Top Ten Words/Topics That Will Make Me Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the bloggers over at the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers from all around create lists based on the chosen topics, and post links to the host blog to share our love of books. This week we are looking at topics that grab our attention. We all have them. It might genres, settings, themes, but we have our bookish tendencies.

[I'm so easy.]

Which words and topics grab your attention?

In My Mailbox (April)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Join in and link up! I don’t get enough books to participate on a weekly basis, so I’m going to share highlights of the books I get for review, buy, or check out from the library. I may not read all of these (for various reasons) but I still want to share what comes my way!

All links go to the book’s page on Goodreads.

Review Copies

Print ARCs:

Jane Austen’s World by Maggie Lane — Sterling sent this to me for the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice.

Audio books for review:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz — Sent by Simon and Schuster. I’m in the middle of this and it is definitely good. It’s a coming-of-age story about two Mexican-American boys, with an lgbt-twist.

Control by Glenn Beck – Sent by Simon and Schuster. Yes, I asked for it. I’m not a Beck fan, but I want to see what he has to say about guns.

The Program by Suzanne Young — Sent by Simon and Schuster. It’s a dystopian involving a treatment program for teens with depression.

NetGalley/Edelweiss E-ARCs:

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau — I got it and read it in the same day. Definitely a fast-paced story! It’s like The Hunger Games, but with academic tests.

Purchased

Shelf copies:

Smile by Raina Telgemeier — Purchased from Barnes and Nobel. I’ve already read it, but wanted a copy for Telgemeier to sign at the public library.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier — Purchased from Barnes and Nobel. Ditto.

Audio books from Audible:

None this month!

What’s in your mailbox? Which books have you borrowed/purchased/checked out/received? 

Introducing: Bookkaholic

Okay, guys. I have some exciting news! I was hired about two months ago to write for an online book magazine called Bookkaholic. This is a start-up magazine, so traffic is slowly building. But it’s been a great opportunity for me to write for a different audience and try some new stuff. I’ve written some fun stuff over there, and I want to make sure those pieces reach my audience here as well. So I will periodically (maybe monthly?) share links and blurbs for my articles.

My review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, which I have not reviewed here.

A review of Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger, which I also reviewed here.

A review of Contagious by Jonah Berger, which I also review here (yesterday…)

Love the Hunger Games Movie? What To Read While Waiting for Catching Fire. A bibliographic essay highlighting books about The Hunger Games and some read-alikes for fans of the series.

John Green: A Primer. A basic guide to the world of John Green.

The Voices in My Headphones: Listening to Audiobooks on the Go. My guide to the positives and negatives of getting started with audiobooks, including tips for Audible and Overdrive. Also gives some first listen recommendations.

So definitely check those out, and leave a comment if you feel so inclined. I’d love to know what you think!

In My Mailbox (March)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Join in and link up! I don’t get enough books to participate on a weekly basis, so I’m going to share highlights of the books I get for review, buy, or check out from the library. I may not read all of these (for various reasons) but I still want to share what comes my way!

All links go to the book’s page on Goodreads.

Review Copies

Audio books for review:

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger — Audiobook courtesy of Simon and Schuster. A non-fiction book about what makes things go viral.

NetGalley/Edelweiss E-ARCs:

Two Lies and a Spy by Kat Carlton  – E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss.

Always Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — E-ARC from publisher via NetGalley. The final book in the Alice series.

The Registry by Shannon Stoker — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. Instead of being auction to the highest bidder for marriage by her government when she turns 18, Mia decides to escape to Mexico.

Purchased

Shelf copies:

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher — I needed a paperback copy to annotate for a paper I’m writing. A transgender YA love story.

I Am J by Cris Beam – I needed a paperback copy to annotate for a paper I’m writing. A transgender YA coming-of-age novel.

Audio books from Audible:

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher — Purchased on Audible. I had a spare credit, and chose to listen to the book to review the story beecause I’m writing a paper on the book (I think I actually bought this in February…)

No Logo by Naomi Klein — Purchased on Audible. For class, about how branding is taking over the world.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson — I bought this to prepare for my trip to Europe! Humor and history of Great Britain.

Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson –  I bought this to prepare for my trip to Europe! Humor and history on backpacking Europe.

