefield’s sights, sounds, and smells to life quite so viscerally. As seen through Rosetta’s eyes, war truly is hell. It’s bloody and confusing and terrifying, consisting of little more than marching into almost certain death because that’s what the troops have been ordered to do. There’s no place to hide, no refuge, and no rhyme or reason to the chaos and horror.

3) An intense, passionate love story: Rosetta and Jeremiah are childhood sweethearts whose love is sincere, deep, and committed. Rosetta can’t be anywhere but by Jeremiah’s side, and despite his worries about what’s proper and safe for his wife, Jeremiah loves Rosetta too much to send her away. Their stolen moments are deeply emotional, deeply sexual, and absolutely pure in their mutual love and devotion.

4) Nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts details: What would enlisted troops eat in between battles? Where did the food come from? Or more essential questions: How could a woman hide in plain sight among an army of men? What about bathroom needs and other bodily functions? Ever notice how some of those “sweeping”, “epic” romances or historical novels gloss over the less-pleasant realities of day-to-day life? It’s all gowns and swords and drama… but not here. In I Shall Be Near To You, Rosetta’s adventure is believable because it is so deeply grounded in real life. Yes, there are obstacles. Yes, there are all sorts of things that Rosetta has to figure out in order to manage in a male environment without detection. The author gives us enough to make us feel just how much Rosetta has to overcome in order to achieve her goals — and just how much she has to sacrifice and put up with in order to stay by Jeremiah’s side.

5) Writing that’s just right: Rosetta is a young woman with some education but not a lot, raised on a farm and taught the essentials, but she’s never been a fine, sophisticated lady — and her speech is pitch-perfect in reflecting just who she is. Speaking plainly but not without her own sense of poetry, Rosetta is forthright to the point of almost impropriety, speaking out when nice young girls should demur to their men or their mothers-in-law or to practically anyone else. Rosetta speaks in colloquialisms, but it’s not overdone or cloying. Instead, her narration tells us just who she is simply by the words she uses and how she describes her life, her dreams, and the man she loves. It’s not fancy, but it consistently rings true, and Rosetta conveys such a depth of emotions in her plain words that it’s like being hit by a lightning bolt at times.

That’s five. Need more?

At just over 300 pages, I Shall Be Near To You tells a tightly crafted tale that wastes no energy and never goes astray. I walked away from this book with a greater understanding of love and loss, the terrors of warfare, and the simple joys of being with the right person and sharing a dream.

It’s beautiful. It’s powerful. Read this book.

Bookish Bits & Bobs

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So much exciting book news lately! Well, exciting in my little corner of the bookish world, in any case… so I thought I’d write a quick post to tell you all what really had me jumping for joy (or scratching my head) in the last couple of weeks:

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  • It was announced that David Nicholls, author of the wonderful One Day, will have a new book out this fall! Us is scheduled for publication in September; read more about it here.
  • I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one: Anne Rice is writing a new Lestat book! Prince Lestat is due out in October, and will be the first in a new series revisiting the author’s vampire superstar. Read about it here. I don’t know — I loved Anne Rice’s first few vampire books back in the day, but so many years have gone by that I don’t really feel a need to revisit that world. Plus, to be honest, I haven’t loved the last few books of her that I’ve read. How about you? Will you read a new Lestat book?
  • Now this really is exciting! According to Patricia Briggs’s Facebook page, the author has just signed a contract for a new Alpha & Omega book, the 4th in the series. The book will be called Dead Heat, and will be published in spring 2015. *happy dance*
  • Beowulf by… Tolkien? According to this report, J. R. R. Tolkien’s previously unpublished translation of Beowulf will by published by HarperCollins in May.
  • Quick: When you think of Keith Richards, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I’ll bet it wasn’t “children’s book author”, was it? In one of the more surprising book announcements of the year, it turns out the Keith will be publishing a books for kids called Gus & Me this fall. Gus & Me will tell the story about Keith’s grandfather and how he introduced Keith to music. Okay, maybe not as juicy as Life, but I’ll still check it out!

That’s it for now! What book news are you most excited about?

It Was Fine.

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How often does this happen to you?

You read a book. And it was fine. And you find you have pretty much nothing to say about it.

