Booking Through Thursday (16)

What do you look for when reading a book blog? Does the blogger have to read the same genre? Do you like reviews? Personal posts? Memes? Giveaways? What attracts you to a book blog?

And–what are your favorite book blogs?

I look for a lot of different things in other book blogs and I'm pretty picky when it comes to them. The main thing I look for is a rough compatability in terms of books and reviews. If I find a blog where the blogger has read a lot of the same books I have I'll look at their reviews on a few 'touchstone' books (aka those books that tend to have reviewers divided like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck). If our views are still similar or they have really justified their opinions I'll hunt down reviews of my favourite books. This gives me the deciding factor - the closer our opinions are on the books I care about, the more likely I am to follow.

I tend to find new book blogs through memes and they give a bonus of being able to get to know the blogger quickly. There have been a few times when I've been looking through meme posts, seen something I totally disagree with and have left the blog. On the other hand, memes are how I've found some of my favourite blogs.

I also love giveaways but I tend to check out the blog itself to see what it's like before entering, especially if it's a follower only giveaway. It's not fair on the blogger or the other entrants if you have people just following for a chance to win something.

My favourite book blogs are (clicking the buttons will take you to their sites):

Booking Through Thursday (15)

Have you every written any fan-fiction? If yes, why and for which book(s)? If no, would you like to and for which books(s)? For that matter, do you ever READ fan-fiction??

No. I've never written any fan-fiction and nor do I really want to. I'd rather see what the author comes up with for the characters than what I can create in my head. I understand why fans enjoy fan-fictions of their favourite series, especially after a series has finished or while they are waiting for the latest release, but for me those characters sprouted from inside the author's head and so the author is the only one who really knows them.

How many times has an author managed to throw a total game-changer into a story based on a character who has not previously revealed this part of themselves? The Mortal Instruments did it. Or how about when a character's backstory is revealed later in a series and goes to places you'd never expect? Twilight, the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Dresden Files - it's a common storyline.

I have tried reading fan-fiction before and sometimes it can be pretty good but I can never stop the nagging feeling that something isn't right. It is a great way of exploring concepts and storylines away from the main books, it just doesn't work for me.

Booking Through Thursday (14)

All things being equal, which would you prefer–a mystery? Or a love story?

I think I would prefer a mystery. I read a lot of books with either a love story, a mystery or both, but if I had to pick just one it would have to be a mystery. I love trying to figure out the mystery before it's revealed and I hate any book that I can figure out early.

Looking over my books I've noticed that I rarely read anything that is a straight love story but I do read pure mysteries. To me the best love stories have something else at play, either a paranormal element, a mystery or some kind of crisis.

I don't mind a hint of romance with my mysteries (those can be the best books sometimes) but if it overshadows the story I get really frustrated. I'm hesitant about reading further in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series because the love triangle is starting to take over the books (I'm up to Cream Puff Murder).

Booking Through Thursday (13)

Do you find that your mood affects the things you read? Like, if you’re in a bad mood, do you tend to indulge in reading that will support it or do you try to read things that will cheer you up? Do you pick different types of books on dreary, rainy days than you do on bright sunny ones?

For that matter, does your mood color what you’re reading, so that a funny book isn’t so funny or a serious one not so deep?

My mood definitely affects the things I read. If I'm in a really bad mood, I won't read because it's guarenteed I won't like whatever I'm reading. Generally though, if I'm feeling down or sick I'll revisit some old favourites and if I'm in a good mood I'll pick up pretty much anything. One of the reasons my reviews are averaged over scores for plot, characters, ending, enjoyment and cover is to prevent my mood from affecting the rating of a book.

I love to read mysteries and horror when it's dreary or rainy, and I love reading darker books in the winter. In the summer I prefer lighter, fun reads so that's when I read a lot of books with a humourous slant.

One thing people who've been reading my blog for a while will notice that December is going to be a little different. I love Christmas and I usually spend the entirety of December snacking on mince pies and candy cane, watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas-themed books. So all my reviews this month will be of books with some kind of Christmas/Winter angle. Nothing overly religious, just books set around this time of year as I'm in a Christmassy mood :)

Booking Through Thursday (12)

What book or author are you most thankful to have discovered?
Have you read everything they’ve written? Reread them?
Why do you appreciate them so much?