I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson –  I bought this to prepare for my trip to Europe! Humor, Bill Bryson returns to live in American after 20 years of living in England.

What’s in your mailbox? Which books have you borrowed/purchased/checked out/received? 

On Grading Books

I started grading (rating) my reads about a year ago. Before that point, I was on the fence about book ratings. I always found it very hard to think about the subtle differences between each rating and I had a hard time making those decisions. However, I realized that I found the ratings of others to be very useful in determining if a book is worth my time. I also pay attention to the ratings on Goodreads, both the average rating AND the ratings of my friends (and sometimes even the ratings of other readers). Rating books has helped me really think about my reads more thoroughly, more broadly, and more seriously.

I will continue to use my rating system, but I’ve been struggling with a few aspects of it lately. Sometimes the decisions are really hard! Here are four dilemmas I’ve experienced:

1. I Dont’t Want to Give Every Book an A or B

I feel like rating scales have multiple points for a reason, and every book cannot be an A or B read. If I only give books an A or B, then all of the B books start to look like the less desirable books I’ve read. Granted, if a book were terrible, I probably wouldn’t finish it. And I am likely to pick up books that I have a good chance of enjoying. However, some books will still be duds and some books will still just be “meh.” I have no fear of giving out Cs for average books.

The problem comes when I’m the only person giving out Cs. For example, if I give a book 3 stars on Goodreads, it makes me look like I hated the book! Sometimes I want to give a big, bold disclaimer that my C means “average.” There is nothing wrong with average.

2. When I Read More, I Get Pickier

The more I read, the more I raise my bar for what becomes a good book. When I look back to books I rated as five-star reads on Goodreads before I started my blog, I would probably give some of those books a B now. A few really good books can make other books feel less stellar. A five star book is one that wows me, surprises me, and is well-written. The bigger my mental pool of books becomes, the harder it is for me to find a true A or A+ read. The flaws are more apparent, and the comparisons are inevitable.

As a reviewer, this is actually a good thing. I’m getting better at pin-pointing what I did and didn’t like about a story, and drawing comparisons to similar titles. When someone tells me they love a particular book, my mental database is big enough that I can always find something else to recommend (sometimes even a surprising book in a different genre!). I also hope that being pickier about giving out As will mean that the As I do give out will be noticed!

3. I Have to Balance My Personal Feelings With An Objective Review

The hardest books to rate are books that I didn’t like, but that I know are actually good books. Sometimes I read a book and I know that everyone else will like it. It’s a likable book, well-written, and I’ve read good reviews elsewhere. However, it’s not for me. Maybe I struggled reading it, got bored, or was reading it at a time when I wasn’t really into the book. What do I do then? Do I give my more objective rating, or my more personal rating? This is a decision I need to make and apply consistently across my reviews.

Since I’m reading more and more ARCs for publishers, I’m leaning toward the more professional, objective rating. However, reading is such a personal experience and I often find it hard to ignore those personal feelings. This is probably most evident in my reviews of books with heavy romance elements. I know my readers will usually like a book because of the romance. I’m a little more skeptical of romance, since I’m not really a romantic.

4. I Compare My Ratings To Those of Others

Goodreads makes this too easy! This is perhaps the thing I struggle with most. I know, based on my rating scale, that a book has earned a grade. But then I see that everyone else has graded it higher. I feel like I’m lowballing the book. Does everyone else just looooooooove the book more than me? Am I grading to harshly? My general method is to only give an A to a book that is top 10 worthy for the year…this keeps me in check, forcing me to separate the good from the great. However, because of problem #2 above, this is actually a really strict criteria. It’s like I’m grading on a curve and I’m worried that the bar is superficially high.

I blogged for one year without ratings and one year using my grading scale, and I still find my grading scale to be sufficient. It is getting easier for me to know if a book has earned an A, B, C, or D without much sweating or crying. The occasional books that do make this hard are still a struggle. The hardest part is sticking to my guns, even if I know I may be grading more harshly than my peers on a particular book. It all evens out in the end, right?

To those who might say I’m over thinking this…you’re right. But I’m hoping some of my readers have faced similar dilemmas and are willing to share!

How do you feel about your own grading scale? Do chose not to use one? Which strugggles do you have?