That’s me right now. I read a perfectly decent book this week. Nothing particularly irritated me. There were no nonsensical plot developments or characters acting — ummm — out of character.

But also. Nothing really jumped out at me. It held my attention, but never engaged my emotions. Something would happen, and I’d think, “Oh, I see why that happened.” I wasn’t bored… but I was never excited either.

So, yeah. It was fine.

When I love a book, I can (and do) go on and on about all the reasons why. I can pick apart all of the things that made the book special, find lots of quotes to highlight great writing, name the characters who were especially amazing or infuriating or puzzling or inspiring. Believe me, if a book is terrific, I will absolutely say so. Probably at length.

Likewise, if I really dislike a book, I’m not shy about saying so, and saying why. If anything, if all I have are negative comments, I’ll often decide not to write a review at all, since I find I’m a happier person in general when I try to stick to writing about books that make me happy. Unless I feel cheated or misled or manipulated, and then I’ll probably rant about it for a while.

But those middle of the road books? Hard.

I wish the author well, and I hope the book finds its audience. But I can’t say I thought it was amazing, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. On the other hand, I’m sure there are people it’ll appeal to, and I wouldn’t say not to read it either.

It was fine. I read it, I wanted to see what happened, I stuck with it to the end, and it was fine.

What do you do with your “fine” books? Do you write about them anyway? Keep it short and simple? Or just ignore and move on?

 

Genre confusion, part deux

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Over a year ago, I wrote a post entitled Genre Confusion, in which I discussed the accidental discovery of a favorite book — which might never have happened if I’d been aware that the book often gets shelved under “romance”, which is not a genre that I typically read.

The issue becomes relevant for me again with a bizarre discovery I made yesterday — or is it a discovery at all?

I started a book fresh from my NetGalley queue and was enjoying the first little bit. Then I thought I’d double-check the page count, seeing as I have a whole lot of must-read books coming up and I want to make sure to pace myself. So I went on Amazon, looked up the book, and scrolled down to the detail section — where lo and behold, I see the books categorized as “Christian fiction”.

Whoa.

Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against Christian fiction or its fans. But not being Christian myself nor the least bit spiritual or religious, I’m not drawn to books with a strongly faith-based or spiritual theme.

And after all, just as we all have our preferred genres, I think most of us have a list of what we won’t read as well. (For the record, mine includes courtroom dramas, extreme violence, and anything with shirtless males and/or cowboys on the cover. Or shirtless cowboys. Whatever). *

*I’d add erotica to the list, except — full disclosure — I did read the 50 Shades books. Can’t fall behind the pop culture zeitgeist, can we?

So… confusion. What to do about my current read?

I went back to NetGalley. Nope, no reference to this book being Christian fiction.

Went to the publisher’s website. Oops. They publish Bibles as well as works of inspirational fiction. Hmmm.

Went to the author’s website. She’s clearly someone of great faith — but also sounds like someone with a great literary background and a totally interesting life.

Did a Google search. Most of the early reviews for this book were by bloggers with faith-oriented blogs.

So what does this mean for me? I Googled the term “Christian fiction”. According to Wikipedia:

In North America, the Christian novel has evolved into a specific genre of its own, written explicitly by and for Christians of a particular type. Such a Christian novel does not have to involve an actual event or character in Bible history. A novel can be Christian in this sense merely because one of its characters either comes to a proper understanding of God and of man’s need for salvation from sin, or faces a crisis of his or her faith.

It goes on to say:

Deborah Bryan of the Kansas Library Association suggests that a Christian fiction writer must comply with certain restraints such as: (1) Accept the truthful authority of the Bible (2) Address dilemmas through faith in Jesus (3) Believe that Jesus died and rose for sins of all people (4) A writer is restricted from writing about certain “taboos.”. She also suggests that this genre of books typically promotes values, teaches a lesson, always has a happy ending (good prevails over evil in all books), adheres to a decency code (certain boundaries such as sexuality, strong language, and topics of such cannot be crossed), and that Christian fiction is created for defined boundaries within a particular community.

While the first paragraph above doesn’t necessarily present a problem for me, the definitions presented in the 2nd paragraph — if adhered to in a a work of fiction — would definitely make that fiction unreadable for me. Hence my current dilemma.

