March (Reading) Madness

My Molly Harper obsession carried me into March, but toward the middle of the month I caught the flu. Sadly, I was too miserable to even consider pulling out a book, and that put me two weeks behind on all of my reading. Then I got bogged down by a book that was readable, but not terribly exciting. I had to finish it, since I was reviewing it for a publication, but it seemed to take forever. And to keep myself on task, I avoided starting any "fun" books, knowing that if I did I'd abandon the required novel. Thank goodness for audiobooks, which I was able to read when print books just weren't possible (i.e. at the gym, while cleaning house, as I got ready for work in the morning, etc.)

March Reads

The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper (Half Moon Hollow #3)

I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas by Molly Harper (Half Moon Hollow novella)

Moving Pictures by Sir Terry Pratchett (audiobook)

The Naked Werewolf series by Molly Harper (audiobooks)

     Book 1: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf
     Book 2: The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf
     Book 3: How to Run with a Naked Werewolf

The Truth About My Success by Dyan Sheldon

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I have a ton of titles waiting for my attention in April, and I can't decide what to read next - I love it when that happens!

I overextended my brain

You know how parents always tell their kids "Your eyes were bigger than your stomach?" I find myself doing this with books a lot lately. I can read one on audiobook and one in print with ease. I can even stretch that a bit and read two print while doing an audio IF the print books grab my attention sufficiently. But when so many titles and ARCs come out at the same time? I truly over estimate the amount of time it will take to read them all. That's the situation I'm in right now. MUST READ ALL THE BOOKS NOW!

That's why there's no review this week. I over committed my brain and it's shutting down in retaliation. Anyone know how to do a hard mental reboot?

Thoughts for the New Year

I'm departing from book reviews today to blog about, well, this blog. Specifically, plans and schemes for the New Year. This is the time of year when I should be making big life-altering resolutions, but instead I think I will make a few re-dedications to reading.

First off, I resolve to actually BLOG! I've been very haphazard in my blogging this year. My actual reading has been off the charts, though, so it's not as if I haven't had blog fodder. In 2014 I will post on a regular schedule, with a goal of once per week.

Secondly, I resolve to get my Goodreads list under control. I have 303 titles on my to-read list, many of which have been sitting there patiently since 2009. In 2014 I will read, or attempt to read, at least 50 of the titles that have been languishing in Goodreads.

Third and last, I resolve to get out of reading ruts. I often get stuck in a genre or subgenre, and I should really pay more attention to varying my reading material. In 2014, I will read across genres, age levels, and topics - maybe I'll even pick up a few things I'm not usually interested in and give them a try.

This probably wasn't a very interesting post for my few readers, but I believe that having these goals written down will help me stick to them. Feel free to call me out as the year progresses!

A new direction

I've been having a lot of trouble keeping up with this blog. When I stop and try to think of why, it's very easy to come up with the answer - writer's block. I can never seem to come up with ideas for posts. My life seems very...uninteresting.

In contrast, the area of this blog that is updated weekly - sometimes more - is the section detailing what I'm reading. That content is always fresh. And it's something that I can always talk about if you give me half a chance. I'm not so great at remembering to write up reviews of all the books I read, though.

If A is the need to write and B is something I love to talk about and constantly have new material to discuss, then obviously they equal C - this blog needs to turn into a book blog. I know, there are a million book blogs out there and is there really a need for yet another? Probably not. But since when has that mattered?

Stay tuned for more content...more often...on a variety of titles and subjects! I'm getting all goose pimply just thinking about it!

We're a two-Sookie family

Dead Ever After, the final Sookie Stackhouse novel, was released on May 7th. To my surprise, I had two copies show up on our library hold shelf on May 8th! TWO! I have no idea how this happened, and I considered canceling my hold on one of the copies. However, my husband is also a Sookie fan. I knew that if I didn't take the second copy home I would have to hide the single copy until I could finish my current novel. Or start reading Sookie immediately, thereby officially staking my claim on the novel (something we disgustingly refer to as "licking the book." Don't judge. At least we don't call it "peeing on the book."). Weighing the pros and cons, and slightly ashamed at my greed, I nevertheless took both copies home with me.