In My Mailbox (February)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Join in and link up! I don’t get enough books to participate on a weekly basis, so I’m going to share highlights of the books I get for review, buy, or check out from the library. I may not read all of these (for various reasons) but I still want to share what comes my way!

All links go to the book’s page on Goodreads.

Review Copies

Print ARCs:

The Elite by Keira Cass — ARC from publisher. Book #2 in The Selection trilogy!

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike — ARC from publisher. “Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel.”

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty — ARC from publisher. A girl discovers a crack that divides our world from a world beyond, and a letter.

Audio books for review:

What the Spell by Brittany Geragotelis — Audiobook courtesy of Simon and Schuster. A teenage witch must conceal her identity while also navigating popularity in high school.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss AND Digital Audiobook from publisher. A mystery set in 1950′s New Orleans, from the author of Between Shades of Gray.

NetGalley/Edelweiss E-ARCs:

Invisible by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. Stephen has been invisible his entire life, until one day he meets a girl who can see him and wants to help him.

The Wall by William Sutcliffe — E-ARC from publisher via NetGalley. Joshua lives inside a wall, and his been told his whole life that the wall keeps his family safe.

In the After by Demitria Lunetta — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. After hiding out when the world is taken over by Them, Amy is rescued and taken to a new colony where utopia becomes dystopia.

Rush by Eve Silver — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. Miki is ripped from her life and sent to play a game, eliminating alien creatures.

Transparent by Natalie Whipple — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. Fiona has been invisible her who life, and her father uses her to commit crimes…until Fiona and her mother decide to run away.

Zits: Chillax by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman — E-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss. The comic strip mets novel form with lots of illustrations.

Purchased

Shelf copies:

The Selection by Kiera Cass — I’ve already read it, but wanted a shelf copy. Purchases from Barnes and Noble.

Audio books from Audible:

Hero by Perry Moore — Purchased on Audible. It’s my gay superhero book, and it was amazing!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn — Purchased on Audible since everyone’s always talking about it! Bought in February, and finished within five days.

What’s in your mailbox? Which books have you borrowed/purchased/checked out/received? 

In My Mailbox (January)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Join in and link up! I don’t get enough books to participate on a weekly basis, so I’m going to share highlights of the books I get for review, buy, or check out from the library. I may not read all of these (for various reasons) but I still want to share what comes my way!

All links go to the book’s page on Goodreads.

Review Copies:

Taken by Erin Bowman — All men disappear on their 18th birthday, but Gray Weathersby is determined to climb over the walls of his city in search of answers.

Pivot Point by Kasie West — A girl has the ability to see alternate futures for each choice she makes.

Ender’s World edited by Orson Scott Card — Essays on the popular series.

Betrayal by Gregg Olsen — YA paranormal mystery based on the true-life Amanda Knox story.

Order of Darkness: Changeling by Philippa Gregory — Philippa Gregory’s first YA novel! Historical/paranormal.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger — A spy school disguised as a finishing school.

Transparent by Natalie Whipple — An invisible girl is being used by her father to commit crimes, and decides to escape.

Because I Said So by Ken Jennings (audio book) — The truth about things parents tell their kids.

Gifts:

Reached by Allie Condie — I won this in The Book Addict Guide’s giveaway celebrating the finale to this trilogy!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi — I won this in the I Love YA Fiction Top Reads of 2012 Giveaway!

Purchased:

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson (audio book from Audible)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (audio book from Audible)

The Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (audio book from Audible)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (shelf copy — I bought some books I’d already read, but want wanted to own)

The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart (shelf copy)

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (shelf copy)

What’s in your mailbox? Which books have you borrowed/purchased/checked out/received? 

Covers Across the Universe

I thought I’d take a minute today to discuss something that’s been on my mind lately as I’ve been reading Beth Revis’ Across the Universe series.