So far, I see nothing in the book that I’m reading that seems outside the realm of mainstream contemporary fiction. It’s the story of a young woman pursuing an education and trying to get past the traumatic events of her childhood. She also happens to be a young woman who immerses herself in classic literature as a way of shielding herself from engagement with the real world. And what I’ve read, I’ve liked. (Granted, I’ve only read about 15%, according to my Kindle — but so far, so good).

If the book continues along the path it’s on, then I think I’ll really enjoy it. I mean, I love main characters who obsess over books! What’s not to love? But if the storyline starts heading into a dogmatic, explicitly faith-based direction, then I may have a problem with it. And to a certain extent, I’d rather know now than invest more time only to be disappointed or turned off later.

And yet… if I hadn’t gone to the Amazon page, I’d have no worries and no preconceptions. So what to do?

In my earlier Genre Confusion post, I advocated for stepping outside of one’s comfort zones, exploring other shelves in the bookstore, and being open to books that sound intriguing, even if their defined genre isn’t in our go-to preferred list.

In keeping with that position, at least for now, I think I’m going to give my current read a bit more time. After all, I like what I’ve read so far, and prior to my Amazon encounter, I thought the synopsis made the book sound quite charming — and never would have known that this was considered “Christian fiction”.

Have you ever been shocked by a book’s genre? Did you ever find yourself reading a type of book that you’d swear you never read? Did you stick with it or drop it like a hot potato?

If you’ve ever had a “genre confusion” moment yourself, please share in the comments!

Bookish gratitude for Thanksgiving 2013

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I posted an initial version of this piece on Thanksgiving in 2012 — and since most of it is still relevant, I thought I’d repost it again today, with a few updates for 2013.

In another hour, I’ll head to the kitchen to start working on my contributions to the holiday meal. Meanwhile, my family and I are relaxing around the house. My son is playing video games, still in his pajamas. My husband and I just got home from a walk at the beach, where we enjoyed fresh breezes and blue skies. Before long, we’ll have to start the hustle and bustle of getting dressed and hitting the road for our Thanksgiving celebration with friends. But meanwhile, it feels a bit like I’ve managed to hit the pause button of life for just a few minutes.

In this brief lull on my Thanksgiving Day, I want to take a moment to reflect on all the small joys of life as a reader and take stock of what’s made me happy and grateful this year.

I AM THANKFUL that my family, despite their teasing and occasional complaints, understands that books matter to me and respect my need to carve out some quiet reading time every day.

I AM THANKFUL to all the wonderful people who have stopped by my blog since its birth a year and a half ago. The blogging community is amazing and dynamic and inspiring and so much fun. Your comments, support, and encouragement continue to mean so much to me! THANK YOU!

I AM THANKFUL to the members of my online book circles for turning me on to reading choices I might not have encountered on my own. Thank you, Goodreads friends, Outlander Book Club, fellow book bloggers, meme hosts and participants, and more!

I AM THANKFUL to the authors of my favorite books published in 2013, including Stephen King, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Joe Hill, and Nicole Peeler. Thank you for all the thrills, chills, laughs, and tears.

I AM THANKFUL to the authors who take the time to respond to questions and interact with their readers. It can’t be easy, but your graciousness is so appreciated! Thank you for being not just terrific writers but also good people.

I AM THANKFUL to the local bookstores who’ve hosted some marvelous author events this year, and thankful to the authors who graciously sign SO MANY BOOKS. A special thank you to Bee Ridgway, who was absolutely delightful when I came to her bookstore appearance — and who (by the way) wrote one of the very best books I read in 2013!

I AM THANKFUL to Diana Gabaldon — this year and always — for her incomparable Outlander series and all of its associated offshoots, and for teasing her readers with her Daily Lines on Facebook.

I AM THANKFUL to the San Francisco Public Library — and really, public libraries everywhere! — for long hours, fantastic resources, and outstanding service to the community. Thank you for letting me take out limitless books, request whatever I want, and for having so many good selections for my child!

I AM THANKFUL for all the organizations working so hard to bring education, books, and literacy programs to the people and communities who need these resources so desperately. Goodreads has a terrific list of non-profits working in these areas, and I urge everyone who cares about these causes to check it out and find a way to pitch in.

A personal favorite: The National Library Initiative of JWI (Jewish Women’s Initiative), whose good works include establishing children’s libraries in homeless shelters and shelters for victims of domestic violence and abuse. You can find more information here.