I don't know if I can pick just one. There are so many books and authors out there that have changed who I am or changed my reading tastes. Narrowing the list down, I think I'm most grateful to what I call my gateway authors:

L.J. Smith - I read the Night World books as a teen (and many times since then) and she is the author who inspired me to read so much as well as to read books with a paranormal angle. I own most of her books although I have yet to read the Dark Visions and Forbidden Game trilogies.

Maria V. Snyder - Poison Study was my gateway book into fantasy which I've recently discovered a passion for. If I hadn't been looking around the library to fill the akward letters on an A-Z character challenge (yay for Yelena and Valek) I'd never have read her book and I'd have missed out on some awesome reads.

Kelley Armstrong - Bitten was the first urban fantasy that I loved unconditionally. I'd mostly been reading young adult books, and Kelley Armstrong gatewayed me into adult. Ironically a few years later, she gatewayed me back into young adult with her Darkest Powers books.

And there's also my all-time favourite book: The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. I had this out of the library all the time as a child, and then one day had to return it. I forgot what it was called and spent years looking for a book called Moonacre (or something similar) and only rediscovered this when my grandparents rented the movie. I'm so thankful to have found it again :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Booking Through Thursday (11)

Of the books you own, what’s the biggest category/genre?
Is this also the category that you actually read the most?

Of my books, the largest category is probably paranormal romance. I have a wide selection of genres, but aside from paranormal romance the biggest groups are probably urban fantasy, young adult and cozy mysteries. Most of my books are in boxes due to lack of space and those tend to be sorted by genre, mostly to prevent me having to go through 20+ boxes to find a single book.

Right now, I'm not sure if I'd class paranormal romance as the category I'm reading the most of. I seem to be reading a lot of young adult books at the moment. I've always read in batches - I'll go through a young adult stage, then switch to something more adult like paranormal romance, then something more action based like urban fantasy, then something less graphic like cozy mysteries. That said, I've read more of the paranormal romances I own than other genres.

Booking Through Thursday (10)

E-readers like the Kindle and iPad are sweeping the nation … do you have one? Do you like it? Do you find it changes your reading/buying habits? If you don’t have one, do you plan to?

No. I don't own any kind of e-reader and I don't have any intention of buying one. The main reason is I like real books. I like to hold them in my hands, look at the pretty covers and occasionally surround myself with stacks and crouch there croaking "my pretties" and stroking them....well mostly just the first two :)

I get why people like them - you can carry literally thousands of books and have easy access to all of them. I keep seeing the problems though - they are harder to read (all the ones I have tried have given me a migraine), they require charging and they are expensive. Most e-books cost the same as paperbacks, if not more, and I don't see the point in paying that much for a virtual file.

I have seen the argument that e-books are better for the environment, which makes sense to a point as they aren't printed on paper. They do require power to read though, and that has to come from somewhere. Also most publishers are aware of the eco-focus of their readers now and use recycled and/or sustainably sourced paper. Piatkus, for example, who publish the Black Dagger Brotherhood novels in the UK are actually FSC approved and they aren't the only ones.

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All other thing being equal, would you rather read a book that’s hard/challenging/rewarding or light/enjoyable/easy?

It all depends on my mood really. I don't often read books that are emotionally challenging because of the subject matter but I'm happy to read books that are intellectually challenging. At the same time there is a lot to be said for a light easy read. It all depends what I feel like reading.

Other than my mood, other things do influence my reading choices. Around Christmas I read almost exclusively Christmas-themed books, a lot of which are lighter reads. There's usually a lot going on for me near Christmas (and there'll be more this year given that I'm making most of the presents I'm giving) so I don't want a challenging book that requires more effort.

I don't think I could ever read just challenging or just easy books. All challenging would suck the fun out of reading, and all easy would mean I get bored. A mixture of the two suits me best.

Booking Through Thursday (8)

What’s the hardest/most challenging book you’ve ever read? Was it worth the effort? Did you read it by choice or was it an assignment/obligation?

I honestly don't know. I've spent a good part of the day trying to think of the most challenging book I've ever read and it's been tricky to come up with an answer. I think it must be Firmin by Sam Savage. My stepmother loaned it to me and the whole book was just so disturbing I ended up reading it desperately hoping it got better. It was purchased as part of a Borders haul (sorry Dad, your credit card must still be wincing!) and we both thought it sounded really good. It wasn't :(

I've also read quite a few classics which are more challenging than modern books purely for the language but I still enjoyed them and felt they were worth the effort. There have also been modern books with scenes I found difficult to read emotionally (like the end of Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs) but again I still liked the book.

