Book Talk - Bookish Meme

So I was tagged on Facebook by Kyle@The Creative Geek, and decided to put it up here, because, well, just because

What do you read? Mainstream, genre, Young Adult?
I mostly read Romance and YA, in within that, pretty much anything - paranormal, historical, contemporary, etc.

What do you never read?
I'm not big on horror, and I also try to avoid Vamp books - though I do read them from time to time. Also not big on fairies.


Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
I'm definitely morning or night, though I'll read whenever I can sneak in the time. I got used to reading that way when I was in school and sometimes had to wait a lot between classes, or whenever we were dismissed earlier.

Bed, Bath or Bus?
Bus then Bed. I've always loved reading in the bus because it's the only time when I don't feel I should be doing something else. Other than that, I always read in my comfy bed. :)

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback or eBook?
I usually prefer Paperbacks - Mass Market or Trade makes little difference - just because they are usually cheaper. Hardback if it's something I can't wait to have. eBooks when I want something so bad that I can't wait till it ships here, I give in and buy the ebook and go for instant gratification.

Bookmark or Dogear?
I use a bookmark when I read, of course, but I also dogear my favorite passages, so I can go back to them whenever I want.

Alphabetize by author, title, or random?
Well, I go mostly by size because my bookshelf is a bit cramped so I tend to stack books over other books, but I do try to keep series in order and all books by the same author in the near proximity of each other. I also sort of keep my favorite books in the most accessible spot.

Keep, Throw Away, or Sell?
I keep most of my books. When I don't like some, I usually give them away to friends that I think might like them.

Short story or novel?
I like both, so it has more to do with what I'm in the mood for. Usually I go for novels though.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I try to break on chapters but if I have to get of the bus or I'm so sleepy I'm incoherent, then I'll stop whenever. It also depends on the book.

Buy or Borrow?
Buy, few borrows. But mostly buy, we don't have good libraries here, so options are limited.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation, or Browse?
A bit of everything, I really do research a book before I buy it because I simply can't afford pay for shipping and then dislike the book, it's just so much waste for me. So I try to get a real feel of the chances that I will like a book. Covers are known to sway me, though, and so do friends. If they believe on a book, even if it's not my genre of choice, I'll give it a shot.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
More than anything else, I want the book to feel finished, like I got somewhere. I'm okay with a cliffhanger mid-series, but I usually read series once they are published in their entirety because I'm just not a very patient person. And I do prefer most ends to be tied, but I'm okay with open endings as long as I got enough resolution.

Standalone or Series?
I like them both, but I do tend to read series, I like recurring characters and the sense of community and friendship you sometimes get our of series. But, like I said, I'm impatient, so I often wait out a series to be done before I pick it up.

Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?
Tough one. Probably the Bard Academy Books - Wuthering High, The Scarlet Letterman, Moby Clique - by Cara Lockwood. They are such amazing books, and so underrated!

Top 3 favourite books read within the last few years?
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern

Top 5 favourite books of all time?
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
The Earth, My Butt, And Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Lena lives in a world where everything is regulated and love is thought to be a disease, and everyone has to undergo a procedure when they turn 18 to get rid of it. Having seen how love destroyed her mother, Lena is more than ready for hers - which is three months away.

But then, things start to change around her. First, her best friend Hana starts acting weird - lightly saying stuff about the government, listening to illegal music online, sneaking out to go to underground parties, all things that baffle Lena, for she's always thinking of the consequences.

Then she meets a boy, Alex, who makes her wonder at all this business of love being a deadly disease (amor deliria nervosa), about her fears and her realities...

I'm going to come out and say it, and please don't hate me: I didn't like this book. The writing was beautiful, I was surprised at how quickly I went through the pages because the writing flows, but at the same time I kept wishing something to happen already! The book felt both too long and like nothing happened. 

Maybe if liked dystopia a bit more, I would have liked Delirium more, but as it was, I thought it was only OK, just not my type of book.

1/2

Book Review: Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke

After six years in Egypt, Will Mallory, Duke of Sunderland is finally back in England. His plans are simple: give a couple of speeches regarding his archeological work in Egypt and find a new sponsor for the dig.

But, just a few hours after arriving back to his country home, he comes face to face with Lady Beatrix Danbury, the girl he left behind six years ago just a few weeks before their wedding. 

It took Trix five long years to get over Will, but now she's engaged to another man and ready to be married in a couple of months. Seeing Will again is a complication she doesn't need or want.