I AM THANKFUL to have so many choices when it comes to reading. I love being able to find excellent works of fiction, not only on the bestseller lists, but also in children’s books, young adult novels, and graphic novels.

I AM THANKFUL to have the ability to walk away from books that aren’t working for me. It took me years to master the guilt of leaving a book unfinished! But I’ve gotten wiser, and now fully embrace the mantra that “life’s too short to read bad books”.

I AM THANKFUL that my daughter loves to talk books with me, and that my son — while still the most reluctant of readers — does love to listen to a good story.

I AM THANKFUL for my almost stuffed bookshelves and the books, old and new, that fill them up.

I AM THANKFUL to all the writers, everywhere, who work so hard to share their creativity with all of us avid readers!

With an endless amount of books to read, I will never be bored, I will continue to learn, I will explore lands and times beyond my physical reach. And for all this and more, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saying good-bye to Narnia

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A journey ends…

Five months ago, my now 11-year-old son and I decided that the Narnia books would be our next read-aloud adventure. I’ve been reading to him at bedtime since he was an infant, and even though I know he’ll probably outgrow the nightly reading ritual before too long, it hasn’t happened yet (for which I am deeply grateful).

My kiddo is a very reluctant reader. (Best line so far: “It’s not that I can’t read, Mom. I just prefer not to.”) And yet, he does enjoy stories — he loves following along, deciphering clues, forming theories, and shouting at me when I stop at a cliff-hanger. We’ve (I’ve) read the entire Harry Potter series out loud, plus a variety of other series and stand-alones, including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Chomp by Carl Hiaasen, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, and several fine choices by Edward Eager and Eva Ibbotson.

So, when we needed something new this spring, we turned to something old. I’d read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe years ago (although not as a child), but had never read any of the other Narnia books, so my son and I both started this adventure with fresh eyes and with no idea what to expect.

And two nights ago, we finished The Last Battle, the 7th and final book in the series.

Was it a success? Overall, yes. Of the seven books, only The Last Battle was a bit over-the-top for my taste. There’s a lot to love in the series: Fantastical worlds, talking beasts, brave kings and queens, fierce battles, tales of heroism and adventure. We both adored High King Peter, and loved Edmund, Lucy, and Susan as well (even though Susan does later depart the series in favor of grown-up things like nylons and young men).

Being used to fantasy series where each book builds on the previous, it was a bit disconcerting at first to realize that each installment in the Narnia books introduces us to a new set of characters and circumstances, sometimes only loosely connected to those who’d gone before. I admit to feeling rather let down when Lucy and Edmund are told that their adventures in Narnia are done for the time being. But each book presents its own opportunities for fresh adventure, with new kings to meet and new quests to undertake — always in the name of the noble and almighty Aslan.

As for the religious subtext, I mostly chose to ignore it — although that was pretty much impossible to do in The Last Battle. Despite the sometimes heavy-handed allegories throughout, Narnia can be read as a fantasy tale, and that’s just the way I like it.

The Horse and His Boy was a wonderful surprise — I didn’t expect to like it, being so different in setting and tone, but it turned out to be one of the best books, in terms of pure adventure and adrenaline. The Silver Chair is dramatic and exciting, and The Magician’s Nephew tells an intriguing origin story for Narnia. Even though I hadn’t seen the movies, I was more familiar with the general storylines of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — but even so, found the books to be full of great adventures, heroic characters, and the good-natured humor that enhances all of the books in the series.

In fact, the only times I found myself impatient with the Narnia books were first, at the end of Dawn Treader, which seemed to lose steam and just sort of petered out in a vague sort of way, and then, throughout most of The Last Battle. The Last Battle is mostly a rather dismal sort of book, with terrible exploitation, the end of faith, a king in disgrace, and a rescue that doesn’t really solve anything. Things perk up a bit when help arrives in the forms of Eustace and Jill from our own world, but even then, it’s not a hopeful situation at all, The end brings lovely reunions and a sudden happy resolution to very dark and hopeless story — but it was clear to me (if not to my son) what was actually going on, and it all got a bit too gooey and godly for my tastes.