I think my problem is that if I find a book too challenging to read then I won't keep reading it. There are very few books I've given up on but if I find I'm really forcing myself to keep reading I'll stop. I've mentioned it here before, but The Time Machine is one of these. I just couldn't get into it so I gave up.

Booking Through Thursday (7)

Do your reading habits change when you’re on vacation? Do you read more? Do you indulge in lighter, fluffier books than you usually read? Do you save up special books so you’ll be able to spend real vacation time with them? Or do you just read the same old stuff, vacation or not?

My reading habits definitely change when I'm on vacation as I barely read at all. I tend to either be out-and-about seeing the sights or spending time with my family on vacation so I don't get much reading time. I do squeeze it in whenever I can though.

I used to just take whatever book I felt like reading, but as I read in small amounts when I'm on vacation I've started to be more careful about what I choose to take. Some books have really long chapters so they aren't ideal to pick up for five minutes at a time, whereas others are more suited to this kind of reading. I don't tend to pick a specific genre as long as it has short chapters.

The last time I went on vacation I took Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos which is an ideal vacation read for me. Instead of chapters it is made up of letters ranging from under a page up to six pages at most. It's ideal for picking up, reading a single letter and then putting down.

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If you could get a sequel for any book, what would it be?

Without a doubt it would be Witch in the House by Jenna McKnight. It's about a witch called Jade who casts a spell to bring herself happiness and one to bring happiness to a jilted groom, and accidentally merges the spells. I first read this a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed it.

As soon as I was done I popped online and looked around for information on a sequel, especially as it was fairly obvious Jade's two friends were supposed to have their own stories. I did find mention of a sequel in several places, but when I tried to find a release date a few months later everything had disappeared. After multiple unanswered emails to both the author and the publishing house, I gave up.

Recently the author has made it public knowledge that she has Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and won't be writing anymore, which is a real shame as I was looking forward to reading more from her and this book is now less fun as it is clearly the first of a trilogy that is not going to be finished.

Booking Through Thursday (5)

What’s the oddest book you’ve ever read? Did you like it? Hate it? Did it make you think?

Without a doubt it has to be Firmin by Sam Savage. It's about a rat called Firmin who grows up in a bookstore in Boston and becomes smarter than other rats because he eats the pages of various novels. I thought it sounded interesting but it turns out it is just plain weird. I didn't enjoy it at all - Firmin watches human porn, finds human women attractive and there are scenes of rat sex. The entire book was kind of disturbing and more than two years after reading it I'm still creeped out. I think I was expecting something similar to the Deptford Mice series by Robin Jarvis (which are great books) and I was really disappointed when I found it to be so different.

Booking Through Thursday (4)

Have you ever finished a book and loved it so much you went right back and started re-reading it again?

(And obviously, if so, we want titles!)

Not really. There have been books I've finished and I've known that I'll re-read them, and others where I've gone out to buy the rest of the series straight away but I've never re-read straight after. There are so many awesome books out there that I usually have my next read lined up before I'm even halfway through my current one!

Booking Through Thursday (3)

What are you reading now?

I am currently reading The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

Would you recommend it?

Right now? Yes I would as I'm really enjoying it, however I've just gotten to the part where several other reviewers have commented that the book has gone downhill so my opinion may change.


And what’s next?

I'm not entirely sure. It's a toss up between Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'm going to signings with both authors next month and want to be up-to-date before I go. What do you guys think I should read first?

Booking Through Thursday (2)

While my town dries out of record-setting, epic flooding from Hurricane Irene, let me ask you:

What’s your book with weather events? Hurricanes? Tornadoes? Blizzards? Real? Fiction? Doesn’t matter … weather comes up a lot in books, so there’s got to be a favorite somewhere, huh?

The first books that come into my mind whenever anyone talks about weather has to be Rachel Caine's amazing Weather Warden series. Starting with Ill Wind they are great urban fantasy novels about people who can literally control the weather. It's now complete, but worth a read for any urban fantasy fan.





In terms of the weather I like...I love storms and snow. Basically give me any weather that requires bundling up under snuggly layers, preferably with a book, and I'm happy. I even love those weird overcast grey days :) In my books I don't really notice weather much, but I love a stranded-by-snow story like Get a Clue.

Booking through Thursday

Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things.

Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL.

The last time I read a history book was probably a few years ago in college. While I love history, I don't tend to read many non-fiction books. So many are written in such a dull way that it can really suck the fun out of the topic. That said there are some history books out there where the author's love of the subject shines through and makes for a fascinating read :)