A few weeks ago, I named Across the Universe one of the best book covers for books I read in 2012. The cover really is stunning. The cover to the sequel, A Million Suns, matches. It’s not as stunning, but it’s definitely more accurate and they make a nice set:

I mean, look at how nice those look! The sparkly stars, the silhouettes, the kissy/hand holding hint of romance. It’s definitely clear that this is a story of a boy and girl in space. People love these covers. They draw you in. But then the publisher switched to this series of covers with the release of the third book in the trilogy:

Now I first saw these covers with Shades of Earth, and I thought it was strange to have that cover with the first two. It made a lot more sense when I saw the whole set. I get it — the un-freezing, the heating up, and the jungle-like world of Centuri Earth. However, I just don’t like this new series of covers. I don’t feel like the convey the multi-genre goodness of the series. I don’t see the romance! I know publishers change up covers all the time, but this set really struck me as a disappointment.

What do you think? Which set of covers do you like better? Why do you think they changed the artwork?

Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the bloggers over at the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers from all around create lists based on the chosen topics, and post links to the host blog to share our love of books. This week we are setting goals for our 2013 bookish lives. Reading goals, blogging goals, buying goals, reviewing goals…and more. Here’s what I hope to accomplish this year:

[Not resolutions. Goals.]

1.) Read 80 books. – I read 75 last year, so I’m going to amp it up a tiny notch this year.

2.) Read 10 debuts. – I’ve never specifically participated in the debut challenge, but it sounds like a fun way to discover some new authors and great books.

3.) Start reviewing books I read before I started this blog. – I’ve always wanted a list of books I’ve read, and I often wish I had reviews of older titles that I could point back to in newer reviews. I think I’m going to start that project in 2013.

4.) Give myself more time to read before bed.  – I sleep better when I read for 30-45 minutes before bed, and I also read more. Win-win.

5.) Write more opinion posts.  – I have a list of topics I’d like to write posts on, and I haven’t written one of these types of posts in many months.

6.) Buy more books.– Review copies are lovely, but sometimes I just need to shell out money and buy books because I really want to read the books. I feel like I’m not contributing financially to the book industry anymore. My goal would be to go to the brick and mortar book store and buy physical books, because I’d hate to see them ever go out of business.

7.) Propose a bookish presentation for a national conference. – Time to start combining my hobby and my career for realz.

8.) Join a book club. – There’s a Forever Young Adult book club that meets near me, so I think it’s time to finally join a book club. I’ve been waiting years to find people with similar reading taste who will actually follow through!

9.) Read the 2014 Printz winner – Obviously I won’t know if I accomplish this until January 2014, but it’s always been my goal to have them pick a book I’ve already read and loved so I can be all like, “Yeah, I read that before it was cool.” (I will keep making this goal until it actually happens!)

10.) Participate in something bloggy and social. – A conference, BEA, a  meet-up…something outside of my hometown. If anyone has any recommendations for this, let me know!

What are your bookish goals for 2013?

In My Mailbox (December)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Join in and link up! I don’t get enough books to participate on a weekly basis, so I’m going to share highlights of the books I get for review, buy, or check out from the library. I may not read all of these (for various reasons) but I still want to share what comes my way!

All links go to the book’s page on Goodreads.

Review Copies:

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black — I’ve been looking forward to this one about paranormal ballet.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver — The third book in the Delirium trilogy.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson — Second book in the Shades of London series.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay — Does anyone understand why the ebook comes out months before the print book?

Peregrine Harker and the Black Death by Luke Hollands — Humorous steampunk mystery.

The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1) by Stacey Kade — A half alien/half human girl tries to hide in plain sight from the scientists who want to find her.

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shephard — Inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau. 

The Panem Companion by V. Arrow — Essays on The Hunger Games trilogy, from the same people who published The Girl Who Was on Fire.

Gifts:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa — Thanks to my Secret Santa, Amanda at Letters Inside Out! I promise to read it because it’s outside of my “comfort zone.”

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins — Also from my Secret Santa.

Every Day by David Levithan — Special thanks to Michelle at Roaring Out!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — Got a shelf-worthy hard copy from my mom for Christmas.

Purchased:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis — The second book in the Across the Universe series. I was afraid of the second book in the trilogy being dull (that’s been a trend lately), but I’ve been assured this isn’t the case. E-book bought on my Nook.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi — Audio book purchased from Audible (Holiday Relief sale!)

Wonder by RJ Palacio — Audio book purchased from Audible (Holiday Relief sale!)

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley — Hardcover from Amazon.com (I got $5 off).

What’s in your mailbox? Which books have you borrowed/purchased/checked out/received?