Husband immediately abandoned his novel (the cad) and started in on Sookie. I finished up what I had been reading (though probably at a slightly faster rate) and started reading Dead Ever After the next evening. Husband was ahead of me, and I couldn't stand it. This, combined with the better quality of writing and a page-turning plot, made me race through the book like a NASCAR driver. I finished it two days after I started, and have already turned it in for the next reader (which totally helps my feelings of two-copy guilt). It was a fun read and a satisfying finale to the series. Sure, the ending was tied up in a nice, neat bow, but I can overlook that. I won't say more...spoilers, Sweetie!

So awesome I HAVE to post it!

The Homewood Public Library is having a Pet Reading Photo Contest, and I entered my cat, Pipsqueak. I caught a great picture of him "reading" Jenny Lawson/The Bloggess' book Let's Pretend This Never Happened. This is supposed to just be a fun community contest with a small prize. And it was...until my competitive coworker got all...competitive. So I emailed The Bloggess and asked her to comment on my picture (each comment = 1 vote). Then this happened:

I think I screamed. I'm not sure, because the next few minutes are a blur. A kinda grey black blur. But I remember scampering down the hall to tell my coworker that, whether I won or not, my entry was the awesomest because the author commented on it! 'Cause she's awesome!!!

So, because it would actually be cool to win, here's the link if you want to vote for Pipsqueak reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson: VOTE! Remember that to vote you actually have to leave a comment, even if it's just a smiley face.

BTW, the book really is lickable. I mean, you wouldn't really want to lick it, because it tastes like paper and ink. But cats like to lick it, which is like a seal of approval. Because it's a fantastically funny read.

Update: I was going to update this to report the pinnacle of awesomeness: The Bloggess listed Pip's picture on her blog under " Shit I Did When I Wasn't Here." You can see that post here, just scroll down to "What you missed on the Internets" (but read the blog first - it's hysterical!). Of course, Pip is the link entitled "I'm a Bad Influence on Cats." I died from happiness. Could it get any better?

Then an even more amazing thing happened...checking my Twitter account I discovered that THE BLOGGESS HAD FOLLOWED ME!!! That's it. I'm done. Even if I don't officially win this contest - I have won. I am furiously happy!

Another Update: Pipsqueak won the contest!

Random Review of an Unfinished Book...

I don't usually post on Fridays, but I wanted to share my thoughts on J.K. Rowling's newest title, The Casual Vacancy.

I was looking forward to this novel. I wanted to see how Rowling would handle the transition of writing for an older audience. I was intrigued by the idea that this book was all-Muggle - no magic or fantasy at play in any way, shape or form. I put this book on hold in anticipation - believing that I would enjoy it. I was so wrong.

Not only could I not finish the book. I couldn't get past fifty pages. The writing is good - probably better than Rowling's first couple of Potter books. It's obvious she's a more experienced author. And there's nothing inherently wrong with the plot or the pace of the book. My problems with the novel are more about what I enjoy reading and what I don't.

In the first fifty pages of this book Rowling introduces us to the townspeople of Pagford - seemingly every single one of them. Seriously. She's throwing in a new character every other paragraph or so. And not a one of them has a redeeming quality. They're full of hate and anger, abusive, petrified, self-satisfied, gossipy and, oh, lots of other blechy qualities that I really don't like in people. In fifty pages I didn't find any characters that elicited my sympathy, that I could cheer for, or that I wanted to follow through the remainder of the book. So I put the book down. Done. Not finishing it. I'll pick up her next one and try again, but this one is over for me.

Note: This is most definitely an adult book, with mature language and content. 

A Short Reading Ramble

Someone asked recently what my favorite books were. Get real - I'm a librarian. My list of favorite books is ever-changing and too long to remember off the top of my head. I directed them to my Goodreads account. That's where I post my thoughts and reviews about what I read. While it doesn't cover everything I've ever read in my life (that would be HUGE), it does sum up the past four and a half years I've been using the site...that's 419 books, by the way!

Typically I have at least two books going at the same time. I read a lot of teen fiction, some history and historical fiction, bodice rippers, fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal fiction, mysteries, thrillers, satire, steampunk, etc. I definitely have favorite genres, but I will read just about anything you put in front of me. Fiction, nonfiction, magazines, blogs, cereal boxes, you name it. I'll read it. I had to buy an eReader to take on vacation just so I could transport enough books to keep me calm (I was always afraid I'd run out of things to read).

So you could say I'm a voracious reader. Or a librarian. Same thing, really.

And because I'm a librarian, I'm driven to share what I read. Check out the new gadgets on the right where I'll be posting what I'm reading and what I've read. And/or check out my Goodreads page - if you haven't joined it's a great site for book lovers!