All in all, it’s been quite a journey, and one that I was especially glad to share with my son. We had plenty to discuss, we shared more than a few giggles, and we held our breaths together at the more chilling and thrilling moments. I can see wanting to revisit the Narnia books down the road, maybe just picking one up at random when I’m in the mood for some high adventure and heroics.

Will these finally be the books that get my son reading on his own? Well, no, not as far as I can see. But I still have hope. He loved Narnia, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit — I think he has the makings of a very fine fanboy. Who knows, maybe some day he’ll dig into the Lord of the Rings books on his own and surprise me with a bit of elvish at the dinner table!

Meanwhile, onward with the eternal question: What should we read next? I’ve got a few ideas…

A to Z Bookish Survey

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Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner came up with this great bookish survey. What better way to spend time than by thinking about all things book-related? Want to play? Just answer the A to Z prompts in your own post — and have fun!

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Word of warning: My answers are full of Outlander references! Yes, I get a tad obsessed.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Bill Willingham, author of the Fables series of comics/graphic novels. (I was surprised by my “most read” results! To see yours, to to Goodreads, click on My Books, then scroll down until you see Most Read Authors toward the bottom left. Et voila!)

Best Sequel Ever:

It’s hard to choose just one… but I guess I’d go with Dragonfly in Amber, book 2 in Diana Gabaldon’s amazing Outlander series. The opening chapters really shocked me when I first read this book, and then so much happens, and it’s all so dramatic and wonderful… it just sweeps me away every time I read it!

Currently Reading:

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. (Okay, okay, we all know it’s J. K. Rowling by now, right?)

Drink of Choice While Reading:

I can never go wrong with a cup of coffee in my hand. The stronger, the better! A cookie on the side wouldn’t hurt either.

E–reader or Physical Book?

Give me a book made of paper, any day!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Um, can I just say how NOT actively dating I was in high school? Friends, groups, etc — sure. But going on an actual date? Not so much. I’d like to think I’d have been at Hogwarts and would have dated Sirius Black. There’s a guy who needed a lot more love than he ever got in his life.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Dreamhunter (and its sequel, Dreamquake) by Elizabeth Knox. I don’t even remember how I heard about this pair of books, but these have such an interesting premise, a really unusual fantasy world, and are just so well done. I’m really glad that I read them — but I wish I knew someone else who’d read them as well!

Hidden Gem Book:

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway. This is an amazing book — more people need to check it out!

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

All of them? I don’t know, I suppose learning to read independently as a child and then being turned loose in the local library to pick out whatever caught my eye.

Just Finished:

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

There’s not much that I won’t give a try, at the very least — but if I have to pick, I’d say I won’t read military thrillers or sappy, sentimental books by male authors trying to prove how sensitive they are.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1,463 pages — yup, I read it!). Second longest is The Fiery Cross (1,443 pages) by Diana Gabaldon, #5 in the Outlander series.

Major book hangover because of:

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. Such a beautiful book, unlike anything else I’ve seen or read.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I’m up to about 10 total at this point, after splurging at Ikea last fall. The saga of my bookcase building is here.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I always find something new and amazing in this book.

Preferred Place To Read:

Outdoors in the sun! My back porch on a sunny day is absolutely perfect.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

Most recently:

“We were dancers and drummers and standers and jugglers, and there was nothing anyone needed to accept or tolerate. We celebrated.”
(from Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg)

Reading Regret:

All the books that weren’t on my high school reading list that I’ve just never gotten around to reading! Am I the last reader on the planet who hasn’t read Great Expectations? Plus, not taking more English classes in college.

Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series):

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I read the first three, and really enjoyed them… but then stopped. I have the rest of the books, just need to get motivated to jump back in.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, the Harry Potter series, Lamb by Christopher Moore

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Outlander! So much to love in this amazing series.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Gotta go with Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon, the eagerly awaited 8th book in the Outlander series, due out in March 2014.

Worst Bookish Habit:

Buying a book that I just HAVE TO HAVE the second it comes out… then letting it sit on my shelf, unread, for weeks or months.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

This was fun! The 27th book on the top shelf of my left-most bookshelf is Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman, a small, lovely hardcover book that’s a follow-up and companion to the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Your latest book purchase:

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer. And as opposed to all the books I bought and then didn’t read (see my Worst Bookish Habit!), I actually read this one the second it arrived. And loved it.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I reached a point where I just couldn’t disengage my emotions enough to stop! Sobbed my way through to the end until I finished at 1:30 am!