But they were childhood sweethearts, loved each other all their lives and live less then 3 miles apart, avoiding each other is hard. Especially when a mutual friend invites them to Torquay for a house party. At Lord Marlowe's seaside home, avoiding the memories of their shared life, not to mention each other, is impossible. 

Wedding of the Season is the first book in the Abandoned at the Altar series by Laura Lee Gurhke and  it was a nice read. I liked both Will and Trix, they were a bit selfish in a way, particularly at the beginning, but they made sense together, and they were funny. And the setting for the story - Torquay for the most part - was delightful. I liked that Will took his work very seriously - once he explained why he was so adamant to return, that his archeological work was really the only thing he knew how to do to earn his living, he made a lot more sense. 

Trix was a very endearing character, I think she embodies a bit of the average person who dreams big but doesn't have the courage to follow such dreams and make them real. A lot of the story is about her finding the courage to do all the things propriety and society restrictions never allowed her to do.

Like I said, I liked the story. But I did have some troubles with it. I felt it a bit too drawn out, like it went in circles a little too much, yet things get resolved very quickly at the end. Contradictory, I know but that's how I felt. Also, very early on I felt more interested on Julia and Aidan (Trix' cousin and  her fiance), rather than in the main couple. Lucky for me, Julia and Aidan are set to be the main characters in the second installment of the series, Scandal of the Year, which comes out later this month (thankfully! because I'm dying to read that one).

Favorite Quote: “Darling, you know I’m already married! As to the rest, I’m mired in debt now that Yardley’s cut off my allowance. But, if you’re willing to be seen by some hapless chambermaid at a third-rate hotel, coming out of my room at three o’clock in the morning, Yardley might be moved to divorce me at last, naming you co-respondent. Then I’d be free to marry someone else who’s disgustingly rich, and I could give you all the money you need.” -Julia

3/4

 

PS - Also loved the little cameos of characters from the Girl Bachelor Series :)

Interview with Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

I'm so very happy to welcome Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams to the blog. They write one of my favorite Tween series: The Goddess Girls -which is a fun new take on some of the most famous Greek goddesses, but as young girls. Joan and Suzanne answered a few questions regarding this lovely series.

Without further ado...

Hello and thanks for visiting us! 

Suzanne and Joan: Thanks for having us visit, Alex. We’re so pleased to be here again! We did a swag bag giveaway with you in December that was a blast.

Alex: Oh, yes. It was so much fun! Now, lets talk about Goddess Girl stuff. So, why did you decide to write about these famous -sometimes infamous – goddesses as young girls? 

Suzanne: Joan and I both like to write for middle grade readers. It seemed only natural to us that the characters should be around the same age as our audience.  Imagining the Greek gods and goddesses as tweens (except for a notable few like Zeus, who is the principal at Mount Olympus Academy), was half the fun of writing the series!

Joan: The series title came first and then the “what ifs” started things rolling. In Greek mythology, Zeus is Athena’s father, but she spent her childhood with Pallas and Triton on Earth. So in the first Goddess Girls book, we began by asking ourselves “what if” Athena’s dad was Zeus, the principal of Mount Olympus Academy (MOA), king of the gods/ruler of the heavens — but Athena was unaware of it and believed herself to be a mortal like her bff Pallas? Suddenly she gets a letter from Zeus telling her he’s her dad and summoning her to MOA. She has to leave her best friend Pallas and join a bunch of goddesses and figure out how to blend in. How intimidating would that be? Still, she’d always felt different from the other mortals, so Zeus’s letter answers some questions for her.

Alex: With whom of the Goddess Girls do you identify with the most?

Joan:  I identify with Athena because I did well in school and I want to be smart, but I secretly long to be Aphrodite because she’s beautiful! But if I had to choose only one, I’d go for smart. I would love to add a dash of Artemis because she’s strong-willed and spirited. And I love her hairdo and her red dress on the book cover!

Suzanne: I identify with Athena because of her studious personality, but also with Persephone because what girl doesn’t struggle to come to terms with who she really is, what she really thinks, and how she wants to live her life? Actually, come to think of it, all four of our main goddessgirls struggle with those questions in our various books. In our newest book, Artemis the Brave, for example, Artemis has to deal with unexpressed fears and also decide if Orion, the boy she’s attracted to, is worthy boyfriend material!

Alex: That's very true! I think we all go through that struggle at one point or another. Now, whom of them would you like to have as a friend?

Suzanne: I’d like all four of our main characters as friends: Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis.  Some of our secondary goddessgirls might get on my nerves, however. Pandora asks way too many questions, Pheme is a horrible gossip (but what would you expect from the goddessgirl of rumor), and Medusa is a big meanie! (OTOH, it’s possible she’s just misunderstood—stay tuned for Book #8.)

(Alex: Tease!) 

Joan: Ooh, intriguing question, Alex! I think I’d go with Artemis or Athena. I like Artemis because she’s bold, forthright, and genuine. She’d be someone to hike with or do something outdoorsy. I feel like I could trust her. (And maybe borrow that cute red dress of hers.) Athena would be fun to hang out with and talk about books and cerebral things. She’d be a mind-expanding friend.

Alex: One of the things I love the most about the series is the little winks to well known myths that you weave into the story itself, do you have any favorite myths?

Suzanne: Thanks, Alex.  We love giving those little winks to our readers!  In our next GG book, #5 Athena the Wise (out in April), we’ve put a humorous spin on the myths the make up Heracles’ Twelve Labors.  Reworking and reinterpreting those labors within the context of the story was terrific fun.

Joan: I have to say that #5 is one of my favorites in the series.

Alex: Sounds like its going to be great. What’s next for the Goddess Girls?

Joan and Suzanne:  Well, we mentioned GG#5: Athena the Wise (April 2011). In GG#6: Aphrodite the Diva (August 2011) our goddessgirls travel to Egypt where they meet some Egyptian goddesses, and Aphrodite becomes involved in a contest with Isis to match a sculptor named Pygmalion with the girl of his dreams.  We’ve recently contracted for Books 7 & 8.  GG#7 will star Artemis again.  And GG#8 (as you might have already guessed from Suzanne’s earlier comment, will feature Medusa.)

(Alex: Oh, how you tease me! And the covers are gorgeous, btw!) 

Alex: Are you up for 3 random questions? Let’s talk favorites and hit the timeless questions of what’s your favorite…

 Book?

Suzanne: This is tough question since there are so many books I absolutely adore.  This time I’ll pick Holes, by Louis Sachar. I love his characters, the unusual setting, and the understated sense of humor that’s in all of his books.

Joan: Good choice, Suzanne. This is a tough question. In children’s books, I’ll go with Captain Underpants. It was a groundbreaking series full of unrepentant realistic kid humor, and it appeals to the kid in me.

Song? 

Joan: Lately: Fireflies by Owl City; Breathe by Anna Nalick; What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake; and many more!

Suzanne:   I can’t name a single song. How about singers, instead?:  Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, Mose Allison.

Ice-cream favor? 

Suzanne: Anything with chocolate

Joan: Chocolate chip mint, baby! I love it. Strawberry is my 2^nd fave. How about you, Alex?

Alex: I like weird flavors, like Green Apple or Almond (it's truly delicious). Other than that, frozen yogurt! 

Joan and Suzanne: Thanks again for letting the Goddess Girls and us hang out with you today, Alex! ~ J & S

Alex: Thanks so much for stopping by! 

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Would you like a chance to win an autographed copy of Artemis the Brave? Yes? Well, keep reading!

Starting today (Jan 17th) and until January 27th, all you have to do is leave a comment bellow, with your email address (so I can contact you should you be the winner)- and that's it!

Rules:

US Only, please.

Leave a comment indicating you wish to be entered in the giveaway.

Winner will be chosen at random, and announced on Jan 28th, along with my review of Artemis the Brave.

For more info on The Goddess Girls Series, visit:

http://joanholub.blogspot.com

Book Blogger Hop #14

Book Blogger Hop is a lovely, weekly meme hosted by Jennifer@Crazy for Books.
This week's question:

"Why do you read the genre that you do?  What draws you to it?"

So, for me the answer splits in two since I mostly read two genres: YA and Romance - in all it's different variants and sub genres.


I read YA because for me it's sort of a catching up thing, I never got to read books geared toward teens when I was a teenager, so I'm enjoying myself now. Plus, I can honestly say that Prep School was a great time for me, and I think part of me will always be 17, because I was just so happy at that age.


When it comes to Romance, all I have to say is that I love the happy endings. I love how those books make me feel, and the hope they give me. It's not that I think I will find a tall, dark and handsome stranger who will turn out to be a millionaire who will just LOVE ME and will want to have sex with me eight times a day, every day; but I do believe in the type of relationships the Romance Novels I like portray, that of two people who love and respect each other.

I think that both genres require so much talent and skill to do well, and that they don't get nearly enough recognition for it.

So, that's me, more or less.

What about you?