Are you playing too? Please leave me a link to your post so I can see your A to Z bookish thoughts!

Quote: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

We were dancers and drummers and standers and jugglers, and there was nothing anyone needed to accept or tolerate. We celebrated.

Happy Blogoversary to Me! (Plus, a Giveaway for You!)

Posted in Blogging, Bookish Thoughts by

One year ago today, I posted my very first post on Bookshelf Fantasies. Et voilà! A blogger was born.

77d0f78da9ba5b4e712efec660e73f7dWhen I started Bookshelf Fantasies, I truly had no idea what I was doing. I knew I wanted a creative outlet. I knew I wanted to write about books. I knew I enjoyed posting reviews on Goodreads. I jumped into blogging mainly just to see if I could pull it off. Would I have enough to write about? Would anyone care?

And here I am, a year later, and I’m loving it!

First and foremost, I want to send a sincere THANK YOU to all of the lovely people who have taken the time to visit, to comment, and to offer tips and encouragement. When I started my blog, I had only the vaguest inkling that there was an entire blogging community and that blogging is really a two-way street. I hadn’t thought much beyond the idea of writing and then hitting the “publish” button. What I’ve learned in the past 12 months is how many terrific, generous bloggers are out there, writing and producing amazing content, and offering friendship and connection all at the same time. I didn’t expect to find an online community, but I truly feel that I have — and I am so grateful!

Because I’m a numbers geek, I get a big kick out of playing around with my stats. (That doesn’t sound dirty at all, does it? Maybe I should spice things up a bit…) Here’s what’s happened at Bookshelf Fantasies in the past year:

  • 383 total posts! That doesn’t mean that I post every day (honestly, I don’t) — but apparently, there arestone-figure-10541_640 days when I’m feeling prolific!
  • I’ve written 104 book reviews.
  • I participated in 50 Wishlist Wednesdays and 30 Top 10 Tuesdays.
  • I started two of my own regular weekly features and invited others to join in. So far, there have been 12 Thursday Quotables and 40 Flashback Fridays.
  • I’ve written 35 posts in the category “The Reading Life”, about anything and everything in the life of a reader.

It tickles me pink and polka-dotted to realize that just this past week, Bookshelf Fantasies received its 10,000th page view!

I checked to see which posts had the most views, and it’s a weird mix — really, a smattering of everything. Here are the top 10 posts viewed the most this past year:

  1. Maps of Fictional Worlds — a silly little round-up of cool maps of places like Narnia, Westeros, Middle Earth and Alera.
  2. My one and only giveaway to date, as part of Armchair BEA. People love free stuff!
  3. Top 10 Favorite Characters in Epic Fantasy Fiction
  4. Breed: Lingering Questions (spoilers!)
  5. Flashback Friday: Flowers for Algernon (I think a lot of my visitors for this post are high school students looking for help with their essays, googling things like “themes in Flowers for Algernon”. Tsk, tsk. No cheating!)
  6. Book Review: Ocean’s Surrender. This one isn’t a mystery — the author shared the link on her Facebook page!
  7. A photo montage in honor of The Diviners. Photos of flappers are fun.
  8. Top 10 Books On My Summer TBR List
  9. Top 10 Super Long, Super Funny, or Just Plain Super Awesome Book Titles
  10. A Monster Calls: Review and Reflection

Of the posts I’ve written, my own personal favorites are some of the more personal ones, including:

https://i0.wp.com/media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/af/e1/f6/afe1f64adfbccb372557c8f98828eb8f.jpgAnd on that thankful note, I’ll say it one more time: THANK YOU to all of you who’ve cheered me on, stopped by to visit, offered book recommendations and blogging tips, and most of all, just brightened my day with your own smart, funny, insightful words. I’m so happy to have met you all!

Onward I go! Another blogging year awaits! Year one of Bookshelf Fantasies has been a blast. I can’t wait to see how the next year turns out!

Giveaway time!

To celebrate the 1st anniversary of Bookshelf Fantasies, here’s a giveaway to say thank you to all you nice folks! Enter below to win one of two $10 Amazon gift cards! (You’ll need to click the link – the giveaway widget opens in a new tab or window.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway